Hello and thank you for stopping by. My name is Bill and I’m a self-taught watercolor artist. I grew up in Pennsylvania, spent about 10 years living in Ohio, and recently moved to Saint James, a small town in Minnesota. Leaving the suburbs of a big city for a small town surrounded by farms was a big change for me, but I’m so glad that I did. I enjoy the simplicity of small-town living
My Artistic Journey
My journey as an artist began when I was ten years old. For Christmas that year, I got my first real paint set. Six tubes of Liquitex Acrylic paint, a couple of brushes, and a few small canvas boards. I couldn’t wait to start!
I squeezed a few colors of paint onto my homemade palette (a piece of cardboard) and got to work. The earliest painting that I can remember was a colorful autumn scene – trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves, some mountains in the background, a bright blue sky, and a pond that reflected some of the trees just like a mirror. Thinking back, it wasn’t very good, but to a ten-year-old boy who just finished his first painting, it was awesome.
I continued painting for quite a while, but at some point, my brushes and paint got packed away.
Many years have passed since that time. Somewhere along the way, I got the bug to start painting again. I switched from acrylics to watercolors, and that change created a whole new painting experience for me. I love the free flowing nature and, sometimes unpredictable, qualities of watercolors. It’s as if the paint has a mind of its own at times. Half the fun is trying to keep it under control.
Most of my paintings are considered mixed media, a combination of watercolors and permanent ink. There are watercolor purists out there that frown on this technique, but I’m ok with that. I think the end result is pretty cool. Just remember, no matter what you do, you won’t please everyone. And I’m ok with that too.
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