Raul Gutierrez

Although his watercolors remain relatively small and classically simple, the influence and popularity of Raul Gutierrez of San Antonio was felt wide and far. His private collectors include Former President Lyndon B. Johnson, Sen. Barry Goldwater, Former Secretary of the Treasury John B. Connally and the former President of Mexico Miguel Aleman. The circle included many other "lesser known" but discriminating collectors. Mr. Gutierrez paints what he loves. The rugged austere beauty of the Texas landscape. Although the delicate nature of the watercolor medium may seem ill suited for themes of barren and brittle creek beds, gnarled trees on a rocky promontory, or a field of tall grass in the rural Texas winter wind, Mr. Gutierrez manages to capture an amazingly authentic atmosphere and evoke a compelling mood. His coloring is extremely subtle and refined, with variations on a single hue often running to several shades within a single picture. Nearly all of his colors are soft and subdued, and this skillful shading gives his works a wonderful luminescence. Composition and line in his watercolors are executed with almost geometric precision and balance.