The watercolor artistry of Rhonda Sloan will be the focus of a 6-8 p.m. Aug. 17 open house at the Champaign County Arts Council offices, 119 Miami St., Urbana. Her work also can be viewed there during regular hours, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays from Aug. 18 through Sept. 7.
Sloan calls herself a “graphic designer by trade, artist by determination.”
“I have always been drawn to the arts. From an early age, I found myself painting alongside Bob Ross on Saturday mornings as he created majestic landscapes,” Sloan said. “I started painting in acrylics, moved on to oils, then landed with the most interesting and sometimes frustrating medium of all – watercolor.”
Sloan said she’s now honing her skills to create atmospheric landscapes and scenes from her travels.
“I prefer to paint with a slightly abstract representational style, a short stroke to indicate a person walking or a splatter of water to indicate a rainy day,” she said. “Telling a story and creating a sensation are the key ingredients to my paintings.”
Sloan said she’s taken painting classes and watercolor workshops and has joined watercolor societies to further her skills in watercolor.
“Overall, learning to paint with watercolors has been a rewarding challenge that I will continue to enjoy and marvel,” she said.
