Watercolor Artist Sandra Pearce Shares Her Secrets to Finding the Perfect Composition Artist Sandra Pearce, experienced watercolorist and winner of the 2017 Picture Hillsboro commission, is truly a master storyteller. Her reflections on her artistic approach are as poignant and magical as the brilliantly rendered watercolors she’s produced. When painting outdoors en plein air, she states, “Sometimes I know what I want to paint…sometimes I find exactly that. But more often, the world offers me something even better than I had planned.” Pearce has not always been an embodiment of the free-flowing strokes of her plein air technique. Painting as a skill had once taken precedence over spontaneity and sentiment. She shares “I drew since a child, detailed, realistic, and was usually called a perfectionist. I painted from still life, with near-photographic results.”
Photo by Rick Paulson Photography
Viewing her work, one would never know that Sandra has spent years “recovering” from perfectionism. Her painting is characterized by wonderfully impressionistic movement. “Now I think of perfectionism as obsessive, and work constantly to leave imperfections.” Pearce always finds something new around Oregon to capture. Specifying a favorite location, she exclaims, “You may as well ask me which is my favorite child! I often paint at the coast—the sprawling beach of Seaside at sunrise, the crashing waves on the rocks of Yachats, boat harbors, seagulls, families at play. I am entranced by beams of light through the woods at home, feathery ferns, rushing creek water. The rolling farmland surrounding Hillsboro is some of my favorite scenery, it is reminiscent of my childhood playground. I also enjoy painting industrial and urban scenes…” Like the everchanging Oregon weather, a composition can be found virtually anywhere, whilst in any mood. She delights in the portrayal of the senses to transport a viewer right into the frame. Asked which natural element might be her favorite, she replies, “the only fire I have painted so far is candle flame and campfire…land and cityscapes fall in this category (earth)...I am still challenged by certain water scenes. I adore still water and have yet to master it; on the other hand I’m quite comfortable with rushing water.” However, Pearce sees the most potential in painting air. “It includes light and atmospheric effects. Done well, these convey the experience of the artist in that moment—heat, silence, chill, smells, awe—to the viewer who feels the same and is drawn into the painting. That’s when I feel I have a successful piece of work.” More of Pearce’s exceptional storytelling masterpieces can be seen at sandrapearce.com.
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Eastbound Train (watercolor, 2010)
“Sometimes I know what I want to paint… sometimes I find exactly that. But more often, the world offers me something even better than I had planned.” ~Sandra Pearce