Mason Parker

I never have had to look for scenes that motivate me enough to invest the work and logistics time of painting them, I just find them while driving around or exploring a city. I single out those that have a good proportion of shapes and sizes in their elements. A variety in buildings and secondary structures like street lamps and signs, ideally some plants or geology mixed in, and either a contrasting background or a dramatic sky, is a great mix. If a waterfall is the subject, my approach is a similar balance of water, rocks, and vegetation.

Street intersections are a cross section of everyday life in the neighborhoods that I enjoy going to, with plenty of activity in front of me. Often I’m glad I am not part of my own painting! In rivers I have found spiritual similarity to the flow of time, and they are a peaceful opposite subject to work with when I have done enough of the other for a while.

I use a 140# hot press paper and make sure I pencil in my reference point parts small enough so I have enough space for everything I want to put in, like doing the obvious parts of a jigsaw puzzle in the early stages. After that, the inking stage is all skipping around the entire surface, never from one side to the other.

Unless I get amazing cloud formations or other passing atmospheric effects, the watercolor is added last. This method allows me to get the kind of detail I want and the rooty, fairy tale look that I like, much like my favorite album covers that were done by artists like Rodney Matthews and Dan Seagrave.

Though I prefer my depictions as accurate as possible, over time I have given my requirements for the realism slightly less importance and the overall essence more. To tone down or eliminate obstructions, is a very minor compromise to reveal its beauty. My goal is to keep it professional enough to be easily recognizable by local residents but fun enough to not look like a photo. I also believe that when there is a scene with a main subject, like a waterfall or specific building or other structure, its surroundings are equally important.

masonparkerwatercolors.wordpress.com

Updated 05/2021