Rick Anderson from the USA shares his favorite palette and watercolor techniques:

Here’s a fun Q&A with Rick:

Why do you make art?
There’s an inner motivation that’s always there. I’ve always said that I make art because I can’t not make art. It’s been a drive for as long as I can remember. I used to draw pencil sketches of models from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. I create art because I have to. It’s inside me. Creating art is always exciting and I never grow tired of it.

How long have you been painting?
Since I was a child.

Did you have formal art training?  
I have a Masters of Art Education degree. I retired from teaching after twenty five years in the Mississippi Public Schools, but I will never retire from creating art.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
Definitely a professional working artist.

What inspires you?
Inspiration is everywhere – it’s all around us. All one has to do is to look and see. Inspiration can be watching others paint – seeing what they do and how they do it. I wake up and am inspired. I’m fortunate. I had a student ask me who makes me work. My answer was NOBODY. I paint because I must.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
Any kind of music – classical, rock, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s…

Have you had a mentor?
I consider my friend and internationally renowned watercolor artist, Laurin McCracken, to be a mentor. He offers me guidance that is most helpful in my journey with watercolor painting. While I’m not new to watercolor or participating in exhibitions, thanks to Laurin, my watercolor career has been taken to a new level.

Do you paint every day?
I paint most every day. With my studio inside my home, it makes it easy to have that ability.

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

Do you prefer painting in studio or en plein air?
I prefer painting in my studio.

How many core colors do you use?
I continue to add new DANIEL SMITH colors to my palette, so I can’t give an exact number, but I do know that there are certain colors I would not want to be without, many of which are on my swatch chart below.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
Tubes. I haven’t used the sticks yet, but I plan to.

Do you use masking fluid?
I do use masking fluid. I like that DANIEL SMITH Masking comes with several sizes of applicator tips that I can use to generate thin lines of masking.

When do you know that your piece is finished?
There is no magical time that tells me when a piece is finished. At several points while I’m working on a painting, I pause to study it to determine if I need to let it rest or if I need to work on any particular areas. There does come a time though, when I have to say it’s done.

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Join us online each week via Zoom or Facebook for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with John Cogley (Daniel Smith Owner and CEO) along with 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 shares a demo with their favorite tips and techniques. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

If you prefer, you can visit our Facebook page at showtime to watch live. Replays can be watched on Facebook or YouTube. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.