Matthew Bird came to us LIVE from the USA on Friday, August 26th to share his watercolor techniques and favorite color palette.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Matthew:

Why do you make art?
I think it is what I was born to do. As a professional artist, I have worked very hard to develop my skills to a high level, but I think the talent and creativity have always been there.

How long have you been painting?
Since I could hold a crayon…

Did you have formal art training?
Yes, I went to Pratt Institute of Art.

Who inspires you?
My figurative work has been influenced by Bouguereau and my still life paintings are inspired by the 17th century Dutch masters, Jan Davidszoon de Heem and Pieter Claesz.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
I listen to less music as I’ve gotten older. Now I usually have on an audiobook, lecture or podcast.

Have you had a mentor?
When I graduated from art school, Ted Lewin was a great friend and mentor as I started illustrating children’s books. When I moved to fine art and entering shows, Laurin McCracken gave me a lot of good advice.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
One at a time.

Do you paint every day? Are you usually working in studio or en plein air?
In studio, but not every day.

How many core colors do you use?
I have 26 core colors on my palette.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
Tubes

How do you know when your piece is finished?
I never really know. When I think it’s finished, I’ll put it away for a while and then come back to it later with fresh eyes. Sometimes it’s finished and sometimes I see something obvious that I was missed that needs to be adjusted. When you have been close to something for a long period, it’s easy to overlook what should be obvious.

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Join us online each week for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with Daniel Smith CEO and Owner, John Cogley and guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays (2:00pm Pacific), John highlights various features of our products and answers your questions. On Fridays (10:30am Pacific), a guest artist follows up to share how they incorporate those features into their art. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

Check our Facebook page for news about upcoming guest artists or to watch past replays. Each Zoom meeting is also recorded and shared on our YouTube channel. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.