The Year in Review -- 2010

The Slide feature has been discontinued as of March 2012.

It's hard to believe that another year has passed! This week marks the second annniversary of this blog -- a personal journey of discovery for me as I met new artists and, happily, an increasingly popular resource for other watercolorists. There are now over 850 subscribers, a number I couldn't begin to imagine when I started. My thanks to all the artists who so graciously shared their work and helped to promote the blog.

Once again, I'm presenting a slide revue of the year's artists -- 25 in all. To view a profile, click on the artist's name in the Index Links at the bottom of the sidebar. Or go directly to an artist's website by clicking on his/her name in Featured Artists - 2010. And to see a recap of last year's artists, you can view the slide show for 2009 here.

After two years of following the format I devised at the start, I am ready to try some new things. I'm not quite sure what direction I'm going to take this, but I want more flexibility in the coming year -- both to keep my own creative juices flowing and to sustain your interest in the features. So I hope you'll continue the journey with me and enjoy the ride!!

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Bill Hook

Low Tide – Staithes, 13" x 10"

After four decades as a successful and respected architect and nationally recognized architectural illustrator, Bill Hook is on the threshold of a whole new world of artistic expression. Breaking away from the exacting constraints of the commercial world, he is just beginning to experience the challenges and rewards of plein air work. A turning point came in 2007, when he received a fellowship to live and paint for two months in the tiny hilltown of Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy. In two months, he produced over 60 drawings and paintings. He returned to Civita in May, 2010 and then continued on to the small English fishing village of Staithes, where he enjoyed the changing weather and light of the Yorkshire coast. Although his work is informed and influenced by his architectural background, he now feels free to break away from realistically recording a scene and to focus more on the quality of light and the feeling of a place and time.

Church Street – Staithes, 13" x 10"

White House I, 10" x 6"

Bill was juried into the NWWS Annual Open Exhibition in 2009, and into the Richeson 75 Landscapes Show in both 2009 and 2010. In September, 2010, he participated in his first major plein air event -- the 5th Annual US Open in Coupeville, WA -- and had two pieces selected for the show. He received an Honorable Mention for one of those paintings and it also sold at the live auction. Bill continues to pursue both plein air and studio work. He currently has six pieces hanging in a collective show at The Artique Underground Gallery in Frederick MD.

Coupeville, 13" x 10"

Civita, 13" x 10"

Please go to Bill's website to see more of his work.

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