Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Sloan.
Hi Rhonda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started painting when I was in my teens after watching Bob Ross paint his happy trees on TV. I asked my mother for a paint set and was soon painting alongside Bob on Saturday mornings. Later on, I started painting in acrylics and then moved on to oils in my early 20s. One day I was searching the internet for landscape painting inspiration when I ran across Alvaro Castagnet & Joseph Zbukvic. Their painting style ignited a spark in my soul. I couldn’t believe that so much depth and atmosphere could be portrayed in a painting. That’s when I started to become fascinated with learning how to paint in watercolors in 2014.
I spent the first-year devouring everything I could about watercolor painting from these two masters of the brush. I watched countless hours of tutorials and videos and painted everything I could to learn every detail and technique I could find. I threw many of my first paintings away but never found myself discourage. Then one day. It all came together. It was like a light bulb went off in my head, and I knew how the paint would react to the water, air temperature, brushes, and paper. Soon friends and family members were asking if they could purchase some of my paintings. The thought of selling my paintings had never occurred to me. I paint for myself because I have an innate need to paint but was thrilled and honored that someone would hang my paintings on their wall.
I wanted to continue learning more techniques so that I can become a better painter, so I started traveling in 2015 to paint the beautiful scenes of Italy, Ireland, and Paris on location.
My painting career continues to develop and improve as I experiment and discover new ways to tell stories in watercolor. I’m a firm believer that sketching and painting outside are vital to my growth as an artist. There is absolutely no better reference material than the sketches, studies, and finished paintings that I can only get from being on location. Seeing the light, feeling the wind, hearing the sounds, and smelling the smells are vital to my process.
Working outside trains me to paint faster. With the fast-changing light, I am forced to make quick decisions in the creative process. This is an important capability, especially with watercolor as this medium dries so fast, and painting slowly means making too many strokes or hard edges visible if not taken care of skillfully.
Since covid, I have been painting rural scenes of farms, houses, pets, and iconic locations in and around the town I now live in. I enjoy teaching classes and workshops and have given a few demos to various art councils and groups in and around Ohio’s Miami Valley. My dream is to one day travel exclusively to paint and teach classes.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I did struggle with learning how to paint with watercolors. I didn’t know how all of the elements work together to create a painting. It’s not just the paint itself that creates a painting. It’s being on location and experiencing your surroundings that bring a painting to life. It’s the way the water interacts with the paper and the way the water will actually paints a painting for you if you let it. All of these aspects plus good brushes and paper are critical elements that every artist must learn along their journey.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I started off my working career as a touch-up artist in 1986 at Olan Mills portrait studio. After its closing, I earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Business with a major in Graphic Design Technology. I have been working for the last 17 years in this field.
Pricing:
- 8×10 are 180.00
- 14 x 16 are 325.00
- Anything larger is based on time and size
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhonda_watercolors/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhondaSloanWatercolors/
Image Credits
Rhonda Sloan
