My watercolors have been deeply influenced by the powerful light and color of the Southwest. The work is nature-oriented-even the adobe pueblos and churches, because they come from the earth; an extension of nature.
My concern has been to present an interplay of dark and light, positive and negative, along with a strong interest in texture and surface in such a way as to heighten the visual impact. Well saturated colors, define edges and rather dense compositions are a very important element along with the abstract development of shapes. All of the compositions are conceived and executed as a balance and play of shapes and colors up until the very precise details are added to give it sharp focus and depth.
The technique used in my watercolors breaks many of the traditional rules of the media, but has evolved as a personal statement to achieve the impact I wish to portray. My interest in textures has led me to develop a process, in the development of the desired bold shapes, of blotting and lifting colors with paper towels and brushes. Areas that have the color removed in this way acquire texture, depth and translucency, due to the rich remaining stain. This kind of color cannot be obtained by pre-mixing paint. I then work with dark colors and dark edges to give the work depth. The very last thing I do is to work with details.
To me the exciting challenge of watercolor is the visualization of the finished painting, accepting, using, changing the limitations of the media, and being experimental with the technique. . . .Pat Wolf