Catherine O’Neill began painting over 20 years ago, after taking a beginner watercolor class at the local art center. She has since won numerous awards in local and national art shows, including two consecutive best of show awards from the North East Watercolor Society International Exhibition and the High Winds Medal from the American Watercolor Society’s 154th International Exhibition. She paints a wide variety of subject matter using transparent watercolor, but her favorite images often include Adirondack landscapes and scenes of her family life. O’Neill is an exhibiting member of the Buffalo Society of Artists and holds signature membership in a number of watercolor societies, including the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. She has achieved master status in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. She has had paintings published in many of the Splash: The Best of Watercolor, North Light Books series. She has written a chapter in the book Watercolor Secrets: An Inside Look at the Techniques of Award-Winning Splash Artists. Her work is featured in the Spring 2010 edition of Watercolor Magazine and in the December 2016 issue of Watercolor Artist. O’Neill has participated in juried exhibitions across the country, and has had solo exhibitions in Hamburg, Syracuse, Old Forge and Rome, NY.
Artist Statement
Watercolor painting has changed the way I see. I find myself noticing my surroundings in a whole new way. Details of sun and shadow, the way reflections appear on water, certain expressions on my children’s faces are all endlessly inspiring. I enjoy hours of deliberation over possibilities for future paintings and how I could attempt to capture particular effects on paper. I spend much more time planning how and what to paint than actually putting brush to paper, but for me this is often the most exciting part.
I am motivated by the challenge to reproduce the paintings created in my mind. If the completed images pique the interest of others, it is that much more gratifying.
Artist Statement
Watercolor painting has changed the way I see. I find myself noticing my surroundings in a whole new way. Details of sun and shadow, the way reflections appear on water, certain expressions on my children’s faces are all endlessly inspiring. I enjoy hours of deliberation over possibilities for future paintings and how I could attempt to capture particular effects on paper. I spend much more time planning how and what to paint than actually putting brush to paper, but for me this is often the most exciting part.
I am motivated by the challenge to reproduce the paintings created in my mind. If the completed images pique the interest of others, it is that much more gratifying.
