Solveig Rimstad

Apple Blossom, 13" x 19"

Encouraged by her practical father, Solveig Rimstad entered the work world as soon as she finished high school, putting aside dreams of attending art school. But she continued to draw and sketch and after a period of illness in mid-life forced her to quit her job, she began to paint seriously in watercolor. She credits her good friend Aud Rye, a wonderful artist in her own right, with pushing her in the right direction, and she also took workshops in Norway with Americans Carol Carter -- whose work has always been exceptional to her -- and Rose Edin -- from whom she learned a lot of color theory. For a long time, in addition to classes, Solveig painted 12 hours a day to improve her skills. She works in transparent watercolor, usually layering on 6-8 washes, and she blends her paints on the surface of the paper to create vibrant color.

Trumpet Flower, 16" x 10"

Coconuts, 30" x 22"

Solveig continues to take workshops for technical development and also teaches in her home studio as well as traveling to give weekend workshops. She has had a number of exhibitions, both locally and in other places, including an exhibit at the Norwegian Seaman's Church in Los Angeles in 2002. Her work has been published in the Norwegian art magazines Kunst for Alle and Decor and has been included in two other books. Her paintings are held in private and public collections; she is currently showing work at Gallery 104 at Sandane, in the west part of Norway.

In 2009, Solveig and her friend Aud published a beautiful book of their floral paintings titled Blomster -- Naturens eget festfyrverkeri which translates to "Flowers -- Nature's own Fireworks."

Luke, 11" x 14"

Mother, 16" x 13"

Please visit Solveig's website to see more of her paintings and to get information on ordering her book.

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John Maslen

9-11 Preamble, 20" x 28"

John Maslen's artistic works occupy three distinct niches -- architect, watercolorist, and children's book illustrator. John attended Rhode Island School of Design, and worked as an architect for many years, receiving an American Institute of Architects Honor Award. Then, hired on by his wife in the mid-1970s to help with her books for young readers, he served as illustrator, publisher, and marketing person as they created the very well-regarded Bob Books -- designed to teach reading to young children. As the popularity of the books soared, they joined forces with the Scholastic, Inc. publishing group in 1993. John continues to be involved with Bob Books, now serving as co-manager with his daughter Lynn.

By the Dawn's Early Light, 20" x 28"

Mask I, 20" x 28"

Throughout his long careers in architecture and book illustration, John continued to paint and exhibit his watercolors, winning awards at every level during the past 30 years and earning signature status in the National Watercolor Society (in 2000) and Master Status in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America in (2009).

Marinal III, 20" x 28"

Because most of John's work is not available online, and because he is one of the few people I have encountered who works in transparent watercolor to create mostly non-objective paintings, I've decided to present more than the usual number of pieces on the blog this week. I hope you enjoy this overview of his work.

Marinal V, 20" x 28"

Marinal VI, 20" x 28"

Fish IV, 20" x 28"

Suspense I, 20" x 28"


Suspense III, 20" x 28"

Field Storm, 20" x 28"

French Harbor, 20" x 28"

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Kathleen Ballard

Pond Lilies, 9" x 12"

Kathleen Ballard strives to depict the serene and elegant side of nature, whether focusing on a beautiful flower, a garden landscape or a water surface. She chooses themes that emphasize light-struck objects, vibrant color, and plentiful detail. Many of her paintings are inspired by visits to botanical gardens near her home -- The Huntington Library, the Descanso Gardens, and the Los Angeles Arboretum. Primarily a studio painter, she works from her reference photos to create her drawings and then develops her paintings with layers of color to create depth and form.

Cactus Pears, 15" x 28"

Rose Garden, 16" x 22"

Although she has been drawing and painting since she was a child, Kathleen began her journey with watercolor when she attended her first class at Otis Parsons; she has been passionate about the medium ever since and has taken many workshops over the years. She worked as a signwriter for many years -- most of those in the motion picture industry -- leaving her position at Paramount Pictures in 2005 to make art full time. She is an affiliate of several watercolor societies, from local to national, and has been exhibiting her work and winning awards for a number of years; she received her signature in the National Watercolor Society in 2009. Kathleen's work was featured in the April 2010 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine.

Roses for Trish, 7" x 10"

Yellow Blooms, 11" x 18"

Please visit Kathleen's website to see more of her work.

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Susan Abbott

Fleet Summer, 40" x 60"

In Susan Abbott's view, one thing all artists have in common is a love of "just making things." She grew up in a family that encouraged her early interest in both art and crafts and she dropped out of high school in her hurry to get to art school. Although she never took watercolor classes, she began concentrating on transparent watercolor early in her career, attracted to its vibrant color and spontaneity. During the 1980s and 90s, she focused on large-scale, complex works combining still life, landscape, decorative patterns, and graphic elements into unique compositions that joined intense realism with abstract design.

Fruits and Fields, Provence, 15" x 22" (diptych)

Piero and Pitchers, 22" x 30"

Susan also uses watercolor in plein air landscape painting. In her words, "Rather than constructing a still life over a span of weeks, a plein air landscape requires immediate decisions, emotion, gesture, and being 'in the moment' with a medium. I love this. In many ways, I find working quickly outdoors more challenging than building a painting slowly in the studio." Although she paints watercolor landscapes on her frequent travels to teach workshops, she is currently doing studio work in oils on a series of multi-panel still lifes and landscapes and finds that her long use of transparent watercolor has changed her approach to oils.

Clouds Over Lavender, 14" x 14"

Susan graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA and MFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and has worked as a professional artist since then -- exhibiting in galleries and museums around the country. She has taught watercolor classes at MICA as well as teaching workshops in Europe, India, and the U.S. Her work has been featured in Watercolor Artist (cover story, October 2009) and The Artist's Magazine (January 2010) in addition to many other publications including The Washington Post, American Artist, International Artist, and Watercolor Magazine; she has also been featured on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show and the Oprah Winfrey Show. She has been the recipient of grants from the Vermont and Maryland Arts Councils and of numerous private and public painting commissions, and her work is represented in numerous corporate and individual collections.

Vista, Joucas, Provence, 14" x 20"

Please go to Susan's website for more information on her paintings, workshops, and two popular blogs.

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Iain Stewart

Early Evening, Opelika, Alabama, 9" x 13"

"The act of painting, for me, is chicken soup on a cold day. It's my comfort food and my peace. When I am relaxed and the washes are flowing, ideas are clicking, I forget the clock and I am me."

Growing up the son of a watercolorist formed the way Iain Stewart sees the world by breaking it down into washes, values, shapes, contrasts, lines and brushstrokes, and his father has had a great influence on his growth as an artist -- perhaps more by example than direct instruction. Iain's background in architecture added a love of built forms and his education at the Rural Studio under the late Samuel Mockbee helped him understand the simple beauty of the rural south. Living in Opelika, Alabama, a railroad town where the remnants of the past are easily visible, he seeks out the places in his daily life that have not completely lost their history, exploring the beauty in the mundane. He is intrigued by the play between rigid and loose and strives to find a balance between the two in his painting -- anchoring his landscapes with something solid or man-made, or varying his brushstrokes to break up the rigidity of architectural forms.

Coaling Tower, Opelika, Alabama, 13" x 9"

South Railroad Ave. in Snow, Opelika, Alabama
13" x 9"

Iain is a native of Scotland who received his degree in Architecture from Auburn University and did thesis work at the Rural Studio in Hale County, Alabama. He's been painting in watercolor for over 20 years and, after working as a residential architect, established his architectural illustration business in 1996 as a way to combine his love of watercolor and design. His architectural illustrations have been reproduced in many publications, including Better Homes and Gardens, The Robb Report, Coastal Living, Inspired House, and Southern Living.

Frustrated with the constraints of commercial work, Iain renewed his interest in fine art in recent years and has started showing his work in national shows. He won the the Southern Watercolor Society Award at the Watercolor Society of Alabama's 69th National Exhibition this year and was recently named one of Watercolor Artist magazine's "Ones to Watch" for 2010, to be published in the December issue of the magazine (available in October).

Miss Voncille, Coden, Alabama, 13" x 9"

Heading Out, Resurrection Bay, Alaska, 13" x 9"

Please jump to Iain's blog for more news about his work and a link to his website.

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Tom Francesconi

Stage Performer, 20" x 13"

Tom Francesconi's paintings are a visual statement of his love for life. In his words, "As an artist, I have chosen to express myself through the language of paint, and stirred emotions are the essential beginnings of that language. Painting puts me in touch not only with the world around me, but also with the world inside of me. It is my hope that my paintings will echo that emotional response and the viewer will share in my spirited statements."

Longing, 21" x 14"

Pearl Necklace, 11" x 15"

Tom studied art at Eastern Illinois University and later focused on watercolor, studying with Irving Shapiro at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. After working more than 12 years as a commercial artist, he returned to fine art and devoted himself to his painting. His work has been published in eight books, including the just-released Splash 11. He has written articles for the magazines Watercolor and Watercolor Magic (now Watercolor Artist); an earlier article for Watercolor -- "Lively Painting, Purposeful Color" -- was reprinted in a special edition of Watercolor Highlights in the spring of 2008.

Tom's work has been exhibited in many national exhibitions -- the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, and Watercolor West, as well as other prestigious shows. He has signature status in five watercolor societies, including the National Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (Master Status), and the Northwest Watercolor Society. His work has garnered numerous awards, most recently the Lakes Region Watercolor Guild Award at the 2010 TWSA Exhibition and the Henry Fukuhara Award at the 2009 Watercolor West Exhibition.

The Tryst, 11" x 15"

Tom teaches weekly classes in Chicago and conducts workshops throughout the country. He has juried both regional and national exhibitions and lectured at museum and college venues, and he served as president of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America from 2001-2003, initiating its transformation from Midwest Watercolor Society to TWSA. He is represented by the White Street Gallery in Frankfort, IL, and his work is included in many private and corporate collections.

Aged, Yet Adorned, 13" x 20"

Please jump over to Tom's website to see more of his work.

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