Michael Reardon

Piemonte, 21" x 10"

An avid traveler, Michael Reardon uses watercolor to record his observations, convey a sense of place, and communicate his impressions of natural, constructed, and imagined worlds. He has been painting in watercolor for over twenty years, inspired to learn the medium after viewing a show of John Singer Sargent's watercolors at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and Sargent's work continues to inspire his work, particularly his plein air paintings. With his extensive background in architectural illustration, he composes evocative watercolors using a limited color palette and subtle washes. His most recent work is a series of imagined landscapes. Beginning with a small thumbnail study of shape and value, he enlarges the image, adding architectural detail to create convincing landscapes. His intent is to let the watercolor paint express itself in each piece -- working wet-into-wet -- and he enjoys watching the pigments mingle and granulate as he paints.

California Squall, 22" x 11"

California Pond, 22" x 11"

In 2005, Michael was the recipient of the prestigious Gabriel Prize from the Western European Architecture Foundation, which enabled him to spend three months painting in Paris. His watercolors have been exhibited both nationally and internationally; recent exhibits include the annual shows of the California Watercolor Association, the American Watercolor Society, and Watercolor West. He is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the California Watercolor Association, and his work was featured in the Fall 2007 issue of Watercolor magazine and in Splash 10 -- Passionate Brushstrokes from North Light Books (2008). This May he was a juried participant in Sonoma Plein Air 2009.

Pont-au-Change, 21" x 11"

Champs-Elysees Bassin, 14" x 9"

Please visit Michael's website to see more of his work.