Watercolor Impressions

Dwight Rose is a professional artist, specializing in painting and teaching watercolor. After graduating with a BFA in painting from the Ringling College of Art and Design, he began his career in Sarasota, Florida. Exhibiting in local galleries, his paintings were recognizable with images of tropical landscapes and historic homes. Teaching for Ringling College, he later expanded his courses to community and museum programs.

My paintings start with a color idea, and then evolve into compositions in which color remains the primary subject. To me, art is a synthesis of individual feelings, the subject or colors that inspire, along with the materials and techniques available. My paintings are an exploration of these collective tools, which I believe are the basis of my artistic expression.

Serenity and simplicity are my primary goals. Being a painter and illustrator I feel my duty is to convey the beauty of the moment and add focus to the essence of that beauty.

My works are based on the principles of good graphics, which comprises the use of line, and the modeling of light and experimentation with color. A drawing is done where the line provides the foundation for the subject. Through experimentation with color shifts I can create contrasts. I also observe the transient nature of light and other elements that qualifies a landscape architecture or still life. I am interested in large areas or intimate spaces, incorporating the entourage of people and objects and surface textures defined by pattern formations.

I use wet in wet watercolor washes, which usually sets the style for my work, a continuous layering of pigment creating translucent glazes of paint often applied in parts intuitively. Textures are created using a variety of techniques and tools, while creating depth through contrast, which in turn gives the paintings weight and substance.

Working towards a style that combines traditional painting techniques along with inherent personal characteristics, is the impetus behind my current body of work. Experiences are the root of my inspirations. Perhaps this accounts for why my work seeks out subjects that sometimes resist change and/or embraces it. Despite the diametric of this process, my subjects inherently become snapshots usually referencing that moment or significant passage of time.