UGallery Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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Artist Catherine McCargar finds inspiration from a row of colorful kayaks while on an outing to Tomales Bay in California. "I was captivated by the rainbow co...

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Artist Heejin Sutton portrays a small white fox sitting on top of a geometric plane with purple corals growing at the bottom. "I placed two objects that can n...

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Trees dot a grassy landscape under a clear blue sky. Captured by the shadows cast by a lone tree, artist Catherine McCargar painted this peaceful scene on a late California summer morning. The purple and lavender shades contrast and complement the golden glow of the morning sun. Catherine employed an impressionist style to simplify the subject matter, yet her brushwork on the foreground grasses is intricately detailed.

About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California. While she is well-versed in a range of media, her preferred medium for painting is watercolor. The fluidity of the paint allows her to capture the muted undertones and the fleeting light found in the natural world. While the backgrounds of her paintings are impressionistic, the foregrounds of her paintings are often highly detailed, showcasing her technical mastery over her medium.

Words that describe this painting: landscape, field, trees, impressionism, shadow, sunlight, summer, sky, watercolor, paper, morning, impressionism, landscape, watercolor painting, green

New Day Dawning...

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"Mt. Diablo has many faces," says artist Catherine McCargar. "It can be seen from afar and up close." In this painting, Catherine captured the scene by standi...

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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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"Restaurant Julii is a wonderful new fixture on the Washington, DC landscape," says artist James Nyika. "I was strolling the neighborhood and came across this...

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"I placed two objects that can not be seen together in real life to present the imbalances and irregularities in our world," states artist Heejin Sutton...

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A prickly cactus stands on an angular plane while a baby penguin rests in the foreground. Artist Heejin Sutton placed these two v...

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"I do not like roller coaster rides of any kind but I do love donuts and get an adrenaline rush when thinking about them," says artist Dwight Smith. A rollerc...

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Artist Patricia Prendergast depicts a popular fishing spot along the American River in Sacramento, California. "There were actually many fishermen there when ...

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A tranquil scene from a stretch on the American River in Sacramento, California. Artist Patricia Prendergast painted this piece by enlarging a smaller plein a...

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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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Two cardinals convene among delicate cherry blossoms. The bright red, pink and green of the scene lend dimensionality and a remi...

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Emerald grasses sprawl into the distance of an open landscape. A peaceful scene as the sun rises. Trees stretch into the gradient sky drawing the eye to a flock of birds flying free. "I find that getting away to the country offers a quiet and peace that lends itself to times of reflection and meditation," shares artist Posey Gaines.

About the Artist
Using flowing watercolors, artist Posey Gaines creates atmospheric, high-contrast landscapes developed mostly from intuition. He often starts a piece by simply putting paint to paper and then decides on the elements to bring the composition together. He draws on memories of places he has lived and reference photos taken on road trips to arrive at the final serene and eye-catching view. Posey says that from a young age artistic inspiration has touched everything he's done in life. He plays the piano, the guitar and the bass guitar, writes poetry and wrote a book. Posey first discovered watercolor in the 1970s while auditing art classes at East Central College near his home. Over the years, he's honed his skills attending workshops and watching DVDs. Today, he enjoys painting from a tidy home studio while listening to music. True to his well-rounded personality, when he’s not making art, he works as a web developer.

Words that describe this painting: landscape, morning, sunrise, nature, quiet, hike, sky, clouds, desert...

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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...

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"Getting away to the country offers a quiet and peaceful moment," says artist Posey Gaines. "It lends itself to times of reflection and meditation." Posey pai...

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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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Painted from a photographic reference, artist Joanie Ford rendered this painting with contrasting soft tones. "I wanted to represen...

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"Everyone has a favorite place in nature to visit," says artist Joanie Ford. "This is reminiscent of one of my favorite places. I w...

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"I always love those wet snowfalls when the fresh snow clings to the evergreens," says artist Joanie Ford. "I wanted to capture tha...

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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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By combining two different reference photos, artist Fatemeh Kian produced this elegant floral composition. "One photograph featured a wall-mounted light, and ...

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Narcissus is a holy flower for artist Fatemeh Kian. "I painted this with love and passion," she shares. An elegant composition with a delicate balance of oran...

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Artist Catherine McCargar enjoys living in Northern California with the wine country of the Bay Area within easy reach. "I found the softly rolling hills of p...

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"Mount Diablo is a majestic presence throughout California's Bay Area," says artist Catherine McCargar. In this painting, she capt...

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"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...

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Artist Joanie Ford started this piece with a carefully drawn and detailed image. "I had been to similar places in my life, and as I...

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An earthenware teapot and a piece of Unagi sushi rest on a warm wood table, balanced against a soft gray backdrop. A wash of su...

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Artist Judy Mudd captures a unique perspective on one of her signature rural landscapes, representing a grand old barn from the rear of the property. She uses...

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"So... The Hard Rock Cafe is at this location, but what really makes the site so beautiful is the surrounding buildings, and in particular the massive shadow ...

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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...

Artist Comments
"My wife and I were invited on a tour of a very large ranch," shares artist Dwight Smith. "Of course, there were many outbuildings, sheds, and barns that were...

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"As an artist, I constantly look for the ordinary to elevate and give it the attention that it deserves," says artist Dwight Smith. "In this painting, it was my wife's dresser. A beautiful rustic antique walked...

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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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"I wanted to capture the key elements of the bay in a highly impressionistic way, painting almost a la prima," shares artist James Nyika. In this quick but en...

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In this soft Northern California landscape, artist Patricia Pendergast explores the expressive colors she experienced while on location. "I pushed the local c...

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"Preparations on a boat to go out fishing can be long, lonely, and time-consuming," says artist James Nyika. "This fisherman is preparing his boat for an even...

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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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"This picture captures the dying rays of a winter evening at Fairwood Park in Maryland," shares artist James Nyika. "I wanted to portray the setting sun, warm...

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Using a wide variety of brushwork, artist Jill Poyerd set out to capture the beautiful, graceful lines of a set of aging poplar trees along a winter road. "Us...

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A panoramic autumn view of rolling hills and a sailboat on the bay in Northern California. The blue water provides a refreshing sight within the grassy straw-...

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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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"My wife has been baking pecan pies for the holiday season," shares artist Dwight Smith," which inspired me to paint the still life. I love the warm colors of...

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A full moon illuminates fishing boats moored in still evening waters. "I was captivated by the sleek, beautiful boat at the forefront of this piece," says artist Judy Mudd. "It complemented the soft, quiet mood created by the glow of the moon in the sky above. The combination of these elements provides a gentle flow for the viewer's eye to follow." This watercolor is part of Judy's Moonglow Series.

About the Artist
For Judy Mudd, creating a work of art means much more than simply reproducing something she sees. “It is more than painting a subject, it is expressing a feeling,” she explains. Judy develops her paintings with thorough reconnaissance work. She goes out on photo shoots in a variety of atmospheric conditions, sketches outdoors, takes notes, and completes color and value studies. From there, back in the studio, she lets the paintbrush guide her. Outside of painting, Judy also leads watercolor workshops and runs a real estate business with her husband.

Words that describe this painting: impressionism, marine, moon, fishing, boats, calm...

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A culinary-themed still life featuring a Honeycrisp apple and sewing thimbles. "The beautiful profession of farming requires many hours of pruning or mending ...

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In this realist still life watercolor, artist Dwight Smith focused on the warm contrast of the bright red apple and wooden spools against the dramatic gradien...

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A western landscape featuring a quiet lake at the edge of a mountain range. Delicate, misty clouds pass overhead. "In order to conv...

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Artist Patricia Prendergast has spent many early mornings painting at this pond near her home, but this is a special piece inspired by the desire to depict th...

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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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A quiet Northern California morning on a rural road. The marine layer has nearly burned off, intensifying the colors in the landscape and deepening the shado...

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Artist Patricia Prendergast began this pastoral view of the distant Sierra mountains by toning the whole paper with raw sienna watercolor. She lightly outlined the composition and then applied many layers of pastels. "Keeping in mind the works of some of my favorite impressionist artists, I allowed some of the raw sienna to remain visible throughout the painting," she says. "This resulted in the sky and ground planes feeling like a unified whole."

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.

Words that describe this painting: impressionist, mountains, clouds, sky, field, trees, Sierra Nevada...

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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 ...

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Two robins face each other, a colorful display of red, yellow and orange oak leaves frame the scene. "Inspired by traditional Asian watercolor compositions and Western European painting technique, I created this composition to illustrate the harmony in nature between birds and flowers," says Suren. Part of his ongoing Birds and Flowers series.

About the Artist
Suren is an impressionist painter eloquently capturing nature, landscapes, and cityscapes in paint. His body of work reflects several different stylistic approaches. Suren’s scenes in oil are inspired by Impressionist masters Monet and Van Gogh, while his watercolor series of flowers and birds are influenced by Eastern styles of painting and the colors of the Middle Eastern environment. Suren believes his role as an artist is to remind viewers that we all are part of the same natural universe.

Words that describe this painting: robins, birds, fall, leaves, oak tree, fall tree, woodland, autumn, animals, nature, representational, watercolor painting, red

American Robins and Fall Foliage...

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"Living in Florida where it is hot and humid, I always get excited when the calendar turns to autumn with the remote promise of cooler weather," jokes artist ...

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"My mom gave my wife and me several cast iron pans of various sizes," says artist Dwight Smith of the setup for this realist stil...

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I painted this from a smaller painting that I did on site at one of my favorite spots along the American River. The sun was going in and out of the clouds, so it was tricky to get a consistent lighting effect. The surface is a sanded paper with a neutral lavender tone that sets off the luminosity of my pastel sticks.

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.

Words that describe this painting: tonalism...

Artist Comments
"Penguins are amazing family focused creatures, and I really do enjoy painting them," explains Catherine. She created this painting on heavyweight paper using primarily watercolor, with touches of graphite and gouache as well.

About the Artist
Impressionist Catherine McCargar expresses her deep admiration of nature through landscape paintings of Northern California. While she is well-versed in a range of media, her preferred medium for painting is watercolor. The fluidity of the paint allows her to capture the muted undertones and the fleeting light found in the natural world. While the backgrounds of her paintings are impressionistic, the foregrounds of her paintings are often highly detailed, showcasing her technical mastery over her medium.

Words that describe this painting: animals, penguins, animals, representational, watercolor painting, grey

Family Gathering...

Artist Comments
This whimbrel was trying to tell me something as he was leaving. Whimbrels don't talk a lot, so this image is amusingly unusual. He's painted in browns and gr...

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I painted this from photos that I took from a blind where we watched the Sandhill Cranes fly in to spend the night in the ecological preserve outside of Lodi, California. I painted it on a piece of black, sanded pastel paper trying to capture the beauty of the winter sunset.

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.

Words that describe this painting: winter, sunset, impressionism, landscape, impressionism, landscape, representational, pastel artwork, purple

After the Cranes...

Artist Comments
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...