Jack Standish

"Creating a painting requires so much more than the mechanics of working a brush on paper...talents given or developed, to go beyond the simple illustrating of a subject or an idea. You have to draw from all available resources, one's emotions, dreams, environmental influences, bringing all parts to fruition in a concrete form without losing the passion that compelled you to create in the first place.
Most often the settings of my paintings are purely fictional, props to set the desired mood, yet highly reflective of the people, places and experiences that have most influenced my work. Each painting creates a new challenge, new discoveries in my mediums, rekindling a spirit within that makes art more than a rewarding, satisfying profession...it makes art a way of life."

"Dry brush is the technique I use in most of my watercolor paintings. I lightly draw my composition on either 140 lb. or 300 lb. cold press Arches paper and begin painting thin layers, creating the desired balance of lights and darks.  I often feel that I'm drawing with the brush rather than painting.  Using less water allows me greater control of the medium making it easier to reach the level of detail I like".