STERLING EDWARDS

STERLING EDWARDS   Sterling Edwards was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1951. When he was twelve, he was enrolled in art classes at the Nelson Gallery in Kansas City, after his parents noticed that he had a natural ability to draw. These classes were followed with two years of private oil painting instruction. Over a period of several years, he studied and learned to use pastels and acrylics as well. In 1985, Sterling began studying watercolors and was captivated by the versatility and luminosity of the medium. Having spent several years learning from watercolor master Zoltan Szabo and several other prominent watercolor artists, Sterling developed his own unique style of painting with watercolors. Interpretations of natural settings are the subjects of most of Sterling's paintings. Using primarily large brushes, Sterling focuses on the mood of the subject as much as he does on the shapes. Rather than trying to replicate the subject as it appears, he will often exaggerate colors, maximize light and dark values, and stylize shapes to suit his personal interpretation. The result is an expressive watercolor painting consisting of a strong relationship of interlocking positive and negative shapes supported by a sound composition and complimentary color scheme. Sterling owned and operated his own art gallery in Winston-Salem, NC from 1993 until 1995. During this time he began teaching his style of painting. As his reputation as a watercolor artist and teacher grew, Sterling was commissioned to conduct watercolor workshops in neighboring states. Today, Sterling conducts watercolor workshops internationally. He has been a featured artist in the Fall, 2001 issue of Watercolor Magic magazine in an article titled ones to Watch," and has been featured in numerous newspaper articles. Sterling's original paintings are in private and corporate collections worldwide and marketed through several galleries. He works from his studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.