William Mayes Flanagan

watercolors and commissions

In my paintings, I like to play with contradictions to convey the sense of mystery and promise I feel when I walk the streets of my hometown or travel country roads. I exploit contrasts: warm and cool colors, wet and dry watercolor techniques, the architectural line against the fluidity of nature.

I look for the mysterious within the familiar, and I want viewers to feel it, too. I have a strong sense of place, and I want viewers to experience the places I depict with all their senses. I want them to hear the cicadas or the tires on wet pavement. I want them to feel the night breeze and smell the damp earth.

When painting, I have retained one technique from childhood. Sitting at the kitchen table drawing airplanes, I made the roar and whine of the planes as they appeared on the paper. Today, when the river of blue paint flows across the paper, I find myself making the swish-wish sound of wind in the trees.

A poet once told me that when she looked at the buildings in my paintings, she knew there were people inside. I really liked that comment, because that is what I try to do, to give the feeling of the life inside today, tomorrow, or the past.

I am available to paint buildings or scenes on consignment. Please call me at 479-283-8621, and we can talk.