Gill Pollard

Artist Statement:

The first paintings that I did were of water, as I loved to study the waterscapes of impressionists such as Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and Pissarro. Some say that I am self-taught but how could I be with such remarkable teachers? I have also studied  the American impressionists and contemporary regional painters who are pushing painting just as the historical artists have. My goal is to capture the essence of a view and paint the things that made the subject interesting to me in the first place.

I look for places with bold highlights and shadows, as usually a good painting will follow. While learning to paint, a major breakthrough for me was learning to see what was really there. It seems obvious but to "see" as a serious artist or art collector is a major leap forward. If you can see in this manner you know what I am talking about, as it is a lot like learning a new language. My story about seeing is further complicated by the way I failed every colorblind test when in college; I must see color differently.

I enjoy painting water and began doing views of the water, wading out into it to get the perspective of what it looked like when I went fly-fishing. The colors flickering all across the surface were ready-made brush strokes. On those early paintings nature told me where to put the paint. I am still learning and growing as an artist, I enjoy it completely. It is what I am.