Jan Guarino

Every painting I choose to paint focuses on the question ... what drew me to this subject? As I move through this question, I look through a filter that asks what’s next and then go where the answers lead me. The subject may be a place I visited during my travels, I will be called to a particular photo, or a painting I started en plein aire. It may be a photograph someone shows me of a person, a child, a couple that captured a moment, an expression, a posture. But when I see it, there is a moment where something grabs me and causes me to pause. I am overcome by a stirring and a knowing that I must paint it. I don’t choose my subjects as much as they seem to choose me. My intention is always to create an unexpected depiction of the subject, a colorful interpretation, not a literal translation. I enjoy using this unusual color palette to bring you into the painting and though, you may have been seen that place before, I wish for you to feel you are seeing it through a different lens for the very first time. As a watercolorist, I long to embrace all the wonderful things this medium has to offer, blossoms, drips, unexpected things that happen - lost edges, movement of pigment. I want to keep them all to remember that it is very much like life itself. Most artists feel that this medium is difficult to control and the most challenging to paint with. But I feel the total opposite of this. I long for all of the uniqueness and beauty watercolors have to offer and to leave room for the viewer to fill in what may be missing or nearly suggested. Most of my paintings are available as framed originals, all paintings available as reproductions for framing, and reproductions of images to be used in marketing and advertising. In addition, I am available for work for hire and commissioned pieces - your loved pet, your sweet child or blessed grandchild. I have been teaching FEARLESS WATERCOLORS at the Art League of Long Island, The Artists Studio at Chelsea Mansion, Plein Air cl