About Sandy McDermott Art

My earliest memory of making art that mattered is a bookmark design competition sponsored by the school library when I was in first grade. Using crayons on construction paper I drew an image of Dr. Doolittle with his animals. I won! That experience stirred something inside and began a life-long commitment to both art and animals, and ultimately a career in Natural Science Illustration. A great deal of time is spent in the field observing and sketching plants and animals from life. Recording their shapes, colors, textures, behaviors and generally capturing the complexity of a habitat are the purpose. While the practice of field sketching is the foundation of everything I do artistically, the medium and my purpose for creating has evolved. Some years ago I took to watercolors with serious intent, Becoming conversant with the intricacies of watercolors allowed me to enjoy the process of painting while developing a recognizable and unique style. Compositionally, I am after simplicity. I choose to leave ample negative space around the main shape in a composition. It’s within the main shape that I want to let the alchemy of watercolor create interest. Anything else is subtle context. Building upon the intricacies of watercolor and a philosophy of simplicity, I strive to balance “essence” and “reality” of a subject rather than a scientifically accurate rendering. There’s a deep personal connection with that “moment of expression”. THAT is where the excitement is!Read their story