When I pick up a paintbrush
and sit down to paint, each new sheet of paper offers unlimited opportunities for expression, discovery, and exploration.
I like to take chances and discover new techniques while exploring contrasts. I experiment with light and dark vs. warm
and cool colors in creating a visual experience conveying depth and emotion. I use a combination of elements while
painting. I start with a loose wet-on-wet watercolor wash to create a soft background and allow the colors to bleed
into the paper. Then I tighten the subject matter, rendering certain elements. In the last step, I apply broad
brush strokes to give it life and add contrast by punching up the darks and creating shadows. I like to make use of
any happy mistakes of the creative process the paint might offer while I'm doing this. When I listen to a song,
it's not only that I like the tune or the lyrics. Sometimes the song will recapture a moment I had in the past,
a time when I was younger and more emotional. I strive to recreate those emotions in the viewer.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree
from the Art Department at California State University, Long Beach. I am an architectural illustrator by trade.
Twenty-five years in the rendering business, honing my perspective skills as well as sketching and painting techniques, afforded
me an effortless transition to fine art.
Collectors of Drysdale watercolors include: Tony Forster
of San Juan Capistrano, Bob Spickard of the Chantay's surf band, and Greg Bonann, producer of Baywatch. Bill's
work has been shown at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, as well as other juried shows and galleries in Southern California.
Publications showcasing his paintings include Costa d'Oro magazine and Art of the American West by Quarry Books.
