Paul Dudek
Reflections on Nature
Date installed: January, 2021
Watercolors
Artist’s price list for show paintings
We asked Paul if he would introduce himself and share a bit about his paintings, and here is what he wrote…
A bit about me: I am an architect by profession but have been painting watercolors since I was a boy. I was raised on a ranch in the foothills of Alberta, Canada, where I was fortunate to be able to spend my days roaming the valleys and hills and fishing it’s rivers and creeks. I fell in love with the natural landscape of the ranch and started painting it at age eleven.
I have a particular love of water, probably due to the hours I spend waist deep in streams fishing. The reflections and patterns, created by current and wind, fascinate me. With landscapes it is the land forms and atmosphere. When I see the reflections and patterns on water joining the land forms and atmosphere in a special way, I feel the urge to capture the scene in watercolor.
Trips to Alaska, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Orkney, the Shetland Islands, Prague, Italy, Sicily, Greece and Crete have opened new vistas to paint, both wilderness landscapes and urban spaces.
Since retiring from my profession, I have devoted more time to painting and have joined the New England Watercolor Society becoming a Signature Member in 2017.
A word from the Mary Jo Rines Gallery: We are delighted to bring you this impressive show of watercolors by Newton artist Paul Dudek. While it’s unfortunate that we cannot view Paul’s work close up and in person, there is an upside: we can present more paintings and a wider range of them online.
An award-winning member of the New England Watercolor Society, Paul’s work shows us a varied selection of landforms from around the globe, each conveying both the serenity and the majesty nature affords us. His ‘waterscapes’ are exquisite in the way they capture ripples and reflections, and his urban paintings reveal a refined handling of architecture, place, and detail. We are fortunate to have Paul as an artist in our series of virtual gallery shows, and we hope you share our delight.
Many of these paintings are for sale, and Paul is offering details on his price list, above. We hope you’ll take a look. The works are framed in contemporary metal frames with a matte silver finish, with easy to handle UV protective plexiglass. The photo at right shows a typical framing. If you would like to learn more or make a purchase inquiry, please contact Larry Grob at: 617-817-3123 or lagrob@mac.com
Enjoy the show!
Best wishes,
The First Parish Art Committee
First Parish’s Art Committee Co-Chair Larry Grob recently had the opportunity to interview artist Paul Dudek. They spoke about Paul’s travels and watercolors, and as landscape painters both, they had plenty of notes to compare.
Click here to see a video of the interview.
We hope you enjoy Paul’s work. If you’d like, you can click below to send him a comment or question…
Water, water everywhere…
It took awhile before I dispensed with the landscape above and just focused on the water. Patterns are everything here and how any disturbance, a breeze or a current, creates new patterns. It is nature’s abstract design.
(click images to enlarge and see full proportions)
The wild, wild west…
A road trip through Yellowstone National Park via the Lamar and Hayden Valleys will present you with vistas of mountains, forests, valleys, rivers and wild animals. I love the way shadows from passing clouds help define the shapes or folds in the terrain. Once again the scene is continually being modified by passing clouds.
(click images to enlarge and see full proportions)
Scotland…
A trip from Scrabster to Ullapool in northern Scotland goes through some wild, rough, sparse and expansive landscapes with mountains, lochs and moors. Plenty here to catch the eye of a painter.
(click images to enlarge and see full proportions)
A river runs through me…
I float the rivers alone in my canoe, sometime fishing and sometimes just quietly watching the scene unfold before me. My camera is with me and I use it to capture a fleeting moment when my mind has framed something I see as special. This often involves the way reflections on the water rearrange or modify the landscape above. I like contrasts of light and dark or of colors, or just the rhythm of passing tree trunks.
(click images to enlarge and see full proportions)
Alaska…
A trip on a small boat through Alaska’s Inland Passage may lead to an overnight stay in Misty Fjord. When you arise in the morning you will see steep mountains partially revealed by rising mists of various degrees of transparency. A shaft of sunlight will highlight a small portion of the mountain face. The scene is breathtaking and continually changing. We spent a morning kayaking across the water and along the shore admiring the green of the trees with branches overhanging rocky faces covered with lichen and moss.
(click images to enlarge and see full proportions)
Urban spaces…
The famous Charles Bridge which crosses the Vltava River in Prague is lined with statues of saints which frame the towers, spires, cupolas and domes of the Old Town. It is popular with painters and photographers and they capture the many moods from dawn through dusk, from season to season. I couldn’t resist my attempt.
The same goes for Piazza Duomo in Ortigia, Sicily with its baroque cathedral.
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And a few personal favorites…
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