david rankin
David Rankin
Category | Medium
Painting | Watercolor
Country
USA
Artist website
www.davidrankinwatercolorgallery.com
Artist email
ddrankin@sbcglobal.net
Painting | Watercolor
Country
USA
Artist website
www.davidrankinwatercolorgallery.com
Artist email
ddrankin@sbcglobal.net
artist profile
David Rankin, a professional watercolor painter, is a graduate of the
Cleveland Institute of Art and a successful author and lecturer. His watercolors have been featured in numerous watercolor books & magazines and in many one-man exhibitions and over 60 museum exhibitions across North America as well as in Japan and Sweden.
David is one of the true modern-day masters of transparent watercolor and he exudes a dynamic passion for the medium. David's painting style is based on what he calls "natural abstraction," in which he likes to develop realistic subjects using abstract design principles that he finds in Nature.
Cleveland Institute of Art and a successful author and lecturer. His watercolors have been featured in numerous watercolor books & magazines and in many one-man exhibitions and over 60 museum exhibitions across North America as well as in Japan and Sweden.
David is one of the true modern-day masters of transparent watercolor and he exudes a dynamic passion for the medium. David's painting style is based on what he calls "natural abstraction," in which he likes to develop realistic subjects using abstract design principles that he finds in Nature.
my painting style
"Most of my paintings depend upon my field work either directly or indirectly. I am constantly looking for subjects to sketch & paint. And the most creative and satisfying work I do is on location. Painting "en Plein Aire" has become a big deal these days. It's almost as though this has just come into vogue, when in fact this tradition of working on location directly from Nature goes back 200-300 years in watercolor.
I think it's because so many painters have become "studio bound", or they work abstractly. But for me, I get stale working in my studio all the time. I need the immediacy of landscapes bathed in fleeting morning light or fading evening light. I take photographs, sketch, and paint on location as much and as frequently as I can. It's the bedrock of my creative process. What may be a bit different about the way I work on location is that I normally sit cross-legged, yoga style, on the ground rather than using an easel and standing. I've practiced yoga for nearly 40 years so it's very comfortable for me to sit like this. In addition, it affords me a great working ability to have my paints, sketchbook, watercolor blocks, and etc. all around me. I normally use at least 2 watercolor blocks at a time when working on location. I usually then develop 2 different images at a time. This practice allows me to keep working as one painting needs to dry, I simply switch to working on the other. "
copyright©2011 David Rankin. All rights reserved.
I think it's because so many painters have become "studio bound", or they work abstractly. But for me, I get stale working in my studio all the time. I need the immediacy of landscapes bathed in fleeting morning light or fading evening light. I take photographs, sketch, and paint on location as much and as frequently as I can. It's the bedrock of my creative process. What may be a bit different about the way I work on location is that I normally sit cross-legged, yoga style, on the ground rather than using an easel and standing. I've practiced yoga for nearly 40 years so it's very comfortable for me to sit like this. In addition, it affords me a great working ability to have my paints, sketchbook, watercolor blocks, and etc. all around me. I normally use at least 2 watercolor blocks at a time when working on location. I usually then develop 2 different images at a time. This practice allows me to keep working as one painting needs to dry, I simply switch to working on the other. "
copyright©2011 David Rankin. All rights reserved.
