June 2024: Works In Watercolor by Randy Eckard a Solo Exhibit of Paintings

Richard Boyd Art Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of a solo exhibition of dry-brush watercolor paintings by nationally renowned, award-winning Maine watercolorist Randy Eckard. This is Randy’s eighth solo exhibition at the gallery. If you love realism and watercolor do not miss this amazing exhibition opening June 1st at 10:00 a.m.

Raised in North Carolina, Randy studied at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida and the Haywood School of Craft in Clyde, North Carolina. A trained commercial and fine artist living in Blue Hill, Maine Randy’s career as a fine artist working exclusively with watercolors spans more than three decades.

Randy is known for his use of light and shadow, with the subject of most of his paintings being light and how it defines and shapes the scene before him.  He uses a dry-brush technique and layers of pigments to create realistic traditional style watercolor paintings depicting the timeless beauty and charm of Maine’s architecture and landscapes.

Randy is “closing in on forty years of working with watercolors.  For several years I was fascinated by the versatility and wonder of drawing with pencil, and pen and ink. An HB pencil, a kneaded eraser, and a sheet of Bristol board opened up a world or exploration in black and white.  At the urging of a friend, I tried adding watercolor to the early stages of my drawings, and I was soon painting more than drawing.  My love of drawing never diminished and continues with quite detailed drawings in preparation for painting.

Inspirations pour in from the beautiful and dramatic coastline of Downeast Maine where I have lived for many years. The drawings, watercolors, and tempera paintings of Andrew Wyeth have guided and fostered my sensibilities for most of my years as a painter.  Reading about the techniques of drybrush and glazing, brought to the forefront by Wyeth, revealed a method of working with watercolor where my love of drawing could be paired with my new-found love of watercolor.

As a young boy, growing up in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, I began noticing and responding to the warm glow and cool, contrasting shadows of late afternoons. Those early observations of light would become the focus of my paintings. Light reveals the character, color, and texture of objects, whether man-made or natural, and the alternation of lighted and shadowed planes produce powerful repeated patterns and are an important element of design.

Early on I realized how quiet observation would most always reveal the life of a subject, and I learned to pay attention to sparks of inspiration, often arriving unexpectedly during my solitary wanderings along the backroads of coastal Maine.”

He has won over 190 awards for his paintings in watercolor throughout New England and the Southeast, most recently winning two top awards: Best of Show, and 1st place In Watercolor at the January 2023 Beaux Arts Festival in Coral Gables, Florida. His work is widely collected and included in numerous private and corporate collections.

The exhibit is on view free of charge from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily through June 29th, 2024. Below are images of the paintings selected for the exhibtion. Please Note, images are for reference only. No image can capture the depth and nuances of an original work of art as seen in person at the gallery.

Randy Eckard – Learn More

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Here Before’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 15″ x 21″ Retail $4200.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Waiting for the Moment’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 16″ x 24″ Retail $4500.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Over the Hill’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 8″ x 12″ Retail $1800.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Amber Waves’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 15″ x 21″ Retail $3900.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Destination ‘ ~Original Watercolor on Paper 15″ x 21″ Retail $3900.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Here Before’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 15″ x 21″ Retail $4200.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Stately Pair’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 15″ x 21″ Retail $4200.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Towards Home’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 21″ x 15″ Retail $3900.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Carriage House’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 21″ x 15″ Retail $3900.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Storied Past’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 21″ x 15″ Retail $3900.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘October Fog’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 8″ x 12″ Retail $1700.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Sun Room’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 15″ x 21″ Retail $4200.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Good Luck’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 24″ x 16″ Retail $4900.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Years of Use’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 12″ x 8″ Retail $1800.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Cranberry Point’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 8″ x 12″ Retail $1800.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Spaces Between’ ~ Original Watercolor 14″ x 20.5″ Retail $3600.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Solitary’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 8″ x 12″ Retail $1800.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Fog Is In’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 15″ x 21″ Retail $3800.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Mop Closet’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 21″ x 15″ Retail $3900.

Randy Eckard ~ ‘Shed Door’ ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 12″ x 8″ Retail $1800.

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