Geoffrey McCormack

Reina de la Costa, 22" x 30"

Labelled an "abstract naturalist" by a fellow artist, Geoffrey McCormack was influenced early in his career by the trompe l'oeil painters and, later, the new photo realists. He works in series with the goal of fully exploring an idea -- both in terms of seeing common objects in a new light and in relation to the formal aspects of art-making: composition, value, color, etc. He has been working with his "String Theory Series" for more than 20 years and the concept has become an integral part of his symbolism.

Three Rivers: Rock Dance on Hunter Creek, 22" x 30"

The Three Rivers series came about by a wonderful accident. Geoffrey relates, "While printing a copy of an earlier series, there were multiple printer errors which produced a rough triptych. I liked this accidental format and added it to other reference scraps pinned to my studio wall.

"Several months later, as I was thinking about the parameters for a new series, my eyes landed upon the accidental triptych. Incorporated with the stones, sticks, string and shallow space of my Greek series, the new series would refer to the rivers of Western Oregon and these waterways would be the source for forms, materials, colors and perhaps regional or universal detritus.

"When combined, these elements work on many levels: as materials and objects that give a sense of place and as forms that cast shadows describing volume and shallow space. The manmade objects set scale, time or action. For example the strings can be seen as compositional tool that delineates two dimensional space and at the same time casts a shadow describing the three dimensions of the object it falls on. They are also reference to archeological digs and an investigation over time."

Three Rivers: The Rogue, 22" x 30"

Three Rivers: Yellow Twig, 22" x 30"
watercolor and fluid acrylic

With an MA in sculpture, Geoffrey has taught college courses in both two- and three-dimensional art. He has been increasingly active on the national watercolor scene over the past few years and his painting "Red Twig" – from the Three Rivers Series – was honored with the Purchase Award with Silver Star (Best in Show) at the National Watercolor Society exhibition in 2009.

Rocky Point, 22" x 30"

Please visit Geoffrey's website to see more of his work and get information on his workshops.

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American Watercolor Masters -- John Salminen

Washington Square, 33" x 37"
2010 Skyledge (Gold) Award, TWSA

John Salminen is the first artist to be featured in a new series I'll be posting periodically starting this week -- American Watercolor Masters.

[Editor's note: I have featured a number of very accomplished watercolorists over the past two years who would certainly qualify as American Masters. This new series is in no way intended to disregard or downplay their considerable accomplishments.]

John is a prolific painter, with signature memberships in numerous art societies, including the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, The Watercolor USA Honor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Allied Artist and Watercolor West. In addition, he has been honored with Master Status in TWSA and inclusion in the American Watercolor Society’s Dolphin Fellowship, and he is an honorary member of the Jiangsu Watercolor Research Institute in China. He has won more than 190 awards in both national and international exhibitions and frequently serves as a juror for national shows.

Cable Car, 25" x 24.5"

The majority of John's work involves urban landscapes. Ranging from San Francisco to the Chicago Loop to Greenwich Village to rainy Paris to Shanghai, his subjects are consistently presented in dynamic compositions and his ability to set a mood with color, light and tone is unsurpassed.

City of Light, 24" x 35.5"

Paris Bookstalls, 30" x 36"

Champs Elysees, 25" x 25"

Shanghai Alley, 24" x 35.5"

John has been conducting workshops for many years, all around the country, and he enjoys working with artists at all levels of experience and expertise.

Please visit John's website to see a full gallery of his work and get details of his workshop schedule.

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Winter Scenes -- Anders Andersson & Aud Rye

Winter Communication
watercolor, 11" x 15" (28cm x 38cm)
Anders Andersson

After Snowfall
watercolor, 22" x 15" (56cm x 38cm)
Aud Rye

Two Scandinavian artists -- Anders Andersson of Sweden and Aud Rye of Norway -- find inspiration for some of their work in the wintery scenes that surround them for months every year. While Anders takes a minimalist approach, using a soft palette and very spare imagery, Aud's use of color and detail reveals a much more romantic view of the landscape.

As a young child, Anders borrowed his mother's watercolor supplies to begin painting after watching her make watercolor sketches. By the time he reached the university, he was doing airbrush commissions and also worked as an airbrush artist painting custom t-shirts at the beach. His interest in watercolor was rekindled when his wife gave him the gift of a course in watercolor. He eventually met David Taylor and Joseph Zbukvic, two well-known Australian watercolorists and teachers, and credits them with awakening his passion for watercolor.

Anders Andersson's portfolio:

Cool Communications, 11" x 15" (28cm x 38cm)

Bonan, 15" x 22" (38cm x 56cm)

Winter Sleep, 30" x 15" (76cm x 38cm)

Ice, 7" x 15" (19cm x 38cm)

Winter Water, 15" x 22" (38cm x 56cm)

Aud had been doing freelance drawing and illustration work for magazines and books for many years when she quit her jobs to care for her terminally ill mother. To keep herself occupied and focussed on something positive, she read books on watercolor and taught herself to paint, eventually studying with Kari Unn Paye and Zoltan Szabo, among others. She established a school in her home studio and soon was teaching classes and workshops throughout Scandinavia and Europe. When she gave up the weekday classes, she began taping her worshop preparations, with the result that she has published more than 30 DVDs demonstrating her painting techniques. Aud is also co-author with Solveig Rimstad of Blomster, a book of floral paintings with illustrations of their watercolor techniques.

Aud Rye's portfolio:

Frost, 11" x 15" (28cm x 38cm)

Winter in Kragero, 17" x 11" (42cm x 11cm)


Winterscene, 15" x 22" (38cm x 56cm)


The River, 22" x 15" (56cm x 38cm)


The Creek, 15" x 11" (38cm x 28cm)

Please visit Anders' website (and be sure to check the link to his other site) to see a more extensive collection of his work. A visit to Aud's website will reveal the wide range of her watercolor interests as well (click on Akvareller to see her paintings).

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Two Views of Malaysia -- Ismail Kadir and Phang Chew

Keseng Village
watercolor, 12" x 18" (30cm x 45cm)
Ismail Kadir

Calm
watercolor, 18" x 24" (45cm x 60cm)
Phang Chew

Ismail Kadir and Phang Chew, two very talented and accomplished watercolorists, share a love of the Malaysian countryside but focus on different aspects of the world around them. However, with wide-ranging interests, neither artist is confined to a single subject, and their work overlaps in some areas. Both are also open to experimenting and pushing their work in new directions.

Phang Chew teaches painting and exhibits his work regularly. He has exhibited widely throughout East Asia -- Thailand, China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, as well as Malaysia -- and his work was included in the 2010 Shanghai Zhujiajiao International Watercolour Biennial Exhibition.

Phang Chew's portfolio:

Scene from the Countryside, 18" x 24" (45cm x 60cm)

Scene from the Cave of Happiness, 18" x 24" (45cm x 60cm)

Hillside Sheepfold, 21" x 30" (54cm x 78cm)

Duckling Pond, 27" x 33" (69cm x 84cm)

Houses Beyond the Pond, 21" x 29" (54cm x 74cm)

Stream in the Woods, 21" x 30" (54cm x 78cm)

Ismail Kadir also teaches and exhibits regularly. His work has also been included in exhibits throughout East Asia, and he has been invited to the Lushan International Art Festival in Shanghai and Lushan, China since its inception three years ago. He was featured in a full-length article in the June 2009 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine and contributed a painting to the Art vs. Oil Spill disaster relief efforts.

Ismail Kadir's portfolio:

My Village Series #1, 12" x 18" (30cm x 45cm)

Kg Atas Paloh #4, 12" x 18" (30cm x 45 cm)

Pantai Mek Mas Village, 12" x 18" (30cm x 45cm)

Pulau Kundur, 22" x 30" (56cm x 76cm)

Pengkalan Ikan Pulau Gajah, 12" x 18" (30cm x 45cm)

Genting, 22" x 30" (56cm x 76cm)

Please visit Phang's blog to see more of his work. You can visit Ismail's blog to see more of his work, but he has posted most of his recent work on his Facebook profile and welcomes you to view his photo albums there.

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Car Culture -- Diane Morgan and Ron Morrison

Eldorado

watercolor, 17" x 22"
Diane Morgan

This Caddie Has Run Its Course
watercolor, 15" x 30"
Ron Morrison

Diane Morgan and Ron Morrison are both passionate about cars, but approach the subject from quite different directions. While Diane celebrates the new/shiny/powerful aspects of cars, Ron finds inspiration in their decline -- from single "portraits" to piles of rusting hulks. Both of them skillfully exploit watercolor to depict the characteristics of their subjects and clearly enjoy working with the medium.

Diane's goal is "to transform simple everyday life into un-ordinary, not-so-still life" which she accomplishes by using lighting, reflections, exaggerated contrasts and unusual compositions. She says, "I love how the medium takes command. The artist starts the process, but the paint takes charge and leads the work to a sometimes unintended outcome. It's always exhilarating."

Diane's portfolio:

Hot As A Heartbeat, 22" x 29"

Heaven is a '57, 20" x 15"

Mercedes Mascot, 20" x 16"

Highway to Heaven, 22" x 28

Top Down Day, 21" x 16"

Ron says simply, "I've always loved the shapes and colours of old vehicles as they settle in for the long rust. I especially enjoy creating scenes using characters I have collected over the years. These paintings are from my imagination. I am after the entertainment factor. No mask, little reference material, just draw and paint." Ron often returns to the same subjects, recombining images and manipulating mood through his use of form and color.

Ron's portfolio:

'35 Plymouth, 11" x 15"


Pile of Chevys (detail)


The Heaps Are Piling Up, 22" x 30"


Shifting Into Neutrals, 22" x 30"


The Trading Post V, 22" x 30"


Halloween Is Near, 22" x 30"

Please visit Diane's website and Ron's blog to see more of their paintings.

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