Meet the Artist

I learned painting from my Mother. She took up painting when we lived in Hong Kong; she painted in watercolors on silk. It was a Euro/Asian crossover style. I started painting in my current style in 1994, when I did a series of commissioned paintings of people's houses.

I admire the watercolors of Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent, and the oil paintings of Gustave Caillebotte and Edward Hopper. I like the urban realism of John Register. My style is not typical of watercolor. That's because I use white and black paints in an opaque style. I call it " Watercolor Realism ".

At some point during a painting, I'll think, "I'm afraid to do anything more to this; I'll spoil it." Then it's time to sign it.

One thing I have discovered is that if you paint something, people will give it a longer look than a photograph. People ask themselves, "Why did someone take the time to paint this? There must be some beauty beyond the obvious." So the viewer looks for significance in the painting. Any time people step back and appreciate their own vision, it is a good thing.

-Peter Carey