ELAINE WATTS
Painting, Works on Paper, Collage, Etching Inks, Ink and Watercolour
Autumn at the Gasthaus, Peachland
watercolour and ink on paper
City: Summerland, British Columbia
Website: http://www.ElaineWatts.com
Artist Statement: Starting with watercolour and landscapes (my first love), and evolving through practice and training to life drawing, ink and watercolour, to more recently printmaking (etching and collography), I get most of my inspiration from the natural world. However, I am drawn to imaginary creatures so you may find fairies, mermaids and the like, along with a bit of magic, embedded in my work. I am a member of the De Vine Art Group in Summerland, and a South Okanagan Plein Air group, and my studio in Trout Creek is open by arrangement or by chance. "Practising the Art of Globetrotting" is one of my tag lines... just not at the moment.
Biography: Enjoying drawing, painting, and appreciating art from my youth, it wasn't until I retired that I took up watercolour and got serious about creating art. I have studied, and continue to study, with artists and printmakers whose work I enjoy, both in Canada and abroad. My paintings and prints have been exhibited in Melbourne, Sydney, Greater Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and in the Okanagan in Summerland, Peachland, and Penticton. Recently the Summerland Arts Council acquired some of my work for their permanent collection. My prints and paintings can be found in private collections in Australia (my other home), Canada, the USA, and the UK, and in 2003 my painting "Belcarra Sunset" won the People's Choice award and was made into a Domaine de Chaberton wine label at the Port Moody Art Gallery.