 Peter McDonald fell in love with watercolor at first brush stroke but he has never considered himself a traditionalist. Over many years he has developed a style using intricate black and white line work to define his abstract paintings and create a new way of seeing the medium earning him recognition with numerous awards. “I want you to see watercolor in a different way,” he says. “I’m asking you to get up close and personal with the work, to see the magic of the medium. “Beginning with a base of poured color, I use line to draw attention to those wonderful areas of transparency and chameleon trickery which aren’t seen or overlooked at a distance....The challenge, of course, is to draw the viewer in.” The typical reaction the Australian born artist get to his work is: “I’ve never seen anything like this.” He credits such mentors as abstract-impressionist, the late Alex Vilumson. and iconic watercolorists Fealing Lin and Tom Fong for shaping his talent. “Alex encouraged me to find my own path,” he ex- plains. “Fealing gave me everything I know about watercolor and she and Tom gave me the courage to take risks and have fun doing it. ‘If you’re not having fun,’ Tom told me, ‘then why paint!’ ” The Los Angeles based artist is a three time winner of the Pasadena Society of Artists’ Yoko Cohen Award and has twice won the Valley Watercolor Society’s Top Honor award. Other honors include the National Watercolor Society’s Frode Dan Award. “Peter’s talent and professionalism is what makes galleries work,” says Bill Knaurer, manager of The Cove Gallery in Laguna Beach which represented the artist for many years. Click images below to enlarge.    Comments are closed.
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