Owen Rose lives in Tumacacori, a few miles south of Tubac, where he helps caretake a 160-acre working cattle ranch and horse breeding facility. Many ideas for his paintings originate from the ranch experience and his southern Arizona surroundings.
Owen’s background includes art training at the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia and a professional illustrating before his work in fine art. His subject matter is diverse, from wild flowers and saguaro cacti to working cowboys and ranch life.
The transparency and fluidity of watercolor allow for soft, blended effects and spontaneous, unpredictable results. One of the main challenges of this medium is controlling the amount of water on the brush and the paper, as too much water can cause the pigments to bleed and lose definition, while too little water can make the paint appear chalky and dry. Additionally, because watercolors dry quickly, painters must work quickly and have a masterful understanding of the pigments they are using and the layers they are creating.
We have collected several Rose watercolors for display in our public areas.
Care to try your hand at watercolor painting? This 10-minute tutorial shows you how it can be done:
