Category Artist Profiles

This feature article by Louise B. Hafesh on Beth Krommes originally appeared in the November 2011 issue of Magazine.“What I love about illustration is that it makes art accessible and affordable,” says Beth Krommes, who’s been providing artwork for children’s books for more than a decade.

One thing is certain about Rance Jones: The award-winning artist knows how to tell a story in his watercolor painting. Whether it’s a series of works depicting scenes from an Irish fishing village or vignettes of small-town Mexico, there’s a tale being told that delves beyond the surface, suggested in glances and gestures.

British artist Joanne Last was brought up in a creative environment. Her parents and sister are artists. Like the rest of the family, she has painted all her life, and she revels in the challenge of doing something new and breaking away from traditional methods and thinking. “As someone who’s happiest being inventive and breaking what others consider to be ‘the rules,’ I’m aware that I’m still learning how to get the most out of my pastels.

It’s no secret that the 10 talented artists selected as the 2015 Ones to Watch have made art a priority. Indeed, they’re painting what they love, and those choices have set them down quite a sunny path. Taking in their inspired works serves as a creative wake-up call to the rest of us. We celebrate their efforts in the December 2015 issue of Watercolor Artist; preview the up-and-coming artists’ work below in this online-exclusive gallery of additional paintings.

“Like most of us, I was taught in watercolor painting to work light to dark,” says West Virginia artist Laurie Goldstein-Warren. “But by the time I’d crafted a well-drawn composition, meticulously saved my whites and established gorgeous lights, I was afraid of ruining all that good work with an errant stroke of arguably the scariest values on the scale.

Three pros—Richard Sneary, Brienne Brown and Glen Knowles—share their best tips for watercolor plein air painting in the June 2016 issue of Watercolor Artist. View a gallery of their work here, along with some bonus pointers, and learn more plein air painting tips in the June issue, available now at northlightshop.

British artist Robin Warnes’ pastel art features abstracted images, but the work is anchored in reality.“For me, art is about representation and exploring and re-evaluating how we experience the world around us,” says Warnes. “I think you can represent the real world without being a slave to it. Rather, it’s a case of enhancing it and developing one’s senses, trying to be in tune with the world as something that can be seen, experienced and felt.

Meet the emerging artists who have caught the attention of today’s top instructors and exhibition jurors throughout the year. The artists chosen as our 2016 “Ones to Watch” obviously treasure their work, and the various ways in which they channel that passion are what make this annual feature so celebratory.

A World Infused with Vibrant Color by Lisa CyrAs a Master of Fine Arts instructor for several graduate programs, I have the opportunity to work with many talented professional artists, designers, illustrators and animators. Every year, there are a few creatives that seem to really stand out. Artist and designer Leslie M.

Abel Kesteven is interested primarily in depicting people interacting with one another, with movement and color serving as essential elements. He captures the excitement of pastel figures and animals in action with a minimalist, semi-abstract approach that successfully gets to the essence of his subjects.