These Sketches are one, two, five, and ten minute gestures during my Figure Drawing class.  I later went back over some and decided to put some of the better ones up for sale.  The sketches are pastel on paper size is 18" x 24".  When I say "went back over" I mean I colored in, retraced or added Still Life and different color to make them more interesting.

 I paint almost everyday and love to paint nudes and flowers mostly.  I do local seascapes and landscapes.  I'm also found of abstract works of art but they don't seem to sell well around here in VABCH.  Here are some comments of my work.

Artist

Don Watson

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                                               bonnie
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What wonderful explosions of colorful joy you produce when you pick up your painting tools!

Mary H.

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Wow! I love your new stuff!

I hope to be able to come to the opening in November, but I'll stop by before hand to see what's going on!

Thanks,
Jennie C.

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Thanks, Don. Your output is boggling. I bet that if you could connect with the right commercial gallery, your stuff would sell really well. (Maybe it sells well already, so why split a big commission with a private outfit? Heh-heh.) But as you may already know, private galleries really like artists who can keep up a steady supply of work, such as you seem able to do. It makes marketing easier for them. I could never keep a gallery regularly supplied with new stuff (particularly back when I was teaching full time), so that scene never worked out for me. I had tons of shows on my resumé, but almost all in institutional galleries whose expenses were covered in ways other than sales.On the other hand, you seem to be happily plugged into a lively regional arts scene which has its own fulfilling attractions. You might not want to abandon that for the pursuit of regular old conventional fame and fortune. You seem to have found a pretty satisfying way to be in "retirement," it seems to me. I had a retired airforce officer come to study art as a graduate, and after a life in the miliary, he was REALLY motivated to do his own thing. He was one of our most prolific printmaking students ever, but developed a major sensitivity to the materials used in those studios and ended up in computer art, I haven't heard from him for several years. I just googled and found a page for him, if you're curious: www.artofimagination.org/ Pages/Simpson.html Interesting work, with a dark side, like yours sometimes has. Very different style, of course. Cheers,Ken

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Whoa!! Love the new oil paintings, espec. the one in the front window of
AG. You should GO WITH IT!! Evn from the on-line photos - they look really
lush!
And the quote is priceless!!! thankyou!
Sincerely,
Roxanne
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Don,

I specially love Shadowlawn Waterway. Very nice work. Sorry, Nick and I will not be able to attend the opening. We will be in Mexico. Hopefully, we will be able to get together sometime with our sweethearts around the holidays. Great Work!

Blessings,
Theresa Jo

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These are soooo Lucious. I really like the colors and texture of these paintings, especially Don's Livingroom and Breakfast Breeze. The Fruit on Plate is very exciting too. GREAT STUFF.

Ola

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Hi Don and thanks for adding me to your email list! I have enjoyed watching your "leap" into the world of oils. Your work is so full of energy! Very inspiring! Thanks also for spending time talking w/ me at the gallery a few weeks back. I really have been in this creative rut. I need a class or a group to motivate me and get me headed in some direction. I created a myspace site with some of my work and made some new postcard size brochures. If you ever have time I would greatly appreciate any comments or advice. I don't quite understand the internet world so much yet and I guess the proper thing to do is create something like you have ?a blog? or join an art group or something on here? I still would like information on how to join the Ches. Bay Arts Foundation that you spoke of. Well thanks again for your time and I look forward to the opening of the Gallery! If there is ever anything I can volunteer to help with please let me know! Oh, my myspace site is http://www.myspace.com/dkcoakley Thanks again and happy painting!

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I love your new work. Keep it up.
Have you heard anything from CAC yet about a Nov. show?
Claudia
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Hi, Don!
Congrats on the exploratative media! Looks good! I got accepted to the Neptune
Show , September 29-October 1 and in the Port Warwick Art and Sculpture Fest,
October 14-15 in Newport News. Needless to say, I have been very busy following
the ending of my treatments in August. Just wanted to extend an invitation to the shows
and wish you the best at the Artist’s Gallery. Oh…I also participated in the first Italia
Fest here at the beach this past weekend. The wind on the oceanfront was brutal but
the weather was perfect! kc

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You are the man Don !

Your adventures brings back memories of my stepmother, and father oil painting together. They spent much time together doing this, and I can remember the smell of the paint, and turpentine.

:-)
Rick Mc

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Monday, Sept. 25, 2006
Hello from Virginia in Indiana, PA. I have enjoyed viewing your recent art work.
I especially like the Oil Paiting "..Shine on you crazy Diamond..." and pastel "Figure." It is great
that you are in such a productive mode. Sincerely,
Virginie(my French name)
Adios.(My Spanish translation "Walk with God.") You are in a great place --
Virginia Beach, VA.!
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I’m DIGGING the oils……it’s your best work!

Mike

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Thank you Don... I appreciate your email.
I would love to come by the Artist Gallery. I've been there before, but when it was at the old location.
Getting my artwork in the public eye is very new to me. I've never displayed my work in a gallery (not even online) and have only sold my work through word-of-mouth. I just recently got my motivation back after going through a really long spell of doing absolutely nothing artistic! I feel like I'm sort of fumbling through re-discovering my talent. Talking to other artists will definitely inspire me.
What are the best days and/or times for me to stop by?
Thanks.
Shelly M