Howard's Hills

About The Watercolor Painting

Howard’s Hills is a watercolor painting that was done after so many people have noted my favorite watercolor paintings reminded them of the great Andrew Wyeth’s work. So I took the time to study a lot of technique and incorporated it heavily in to this narrative and architectural landscape painting I created. Especially a lot of his dry brushing technique and using lots of layers/details until the form in perfect to how I want it to flow. Diverting slightly where I feel more natural to my own organic techniques.

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This painting is apart of the Shades of Olson Collection.

This watercolor painting captures a quiet, nostalgic rural scene, featuring an aged white farmhouse nestled among rolling golden fields and bare trees. The soft, muted tones of the landscape evoke a sense of late autumn or early winter. A lone figure, dressed in dark trousers, a loose-fitting coat, and a black hat, walks along a winding dirt path toward the house, adding a contemplative and perhaps melancholic element to the composition. The hills in the background and the sky, painted in subtle grays and browns, create a tranquil yet slightly somber atmosphere. The detailed brushwork on the trees and the texture of the farmhouse give the painting a timeless quality, reminiscent of traditional Americana and rural solitude.

Inspiration

I came up with an Appalachia landscape, very similar to the rolling hills I grew up in. The style heavily influenced by Wyatt’s style, such as in his Christina’s World painting. The house is inspired by a lot of the old farmhouses that were still standing during my childhood but in need of repairs. The man is based off my elderly father, hiking his way across our family farm land. I have found my watercolor style!

Painting Detail Features

Click any image to view it, to inspect closer the main feature subjects of the painting.

Artwork Process

I first built the wash of the sky up and then mainly worked my way down the painting. Covering the house and man in masking liquid to later paint for a more detailed focus and to stand out against the rest of the flow of the brush strokes. This painting easily has thousands of layers added to it and working on it spanned over several months. You can easily see all hundreds of brush strokes as you closely look in to the tree. Lots of lifting used in key areas to help shape the values and balance of the scene. I tried to use dry brushing as much as possible in this painting, on the top most layers. Sometimes later going over and blending the hard dried edges where I didn’t feel it was fit to the style’s atmosphere.