Abstract Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Artist Comments
A young girl reaches for her father's ready hand to guide her while she walks along a low wall in a lush garden. "I love gardens, and paint them often, so the...

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Softly painted narcissus blooms form a bouquet of fresh fluorescence. "I painted this piece while taking part in an online demo with IranSheen," says artist F...

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Artist Judy Mudd paints a rustic country landscape in the style of impressionism. Farmhouses and silos adorn the misty pink background. Searching for new and ...

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"Vietnam is a country of contrasts - lowlands with lush green ricefields like this one as well as mountains around every corner," says artist James Nyika. "This picture was so compelling because of the huge color contrast of the bright luscious foreground and the greying distant mountains. I wanted to capture these contrasts that are pervasive throughout the country."

About the Artist
Artist James Nyika paints the glowing atmosphere of cities across the world. As a child growing up in Kenya, he found art materials at the student bookshop and also borrowed just about every art history volume from the British Council library in Nairobi. "I checked out the same books over and over just to stare at the art, to try and understand how it was created," says James. With family encouragement to study engineering, James moved to the U.S. and immersed himself in science studies at Boston University. Several years after embarking on a tech career, he set a goal to create at least one painting a week, never throwing away any works and learning as much as possible in his off hours. Today, James still balances his full-time career designing large software systems with his prolific output as a painter. "Painting is a great antidote to the regularity of a computing profession and I really value it for the uncertainty that it brings - something frowned upon when writing code."

Words that describe this painting: Vietnam, paddy, rice field...

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"I love waterfalls, and this painting was inspired by a similar waterfall, although this exact scene doesn’t exist," shares artist Joanie Ford...

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Artist Judy Mudd paints a dreamy pink sunset in a charming country landscape. Part of her ongoing rural series of outback sceneries. She draws inspiration fro...

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Artist Catherine McCargar displays a dreamy forest clearing in delicate color. Trees line the landscape, casting shadows on the wintry terrain. A peaceful and...

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"The sunlight danced across the water and on the foliage hanging over the stream, creating a frame for the deep woods beyond," Patri...

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A group of inviting Mediterranean style homes in Palm Springs nestled against a backdrop of rocky desert hills, and watched over by a sentinel palm tree. "Thi...

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Artist Kristen Brown depicts a parting of trees revealing a quiet lake at dusk. The peaceful composition captures the brilliant colors of evening light with f...

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I enjoy making trips to Palm Springs to collect inspirational material for paintings. I am especially drawn to the bougainvillea blossoms that grow so well in...

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Artist James Nyika depicts a cold January afternoon before a snowstorm near the US Capitol in Washington DC. Glowing in the afternoon light, James captures th...

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"Look backward to move forward," says artist James Nyika. Taking inspiration from this very scene unfolding from his rearview mirror while driving, James pain...

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"Milan, the center of fashion in Europe, is a beautiful city with fantastic classical architecture, trams and people milling about attending to their work," ...

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Patricia set up her easel on an early fall morning to catch the beauty of the fog rising off of the river. The sun was just beginnin...

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When artist Patricia Prendergast paints at the river, she often quickly picks up her camera and snaps photographs of other details ...

Artist Comments
I painted this from a photo I took at Stafford Lake on a cloudy, rainy day. As I worked on it, it started to feel like a night scene to me and I thought it would be fun to add the moon and its reflection. I like how it provides a counter point in this monochromatic design.

About the Artist
Pastel artist Patricia Prendergast creates impressionist artworks that depict the rivers and landscapes near her home in Sacramento, California. With each nature vignette, she captures the sense of larger natural rhythms through quick mark-making, mauve undertones, and a tranquil and serene haziness. Her work recalls the paintings from the Hudson River School such as Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand. Before working on her pastels at home in her studio, she spends hours studying nature on walks along the river near her home. Since becoming an artist, she says “everything is more vivid - the beauty of light and shadow in the trees, the subtlety of the color of clouds, the sparkle and reflections in water.” Her work as been exhibited in solo shows around California. She is represented by UGallery.

Moon over...

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Artist Catherine McCargar explores the tranquility of still waters and deep shadows in this peaceful coastal landscape. The sun's rays shine on the greenery w...

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"During an early fall morning on one of my daily strolls, I was coming round a bend and saw this sight - bright morning sunlight ...

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"Istanbul is a city of contradiction and beauty. But nothing compares to its wonderful architecture by the water," says artist James Nyika. "The old Constanti...

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"There are many truly iconic architectural structures in Japan, and the Odaiba Bridge is one of the more memorable ones!" says artist James Nyika. "I wanted t...

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Light seeps between voluminous flowing clouds. A cool wind blows ruffling leaves from tall trees while birds fly away to the distance. "I find that getting aw...

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Cool air blows as the sun radiates warmth into the atmosphere. The early morning light glows from behind a stretch of mountains in the far distance. "I find t...

Artist Comments
Purple and green are two of my favorite colors and wisteria is the perfect subject! I squirted paint directly onto the paper to make a lovely, saturated wash. When dry I developed the piece intuitively. I finished with tinted gouache to highlight the lovely light behind the wisteria. I'm very pleased with the mood of this piece.

About the Artist
Melissa is passionate about color. She finds it to be the most significant form of inspiration to paint. Speaking on influences in her work, Melissa says, “Sometimes it’s an idea that I can’t get out of my head, or a color that I just MUST paint!” She particularly enjoys painting leaves, and the changing colors of Oregon foliage are visible in her work. In 2001, Melissa began teaching art classes, which has allowed her to view her own artwork in a new way. “The information that flows in a class is awesome,” she says. Melissa is constantly learning from the students in her classes, and is more conscious of what it means to be an artistic role model.

Words that describe this painting: wisteria,flowers,watercolor painting,watercolor floral,floral,purple,green,purple and green,nature,floral painting,, impressionism, flora, representational, watercolor painting, green, purple, purple

Mysteries of Purple & Green
Melissa Gannon...

Artist Comments
"I have always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon - and as a result have fantasized painting them too," says artist James Nyika. "When I created this paintin...