I was first drawn to watercolor because of the ease of storage and use, portability, and safety of the materials. All very important for my busy lifestyle homeschooling my children. However, watercolor has become a passion because of its luminosity, texture, flow, and special beauty.
The beautiful Texas panhandle is my home and provides inspiration for many of my landscapes and nature paintings. Adventures into the New Mexico and Colorado Rockies and other beautiful locations near and far also show up in my work. Through my art, I try to tell about my relationship with the created world. Nature journaling, wildlife paintings, floral explorations, and landscapes all help me express this relationship. My goal is not to paint everything a camera would capture, but rather what my heart feels when I experience nature and creation. I want to capture what the camera cannot: feelings, movement, living spirit.
I have been painting with watercolor since 2018. I've always enjoyed different art forms. I painted with oils as a teen, taking classes with local artists and following along with Bob Ross as my inspiration. I've been blessed to have Angela Fehr as my online teacher and mentor since 2019. Other ways I've learned about watercolor is through books, YouTube videos, other artists in the Angela Fehr Fearless Artist Community and playful experimenting.
One of my favorite subjects to paint are dog portraits. I enjoy the challenge of painting dog personalities and showing the love and devotion they have for their people. It's a special, magical moment when I add their eyes or a special touch that reflects their unique personality and they come to life on paper. In addition to nature painting and pet portraits, I am exploring portraits of people and abstract art. I also enjoy playing with soft pastels, mixed-media projects, Bible art journaling, and collage art journaling.
SJ Kolath joined Pixels.com Licensing on January 24th, 2021.
