Biography
Donald Landry is an Illinois watercolor artist who has been creating and painting his vision of the world for over twenty years. His work has been featured in Springfield Magazine in an article entitled "Local Painter brings Canvases to Life" and in the Illinois State Journal Register, "Up and Coming Artist", including a television program on PBS called "Artscape". He participates in numerous nationally juried exhibits and teaches popular 3 to 5 day watercolor workshops throughout the United States.
Don has studied watercolor painting with many nationally known artists: Zoltan Szabo, Nita Engle, Irving Shapiro, Judy Betts, Tom Lynch, Joe Bohler and others. He is a member of the Midwest Watercolor Society, Chicago Arts Coalition, Illinois Artisans Program and Sangamon Watercolor Society where he served as a past Vice President.
Don is one of Springfield's most promising young artists who spends many hours creating his exciting works of art at Wild Wood Studio located in his home. He frequently sells out exhibits because of the dramatic way he portrays his subjects. His mastery of light within his watercolors is why so many people collect his work. So get into the water, "Don Landry watercolor's that is".
You can see Don's latest original watercolors by appointment at his studio or visit Miss Jessie's Art & Frame Gallery at 103 Gov. Oglesby Street, Elkhart, Illinois. They can be reached by phone at (217)947-2323.
Artist Statement
I really enjoy every aspect of the painting process while creating each new watercolor painting. Many people who start painting don't have the patience or the time commitment needed to let themselves develop their skills to the full potential. In today's society we want everything to happen yesterday, we get inpatient if our hamburger takes longer than three minutes at the drive up window. We want instant results. Like anything else you get out of it what you put into it. For me making all of those creative decisions every step of the way and hand crafting that thing you love to do is a wonderful thing. It's like making a great recipe; you could buy something similar out of a box but it won't taste the same and only you know the love that went into it.
Having painted watercolors for over twenty yeas now I have learned to nurture and enjoy the processes both good and bad. The subject, composition, color's, value's and the flavor of the painting are key elements to creating an extraordinary painting. As an artist and a painter, I believe you must have a greater awareness of the world around you. I look beyond the immediate subject and see the possibilities. Sometimes I have paintings when everything comes together and they almost paint themselves but those types of magic moments are rare. Other times it like hitting a wall, you really have to struggle to have a successful outcome. No matter how easy or hard the process is, the fun is going from one painting adventure to the next and doing that thing you love.
My painting subjects focus on watercolor landscapes and seascapes. In each of my paintings I look for the best way to create light or a glow within the painting. I want to create a specific mood that will best capture the subject I am painting. In order to achieve this I carefully plan each painting and take artistic licenses to capture the drama I am looking for.
My newest series of paintings explore several different thought processes such as starting with an under painting. I start by lightly drawing angled grids of squares on my watercolor sheet, then I color the various size squares with different colors of pigment. After completing this, I draw my composition on the paper and complete my watercolor painting as normal. What I like about these new paintings is that the random underlying color adds more visual excitement and adds an abstract quality to the painting. Your only companion when you're an artist is change and growth.
The other painting process I have been exploring is using different types of watercolor paper to see how the paint reacts on the sheet and what effects can be achieved. "Yupo" is a plastic watercolor paper that has become popular with many experimental watercolor artists. When you apply paint to this paper it doesn't absorb into the sheet like regular watercolor paper. The pigment sits on top of the sheet and can easily be manipulated by tilting the sheet back and forth creating interesting washes, back runs, etc. The thing that I find exciting is the paint lies down on the sheet in a very loose abstract manner. This along with the watercolors normal fluid properties creates an exciting painterly effect.
Most of all I have found watercolor painting to be very fun and brings me great personal enjoyment. Painting allows me to get in touch with my creative spirit and to share my love of painting with others who view my work. Being an artist is like being an explorer, we are always looking for a new path. It's a tough world out there, take chances, aim high and keep splashing the watercolors.