Watercolor artist Thomas Bucci talks with Tim and Jess about his careers that led him to art and the era he grew up in that felt that careers in art were risky and not likely to succeed.  He proved them all wrong when he made more selling his architectural renderings than he did as an architect.

"I’ve chosen watercolor for its ability to quickly suggest form with loose washes and to conjure the illusion of detail with crisp brushwork. I also love the gestural quality, capriciousness, and spontaneity of a transparent medium. The way I approach watercolor requires me to work quickly and I’m willing to take the risks associated with that to fully realize its potential."

"I am always actively looking for ideas for paintings. Sometimes the scene serves up a ready painting idea and I just have to put it down on paper. More often ideas come from something less complete; a glimpse of atmospheric effects, the way sunlight lands on a surface, or an element in a landscape. The most important part of painting for me is not actually painting, but the mental preparation that I’m doing all the time, but I do paint at every opportunity. Small pencil or watercolor sketches are also a key part of my process."

"I paint in the studio but I prefer to work from life and on location, drawing inspiration directly from a subject. However, I treat what I see in front of me as a suggestion that can be manipulated as needed. A painting is not bound by existing light conditions, actual colors, or physical elements. I often move, eliminate, and add things to make a composition. This is the real joy of painting for me. I feel a painting is successful when I envision the result first and then make that happen. If a painting succeeds without a plan, it’s just luck."

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This episode is sponsored by JFM Enterprises, providing distinctive ready-made and custom frames & mouldings to the trade since 1974.

Music in this episode was generously provided by Blue Dot Sessions and Scott Gratton.