Ben Watson III

Scenes from everyday life inspire my paintings. Sometimes only fragments of those scenes -- such as a weather-beaten basket propping open a door -- strike me the strongest. The idea just happens. I'm in the right place at the right time, fortunate enough to know it and disciplined enough to record it. Recording doesn't mean verbatim copying. I may leave a background blank if the images are strong enough to speak for themselves. It is not necessary to add for the sake of adding. I may leave out an originally planned element if I feel it's no longer needed. Sometimes it's hard to eliminate an element I like, but it can always be incorporated into another painting, so the image isn't lost. The final piece is my interpretation of a subject - what I want to say about it. The subject may hit me quickly, but I slow down the process of rendering it in watercolor by using drybrush. With the moisture squeezed from the bristles, I can work for hours - or days - to create the interesting specifics of everything from the smooth skin on a cheek to the stubble of a graying beard. AFFILIATIONS American Watercolor Society - Signature Member National Watercolor Society - Signature Member PUBLICATIONS American Artist "Watercolor '91" "Expressing Mood in Watercolor" The Artist Magazine July '92 "Adding the Extra to Ordinary" The Artist Magazine August '92 "The Business of Art" Southwest Art December '93 "The Language of Watercolor" American Artist December '93 "Leo" American Artist "Watercolor '94 Summer "Karl J Kuerner III Chadds Ford's Best Kept Secret" Northlight Books Splash 3 "Ideas and Inspriations" Rockport Publications "The Best of Watercolor" Northlight Books Splash 4 "The Splender of Light" International Artist Magazine "Master Painters of the World" China Fine Art Society Watercolor 2003 Volume 22 Art Business News June 2004 "Realer Than Real" The Artist Magazine Sept. 2004 "Watercolor Basics"