Dwight Rose: Locality and Aesthetic Forms in Watercolor
Image Credit: Dwight Rose. Wildacres, 2015. Watercolor on paper. Courtesy the artist.
May 23 - June 24, 2017
My paintings start with a color idea, and then evolve into compositions in which color remains the primary subject. To me, art is a synthesis of individual feelings, the subject or colors that inspire, along with the materials and techniques available. My paintings are an exploration of these collective tools, which I believe are the basis of my artistic expression.
Serenity and simplicity are my primary goals. Being a painter and illustrator, I feel my duty is to convey the beauty of the moment and add focus to the essence of that beauty.
My works are based on the principles of good graphics, which comprises the use of line, the modeling of light, and experimentation with color. A drawing is done where the line provides the foundation for the subject. Through experimentation with color shifts, I can create contrasts. I also observe the transient nature of light and other elements that qualifies a landscape architecture or still life. I am interested in large areas or intimate spaces, incorporating the entourage of people and objects and surface textures defined by pattern formations.
I use wet on wet watercolor washes, which usually sets the style for my work, a continuous layering of pigment creating translucent glazes of paint often applied in parts intuitively. Textures are created using a variety of techniques and tools that also creating depth through contrast, which in turn gives the paintings weight and substance.
Working towards a style that combines traditional painting techniques along with inherent personal characteristics is the impetus behind my current body of work. Experiences are the root of my inspirations. Perhaps this accounts for why my work seeks out subjects that sometimes resist change and/or embraces it. Despite the diametric of this process, my subjects inherently become snapshots usually referencing that moment or significant passage of time.
Rose is a graduate of the Ringling College of Art and Design, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. He went on to teach at Ringling in its degree and community art programs, at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and now conducts watercolor workshops. He teaches watercolor painting at Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg and the Greenville Center for The Creative Arts in Greenville S.C.
Residing in Spartanburg, Rose is a member of the South Carolina Water Media Society and National Watercolor Society. Rose is former board member of the Artists' Guild of Spartanburg and collectors of his work include Jeff Barker, Provost of Converse College, Motte & Sons Bootlegging Co., Spartanburg, City of Greer SC, University of North Carolina Greensboro; Shelton Group of Companies, Charlotte, N.C.; Sarasota YMCA, Peoples Employment Exchange, Sarasota Wellness Center, Kybele Hotel, Istanbul Turkey; and Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem,