“When I think of Guatemala I think of vivid color. I think of the beautiful smiling people in their multi-colored hupiles. I think of amazing flowers and fruit from the jungles, the abundant markets overflowing with crafts, and how there is nothing comparable to painting in Guatemala.”
William Hewson offers his students thrilling color work and leads them away from the analytical into abstraction, to see shapes. “When we are able to free ourselves of preconceived images we can truly see the beauty of the world.” He begins with contour drawing as a map for painting, followed by a direct painting approach that avoids washes and creates direct, dramatic color passages. “I do a lot of my mixing on the paper and let the accidental quality of watercolor take over. It’s a great practice in surrendering control”.
William has been painting and teaching for fifteen years in the Pacific Northwest, nationally, and internationally. He has studied in Paris and Stockholm, as well as The University of Houston. His diversity of work includes portraiture, still life, and landscape. He’d love to travel with you to Guatemala for a painterly immersion into color.