56 x 38cm on 300gsm Watercolour Paper
Laurin McCracken - USA
Artist Statement – Laurin McCracken AWS NWS WHS
I am a realist watercolorist whose work is largely influenced by the Dutch and Flemish Still Life painters of the 16th and 17th Centuries.
My goal is to record the world around me with a high level of detail. This is not a painting style that is typically associated with the medium of watercolor. Look closely at one of my painting and you will not only see the objects in the paintings, but you will also see reflections of other objects within the very objects I paint.
From a training standpoint, as an architect, I know how to do detail things. I approach a painting from a strategic standpoint, determining what I am going to paint first, second and last. With a water-based medium there are surprises. It is a process that is very architectural filled with many knowns and some startlingly wonderful surprises.
I use my ability to see things with a high level of acuity to transcribe what I see in the world around me into watercolor on paper. I use this historic influence to record the beautiful things in our lives: the flowers, ornate crystal and silverware, clouds, the glassware I grew up with, toys and anything that attracts my eye and spurs my imagination.
When I look at the world and think about what I might paint I am reminded of the quote from Henry David Thoreau: “It is not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Then I ask myself, “Can I paint that in watercolor?”
Along with my architectural training, I have also become a photographer. This has helped me develop the ability to see things in fresh compositions and in a level of detail that many others do not see.
Not every painter can see things uniquely, but it is imperative that a painter see things differently and with a certain clarity that the average individual might not see. That is the value we bring to our craft. It is the combination of those abilities and a fundamental mastery of the craft that makes us artists.
