Exhibiting Artist

John Furches is best known for his ability to depict the relationships of color and nature in rural landscapes and nostalgic still life’s. His choice of the watercolor medium is especially effective in showing the delicate balance of light, color, and texture in each of his paintings. The element of emotion is also an integral tool for John’s realistic style, as he feels the artist becomes an imperfect camera without definite feelings about the image he is portraying.

John’s work is represented in numerous private and corporate collections including his working studio and gallery in Elkin. His limited edition prints, etchings, giclees, and posters are marketed by the gallery itself. John hales 52 limited edition prints in print, of which 42 are sold out and now available only in the secondary market. Also John has completed 9 giclees, a new technology of printing by a computer, and over 500 etchings. John states he has tried many different media but always come back to watercolor. He feels it can be a frustrating medium at times, but it is always challenging. He likes the results he gets (most of the time) with watercolor. There isn’t an unnatural sheen or gloss on the surface to fight.

He enjoys to paint the things around him–found objects, antiques, architectural subjects, and landscapes. Anything and everything he sees has a chance of ending up in one of his works. Whenever possible, he likes to work from life because you form a visual and physical bond with the subject. However, it is not always possible or even practical to work on location, especially when dealing with landscapes. In that case, he normally takes photographs, makes sketches, and colors notes. Then goes back to the studio where he can control all the elements. Another reason he prefers the studio is the time period involved.

A lot of his pieces of work are very detailed because he enjoys the challenge of realism. Capturing the different colors and textures can be time consuming. He often has four to six weeks in some of the larger pieces, because of the conditions this could easily become four to six months if done on location. The photos, sketches, and color notes help keep the stimulation of the subject in his mind. If for some reason he has questions, he always goes back to the source. No one can retain all the information nature has to offer.