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I'm inspired by reading books to my son and watching him play. In a child, imagination is unlimited. Things like spoons and Venetian blinds are fascinating. Part of what makes painting watercolors fun is the unlimited creatures and situations that can be brought to life. I usually have some idea of what I want to paint with a preliminary pencil sketch. But always, as the characters come to life, they hardly look anything like what I originally planned. My favorite illustrators pay careful attention to detail, and I spend a lot of time doing the same. To maintain the most control over textures and lines, I use hot-pressed surfaces, sharp pencils, and the smallest of brushes. The fact that my characters act like humans and demand to be taken seriously is, I think, pretty funny. It's always been important for me to notice, enjoy, and add to the absurdities of the world. Thanks for visiting!
Contact kevin@mvzoo.com
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In
my watercolors I try to find a combination of the everyday and the
absurd. I wouldn't necessarily call it a "balance", as
they tend to lean toward the absurd. But the characters I paint
rarely believe they are doing anything unusual. In fact, if you
were to ask them they would wonder why they are in the paintings
at all. Sometimes they are posing, but often they are simply "caught
on film". Their faces are filled with boredom, holier-than-thou
expressions, delighted smiles, and angry stares. To me this is fitting
for creatures who are incapable of any of these emotions. What happens
when you give a personality to something that couldn't possibly
have one? Frogs mow lawns. Roosters tap dance in high heel shoes.
I like to think that the titles of my paintings are the beginning
lines of stories to unfold in the imagination of the viewer. I enjoy
it most when the characters remind people of someone they know,
or when they tell me what's really going on in the painting. The
sea horse is angry because she was thrown out of her favorite shop
for having no shoes. The pig in the seersucker suit is a banker.
Or a used car salesman.