Jac Tilton

Dubuque, IA

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Jac Tilton is a former art educator and has held various management positions in advertising, marketing, graphic design and web development during his career.

He has worked almost exclusively in watercolor for most of his career, but recently has added abstract works in graphite, carbon and charcoal to his portfolio. His watercolors and drawings are in private collections across the U.S and Canada.

He is a signature member of the Illinois Watercolor Society and a former member of the Board of Directors and Signature Member of the Iowa Watercolor Society. He is also a member of the National Watercolor Society and the Transparent Watercolor Society.

Many of my watercolors result from my attraction to old or out of the way places and subjects. I'm attracted to these subjects not from a sense of nostalgia but because of the patina that the process of existing imparts to them. The results of their use, abuse, neglect or abandonment makes for very interesting subject matter.

My figurative watercolors result from capturing people in a candid moment when they are the most natural and least self-aware.

My current drawings are essentially exercises in creating "interesting marks." The drawings are, for the most part, process driven. They begin with little more than a general concept and proceed to the finished state based almost exclusively on what happens along the way.

PROCESS

Whether the medium is watercolor or monochrome, the process of creating the work involves applying many layers to create an image. In watercolor, it's a combination of washes, glazes and dry brush. In monochrome works, graphite, carbon and charcoal, the process of layering involves applying, smearing, erasing, and re-applying until a satisfactory combination of contrast, value and texture are achieved.