Anchorlight Semi-Annual Open House. 1401 and 1407 S. Bloodworth St. near downtown Raleigh. Anchorlight opens it’s doors twice a year to the public (by appointment otherwise). Join my studio in the buildings. Lots of new artwork on the walls and bins. Unframed and framed paintings.
There is construction on the surrounding streets- you might have to take a side road, but we will be open and you can reach our parking lot.
The Anchorlight address is 1401 and 1407 S. Bloodworth St. Raleigh, NC 27610
Boylan Art Walk on December 4th from 12-5pm. Join me on the porch at 400 S. Boylan St. for a selection of original artwork (at great prices) and fine-art reproductions. The streets around Boylan Heights will be full of all types of art: painting, jewelry, ceramics, and much more. Start and end your holiday shopping at the Artwalk and help small businesses.
Domes of St. Nicholas and skyline of downtown medieval Amsterdam, Netherlands at sunset.
Landed in Raleigh after returning from a wonderful week with the Watercolor Art Society of Houston (WASH) and received this email:
Congratulations, Ryan! I’m very pleased to inform you that your painting, Amsterdam Skyline, has won Second Place in this year’s Watermedia Showcase competition. In recognition of this, you’ll receive a prize award of $____ + free Artists Network Membership for 1 year ($__ value). Our competitions manager will be reaching out to you about the prizes sometime in the next month or so. In addition, your winning painting and your artwork in general will be the subject of a full-length feature article in the Spring 2023 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine.
I am honored. I have entered this competition numerous times and always assume I am throwing my $40 bucks away every time. What do I know? It just shows that you cannot win (or lose) unless you try.
This painting is currently available (unframed) at Studio 1407-5 at Anchorlight. You can see it in person on December 3rd for our bi-annual Open House.
The City of Raleigh is doing a ton of sewer line construction in the area. Don’t worry- you can get to the studio but some of the surrounding streets may be closed. We WILL be open and you can park in our parking lots on 1407 S. Bloodworth.
See you soon. I will have a lot of new artwork available in the studio (framed and unframed). This is the perfect time to purchase art from a real living artist.
Centerfest returns this weekend! Join me at my booth for a (hopefully) beautiful weekend. Lots of new artwork available for sale- original paintings (framed and unframed) as well as a selection of prints and cards from around the world.
Dandelion fine art watercolor painting. Floral watercolor artwork Dandelion flowers in vase.
Come to beautiful downtown Durham this weekend as Centerfest takes over the streets. 100+ vendors. Music. Tons of great artwork.
Puffin fine art watercolor painting. Watercolor painting Puffin Iceland bird artwork (print)Watercolor painting of water tower on the American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham, NC at sunsetUNC Old Well painting. University of North Carolina Old Well fine art watercolor painting- Chapel Hill, NC.
The Durham Arts Council is bringing the 47th Annual CenterFest back to Downtown Durham. CenterFest is the longest-running juried outdoor arts festival in North Carolina. CenterFest boasts juried visual artists from near and far, great entertainment, lots of food and fun, and educational activities for kids. Downtown Durham’s vibrant city center district, CenterFest performers, artists, and visitors will enjoy a setting filled with restaurants, shops, and studios: a perfect space for an event that will bring 30,000+ visitors over the weekend. CenterFest 2022 will include several performance stages showcasing music, dance, street performers, and community groups. Bring the family, bring your friends, bring the neighborhood!
See you downtown! If you can’t make it this weekend you are always welcome to stop by my studio at Anchorlight (1407 S. Bloodworth St. Raleigh 27610).
Join me at booth #10 inside City Market in downtown Raleigh. Pick up some art for your home/office. Prints available in various sizes. Buy 2- get the 3rd FREE. Cards also available.
UNC Old Well painting. University of North Carolina Old Well fine art watercolor painting- Chapel Hill, NC.Sunset over canals and medieval architecture of Venice, Italy. Watercolor painting Venice Italy gondola boats church architecture sunset.Mist covered landscape painting with buildings. Landscape watercolor painting fine art land
Lots of parking nearby on Moore Square and Davie St. Come out and enjoy all the other artists, jewelry, crafts, foods, and beverages by local vendors. Support local artists and makers.
St. Paul’s Cathedral at night in the city of London, England. Watercolor painting LondonStatue of Liberty in New York Harbor at sunset- New York City, USA. Watercolor painting Statue Liberty artwork
Lots of new artwork available online. Check out my online SHOP. Free shipping (domestic US) for prints and originals. Quarter sheet (11×15″) original watercolor paintings. One of a kind artwork created using the magic of watercolor.
These paintings are all watercolors using a variety of techniques- pouring watercolor, dropping pure colors next to each other (kiss technique), scratching to create details (with a bit of dry-brush to also suggest architectural detail), and more.
Squirrel sitting on branch. Squirrel outdoors landscape artwork fine art watercolor squirrel wildlife animal painting
These paintings were all begun as demonstrations for my watercolor classes in the area- Wake Forest, Cary, Raleigh, and Durham. I am always trying to teach my students something different and we cover a lot of ground in my classes– layering, color theories, exploring different ways to mix colors, and much more.
Boats racing in regatta. Sailing boats tacking around buoy in sailing regatta- nautical artwork colorful painting water
Join me at my studio in Anchorlight (just a little south of downtown Raleigh) for our Semi-Annual open house.
My studio is busting at the seams with new artwork. Loads of unframed originals. Framed paintings.
St. Paul’s Cathedral at night in the city of London, England. Watercolor painting London
Sunset over canals and medieval architecture of Venice, Italy. Watercolor painting Venice Italy gondola boats church architecture sunset.
Anchorlight is a creative space, founded with the intent of fostering artists at varying stages of their development. Anchorlight provides a combination of artist studios, residency opportunities, and exhibition space. Through the establishment of an internal community of artists, designers, and craftspeople, Anchorlight encourages mentorship and the cross-pollination of knowledge and skills.
Founded in 2017 as a collaboration between James A. Goodnight and artist Shelley Smith, Anchorlight is home to 26 artist studios and a 1,500 square foot zero-commission gallery in addition to the Brightwork Fellowship. The first incarnation of the Brightwork program was also launched in 2017 and offered four artists per year a fully subsidized studio for one year, with a solo exhibition at the end of each artist’s residency.
Framed artwork of Chichen Itza ruins in Mexico. Poured watercolor technique.
Beginning in January 2022 the Brightwork Fellowship will become a fully funded residency program for North Carolina based visual artists. The Fellowship will provide a 500+ square-foot studio space at Anchorlight, an exhibition opportunity in our gallery, and an unrestricted financial award of $50,000.00 to one artist per year who is at a pivotal moment in their career.
North Carolina is home to artists with incredible talent, vision, and skill. Anchorlight has created an opportunity that will provide these artists with unparalleled support in the state they call home. It is the intent of the program to demonstrate to artists living and working in North Carolina that they are valued, worthy of investment, and that the voice they bring to the cultural discourse of our state is a vital facet of North Carolina’s identity. More than anything, this program intends to empower N.C. artists with the gift of time, space, and financial support to fully explore their creative potential.
Join us May 7th from 4-7pm. 1401 and 1407 S. Bloodworth St. 27610
UNC Old Well painting. University of North Carolina Old Well fine art watercolor painting- Chapel Hill, NC.
Just in time for graduation (and the recent NCAA March Madness tournament- I have been working on a bunch of UNC Old Well and Duke Chapel watercolor paintings.
Duke Chapel 11×15″. Original sold but I have another version similar to this one available. Prints always available in different sizes.Colorful dog artwork. Watercolor painting of dog colorful wall art dog portrait painting watercolor canine art
I have recently wrapped up a few of my Beginning Watercolor and Watercolor. Again! classes in Wake Forest and Cary. I am still teaching in Durham and Raleigh.
I take my summer’s off so I can work on some big personal pieces. Teaching 4 days a week (6 classes) is great, but my studio has been neglected and has been gathering dust. Time to get back there and create some work!
Iwill be adding more classes in the Fall- waiting to hear back about schedules. Check out my Classes/Workshops page on my website for upcoming details.
Baroque church in Guanajuato. Monochromatic artwork church in colonial city Guanajuato, Mexico. Black white artwork Guanajuato church artwork
Stormy landscape painting. Watercolor painting of sun’s rays breaking through clouds landscape artwork water trees
Lots of new artwork available. These 11×15″ paintings on 140lb professional watercolor paper demonstrate a broad range of techniques, styles, and subjects. I am always pushing myself to create something new for my own personal artistic growth, and for students in my classes. Do they always turn out. No. Absolutely not- but there is nothing wrong with a “failed painting”. Every mistake is a chance to grow as an artist.
Colorful painting of whale and sperm whale swmming in ocean- nautical blue black watercolor painting whales oceanEiffel Tower rising above buildings of Paris, France. Eiffel Tower watercolor painting fine art print Paris art home decorCape Lookout lighthouse in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Monochromatic B&W artwork Cape Lookout lighthouse OBXBird sitting on branch fine art watercolor painting. Wildlife painting bird on branch artworkMist covered landscape painting with buildings. Landscape watercolor painting fine art landBruges, Belgium sunset painting. Watercolor painting Belfry of Bruges rising over medieval builidngs of city. Bruges skyline artwork watercolor sunset.
Fine art watercolor paintings of Mayan ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza. Watercolor paintings on YUPO synthetic (fancy name for plastic). Mayan inspired stamps created and added to texture of ruins and skies. All paintings sealed with UV Archival Finish. Unframed.
Step by step process of painting on YUPO. Watercolor original painting of Mayan ruins at Tulum created onYUPO Synthetic.
Painting watercolor on YUPO is a challenge. The “paper” can take hours to dry (depending on humidity levels) and you have ONE chance to layer on top of previous layers. If you go over a previously painted layer twice, all the color comes off and mixes with the layer you are creating.
Mayan ruins at beach of Tulum in Mexico. Watercolor painting of Mayan ruins in Tulum in Yucatan Peninsula- Mexico
However, since this is plastic, and all the color can be removed (even most staining colors) I created a series of Mayan inspired stamps and selectively removed shapes in the sky and temples. Once the details were created, the paintings were sealed with a UV Archival finish.
This is the first time I have ever used watercolor ground. Once the paintings were sealed I used a substance called watercolor ground on top of the paintings. This allowed me to go back into the painting and layer and darken areas without the fear of removing the previous layers. For example, I usually darken all the corners of my paintings to help draw the eye to the focal point.
All three paintings are available for purchase. Fine art prints are also available on my Shop.
Interested in seeing one of these paintings in person? My studio is open by appointment only- please contact before they have found new homes!
Don’t miss the recent Redfin article I was featured in: “New Year, New Style: 15 Artistic Home Decor Tips to Bring Joy to Your Home”
With the new year in full swing, there’s a chance you’re looking to update your home with a new style – one that brings more joy into your home. There are countless artistic mediums – from ceramics to watercolor paintings—that will complement your home, whether you’re living in San Diego, CA, or Toronto, CA. But to truly find the right artistic home décor that speaks to you, you might be looking for a starting point.
To help you get started, I, along with other artists shared our best advice on the right decor that will bring joy to your home this year. Check out what we had to say so you can start decorating your home today!
