Artistic creation has played an important role in my life from the time i was a young child growing up in the SAN Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. Like most kids, I loved to draw. My tastes were influenced by Saturday morning cartoons, Walt Disney’s animated movies, and Disneyland. After moving to Santa Barbara in 1984 a roommate got me interested in Stained Glass and I started taking classes in SBCC’s adult education division, now the Center for Lifelong Learning. My main focus then, was to make Stain glass windows as a side hobby for myself, family and friends. Recently I have decided to expand my portfolio to include watercolor painting. Learning this medium has involved many challenges, but I feel I am improving with persistence and practice. This fall I started working as a watercolor instructor at Sundial Studios on Friday mornings. My paintings are based on my experiences, So they are very personal to me. I usually work from photographs I’ve taken, using ink with watercolor and adusting the layout and colors as needed. I also started experimenting with watercolor pencils as well. People have told me that my style was a cartoon look. I would say that my inner child and the adult in me still enjoy cartoons, everything from Underdog and Bullwinkle to The Simpsons and South Park.
I hope you enjoy my paintings.
– Brian Maclaren
