Artist's Statement for Travel Watercolor Series

I travel the world with a paintbrush. I paint watercolor sketches that capture people, places, and events as I experience them.

I travel around the world working on a cruise ship. I document my travels in small sketches, mostly watercolor. The works are personal, narrative pieces of specific places and events. Each one reminds me of sights, emotions, and what was happening around me. Each has its own story.

Most of the sketches are done on location on a smooth 5x7 inch watercolor pad, with a pencil, a good large brush, and a small set of watercolor cubes. I use watercolors because they offer a full range of color in compact form, which is important because everything must fit into one pocket of my cargo pants.

The travel watercolors are about simplicity of form, color, and composition. I capture fleeting impressions of my experiences. I am inspired to draw when I see pleasing arrangements of lines, angles, and colors. Lines, angles, and colors interact with the content to tell the story.