Seattle Artist | Ray Spencer
About 12 years ago while on a service call and being observed by my artsy customer, she remarked, “I’d like to see what you could do with a watercolor brush in your hand.” Thus the seed was planted. I hadn’t seen a watercolor brush in forty years since junior high school, although I’d been doing repairs on many art projects in my business.
Not too long after that service call and at a charity auction, I was a successful bidder on an art lesson given by a regionally famous watercolor artist. My first painting wasn’t all that bad and soon I began attending a few workshops every summer. New acquaintances were made and I was inspired to learn pastels too.
It’s been a very rewarding hobby and I’ve made some terrific friends. Once you learn watercolors you’ll never look at the world with the same eyes. You see colors and shapes that you never knew were there before. You’re mesmerized by the landscape.
What follows are about 40 of my favorite watercolors and pastels from my personal and family collection. Many other pieces have been given to friends and family as gifts. It’s a learning process, and to study and experiment, many beginning artists copy the works of famous artists or paint their favorite pieces from many of the available how-to workbooks.
About two-thirds of these paintings are my originals and the others are copies or workshop projects. My many workshop instructors have been terrific teachers and have challenged me with their techniques.
I’m not about to quit my day job, but maybe someday I’ll be spending my weekends trying to pedal my paintings at art festivals. This is a wonderful hobby that has brought me great enjoyment and the opportunity to share this passion with my artist friends in the Northwest.
Ray Spencer
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