Larry Bond
Your Watercolor Guide to Inspire Creative Calm
As an artist I have been drawing, sketching, and sculpting since early childhood. As a child I was often bedridden due to illness. I learned to entertain myself through the use of art by sketching, drawing, and working with modeling clay. From those early years I have continued my love of art and its creation.
Through the years I have experimented with different forms of 2D and 3D art. Acrylics, oil, charcoal, pen and ink, and watercolor have been my primary painting and drawing mediums; however, my first love is Watercolor. I find watercolor challenging, with the blending of “washes” that make watercolor so unique. The use of the white paper to highlight the transparency and luminosity of the paint is of high importance in the watercolor painting process. I try to use the whiteness as much as possible. The watercolor process is demanding and makes one think in reverse in order to complete a painting.
My formal art education was somewhat limited; however, several classes in architectural drafting and design were included in my college curriculum. I have studied books, watched numerous videos by watercolor experts, and watched hundreds of live artist demonstrations. I have had the pleasure and good fortune to take workshops from: Tony Armendariz, David Becker, Kristy Kutch, Marilyn Derwenskus, Andy Evansen, Mark Mehaffrey, and John Salminen. In addition, a majority of my learning experiences in watercolor were through “trial and error”.
In terms of competition and recognition I have won several awards, entered numerous art show competitions, and was accepted into the 2018 San Diego Watercolor Society’s International Watercolor Show. I have won awards from shows at The Next Picture Show, Dixon, Illinois, Norris Gallery, St. Charles, Illinois, and Illinois Watercolor Society Member Shows. I am a Signature Member of the Illinois Watercolor Society.
When asked to describe my style I often describe it as “realistic contemporary with an occasional abstract slant”. In short, I want the viewer to see the painting as mostly realistic and be drawn-in to the scene. I enjoy painting urban-scapes, abstracts, and rural landscapes.
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