About 12 years ago, my daughter Natalie said, “Dad, you should try this.” She knew that I subscribed to numerous art magazines and periodicals and loved strolling through art museums. She thought I should try my hand at painting. Of course I said, “Naaaaaugh, I could never do that.” After all, I didn’t think I could draw a stitch, had never taken any art courses, and had no idea how artists actually painted.
So I tried sketching a building in Santa Fe, and the results confirmed my intuition. It was awful. So about nine months later, we took a family vacation to Hawaii. Natalie brought watercolors with her and said, “OK Dad, try again.” Funny thing, all of a sudden, it clicked. My math background allowed me to understand perspective, and I intuitively understood color combinations. With some tips from my wife, Marcia, and Natalie (who is a graphic artist), it all came together.
I came home, took some drawing classes, and read many art publications on the painting process. Today, I work out of my home in Lafayette, using water-based oil as the medium. Major influences have been the works of Paul Cezanne, Edward Hopper and Wayne Thiebaud. The use of color to enhance the composition is a primary goal.
I hope you enjoy the paintings as much as I did creating them.
John