Today we’d like to introduce you to Seth Holmes.
Seth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
‘You’re no good at art. Just stop trying.’
This is what I told myself over and over for years before I started my business and opened my watercolor studio.
I used to aim for perfection. I tried to capture every detail. I had to remember the joy I discovered as a kid in order to find success with my art.
Drawing pads, markers, and unlimited freedom to create characters and worlds from my head are what made me fall in love with art when I was younger. I grew up and started feeling pressured to create realistic and ‘perfect’ drawings.
When I learned to let go of perfectionism and lean into the uncertainty and chaos of watercolors, I found new joy in creating art.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My greatest struggles when it comes to my art have been the pressure I placed on myself over the years. I felt I needed to reach for some standard of perfect art rather than find my style and my unique way of capturing the world around me.
I’ve discovered that if you believe something isn’t possible you’re not going to aim for it. You’ve got to have a little stubbornness, and what I call ‘delusional optimism’ to keep going.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I really started painting with watercolors around 2020-2021 and early on I was painting a lot of what I call architectural caricatures—buildings in my style that have a bit of cartoony whimsy. In 2021 I participated in my first plein air (open air) event, and as I’ve done more and more plein air events over the years, I’ve found that I enjoy that more than anything else I do.
I’ve won several awards, and my style has really developed over the past year or two. I think both my philosophy and my technique set me apart and have given my paintings a signature look.
I view plein air painting as a series of moments distilled to a single moment. I might be painting for four or five hours but as people pass by, I’ll add this person the the painting here, an hour later somebody else talks to me and I fit them in the painting. Light is constantly shifting. The scene that I capture never happened. It’s my interpretation of a series of moments, captured in a single frame.
When it comes to style and my technique, I’ve learned to leave certain parts of the painting uncolored. Rather than feeling obligated to paint every bit of the paper, I ask if painting a certain area will help tell the story I’m trying to tell or just distract from it. Leaving certain areas unpainted also allows the eye to be able to scan easily between layers. It’s simultaneously a form of simplification and implication.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I would like to spend more time painting in Baltimore and capturing every day street scenes, life at the Harbor, and the historic architecture. My paintings are what I like to call visual stories. Nonverbal communication. I want to use my paintings and my voice to capture every day life and the people who pass by us otherwise unnoticed, because I find them fascinating.
Pricing:
- Commissions – $100-$1,000
- Original Art – $200-$1,000
- Prints – $37-$109
- Art Kits – $35-$55
- Workshops – $40-$60
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.holmeswatercolors.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holmes__watercolors/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Holmes-Watercolors/100070542224488/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@holmeswatercolors?si=vblhCtOLSpih6osr
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/r4ursrvv-9
