Meet Graham Berry, this week’s top American Watercolor Weekly Ambassador!
“I studied Graphic Design at Blackpool College of Art and later studied Illustration at Wimbledon College of Art, London,” says Graham Berry. “After graduating in 1971 I was employed as the Illustrator for a small design studio in Soho, London.
“In 1976 I decided to go ‘freelance’ and went on to have a very successful career as an Illustrator, winning a DADA award for my Illustrations and also featuring in several Association of Illustrators annuals.
“In 1990 I moved back ‘up North’ to the Fylde coast, where I now live with my wife Pauline. I have had to move with the times and all my commercial illustration was done digitally. It was this fact and the downturn in the economy that was the motivation to return to my first love, watercolour painting, I finally retired my illustration career in 2017.
“About the inspiration for his work, Graham says “My paintings are inspired by the effect of light and shadow on our environment, creating dynamic shapes and colours, I especially enjoy painting people going about their everyday lives. My experience working as an Illustrator has refined my drawing ability that is the foundation to my work, I believe the ability to draw is fundamental to painting. I’m always on the look out for images that will make interesting paintings, I try to take my camera with me at all times just in case I see something that appeals. At other times I will go to a specific place or event with the intention of getting material for painting, usually I will do a number of paintings from those photos or sketches, at the moment most of my paintings are studio based.”
“My work has been selected for inclusion in North Light Books: Best of Watercolor series; Splash 14: Light and Color, Splash 15: Creative Solutions and and Splash 16: Exploring Texture! My paintings are now in the homes of collectors in the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe.”
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Beautiful work shown here. Your colors dance! I imagine your illustration work must have been amazing too. Great career!
Beautiful work
I enjoy the looseness of your paintings and the light and colors always seem so perfectly rendered!
Congratulations to Anne Hightower-Patterson. I have known Anne for years. Her work is exemplary. I am always so proud of her and thrilled at her accomplishments as well as her contributions to the art world. She is indeed an inspiration as well as a mentor and teacher. Any rewards and recognitions are so well deserved.