UNC Chapel Hill Art & Graduation Gifts

UNC Old Well watercolor batik painting on Japanese rice paper — Watercolor batik painting of Old Well on University of North Carolina (UNC)- Chapel Hill, NC

North Carolina has a lot going for it. Beautiful forests. Beaches. Great universities. And mountains—although I lived in Denver for 12 years, so I have a hard time calling the Blue Ridge Mountains actual mountains. Hills, maybe. Very pretty hills.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of my favorite places in the area to photograph. I’ve been back many times over the years, usually looking for different views of campus and, of course, the Old Well.

One of those trips was years ago when my youngest son, Luke, was about four.

I took him everywhere when he was little. Partly because I wanted him to experience things instead of sitting in front of a TV. Partly because I wanted to make some good memories with him.

University of North Carolina Old Well watercolor art — UNC Old Well painting. University of North Carolina Old Well

And partly because I was hoping to wear him out.

That last part almost never worked.

I’d come home exhausted. He’d still be bouncing off the walls.

Anyway, one fall—probably October—we went to Chapel Hill. I wanted photographs of the Old Well surrounded by fall color, so we’d been wandering around campus for maybe half an hour while I took pictures.

UNC Bell Tower monster watercolor painting Chapel Hill — UNC Belltower being attacked by monster at dusk- Chapel Hill, NC

At some point I looked over and saw Luke peeing on a bush.

Apparently he had to go.

To his four-year-old brain, this was actually pretty smart. He’d positioned himself behind the bush, completely hidden from all the students walking around campus.

Unfortunately, the bush was next to East Cameron Avenue.

So while nobody on campus could see him, every car driving down the street got a perfect view.

He had absolutely no idea.

Oh well.

It’s a college campus. I’m pretty sure people around UNC have seen worse behavior from students. :)

UNC Old Well watercolor painting Chapel Hill North Carolina

UNC Chapel Hill Watercolor Paintings & Fine Art Prints

I’ve kept returning to Chapel Hill with my camera since then—although thankfully with considerably less public urination.

Those photographs have become the starting point for many of my UNC Chapel Hill watercolor paintings, especially the Old Well. I paint it in different seasons, colors and styles. Sometimes fairly traditional. Sometimes not even close.

The paintings below are available as fine art prints of the UNC campus and make great UNC graduation gifts, alumni gifts, retirement presents or something for anyone who spent four years in Chapel Hill and still considers Carolina home.

And these are actual watercolor paintings. I take the reference photographs. I make the paintings. I scan the finished artwork and produce prints from them.

Colorful UNC Old Well watercolor painting in Chapel Hill — University of North Carolina Old Well fine art watercolor painting- Chapel Hill, NC.

No AI-generated art. No AI slop pretending to be watercolor.

Just paint, paper, photographs and a real person who occasionally spends far too much time trying to get the Old Well to look right.

UNC Graduation Gifts & Alumni Art

Looking for a UNC graduation gift that isn’t another T-shirt or coffee mug? The paintings below are available as fine art prints and make great gifts for Carolina graduates, alumni, parents and anyone who still considers Chapel Hill home.

Explore my UNC Old Well paintings, Chapel Hill artwork and colorful UNC fine art prints below.