Watercolor Landscapes - Idaho Paintings in Watercolors

Watercolor is an expressive medium. I like best the fresh and spontaneous nature of watercolors so I try to preserve these qualities. I tend to work fast with bold strokes and a lot of pigment. The best watercolor paintings tend to be simple but well designed. The key is to apply good design without impeding creativity and spontaneity. Shape value color and line are components of any painting, but what really counts is how the watercolors blend together as a creative statement.

The western landscape offers endless choices for a watercolor artist. Deep colorful canyons, aspen covered mountains, swift running streams and pine forests are some of my favorite watercolor subjects. Idaho has tremendous variety from the high deserts and deep gorges of the Southwest to the alpine splendor of the Sawtooth Mountains. Within an hours drive of Boise, I can travel from desert to mountain and see transitions from dry, stark landscape to lush pine country. It is tempting to paint every tree and rock just as they appear, but my goal is to include just enough of the Idaho landscape to make it recognizable, with an emphasis on what has captured my interest in the subject. I can't improve the imagery of the natural landscapes, but I can edit the scene to draw attention to something I find interesting.