I ’ ve found that my best work is when things just happen on their own and I had no idea it would go that way . People call them happy accidents and that ’ s the beauty of watercolor . of giving up on his art , did what any selfmotivated man would do . He taught himself .
“ I ’ ve studied on my own and I think maybe the beauty of having not taken a class was that I truly was able to develop my own technique . I ’ ve collected probably 200 books on art , technique , and watercolor over the years . I never wanted my work to look like someone else ’ s even though I studied other people ’ s work , and I ’ m really proud of that .”
Dean ’ s art is unique . His images have a vivid liveliness to them that is eye catching . Working exclusively in watercolor he has dabbled in acrylic and oils but knowing he can be easily distracted by whatever ’ s flashy or different ( he likens himself to a crow in this respect ) he taught himself to stay away from those things that might distract him from watercolors . With such directed focus I asked Crouser what motivated him to take up art as a career after graduating with a business degree , running a business for ten years , then working in real estate for fifteen .
“ It was about the time the bottom dropped out on real estate in ’ 07 or ‘ 08 that I decided to go ‘ professional ’ with my art . I had nothing going on , so I thought , huh why not give it a try ?”
That was a good call as his art has become increasingly popular . Still an avid camper , one of Crouser ’ s greatest tools is his use of photography . He relies on it for perspective when painting certain scenes .
“ I ’ ve always loved photography especially when I was doing fishing scenes or things that involved a figure . When the figure will be of somebody fly casting , that needs to be correct and reference photos are a big help to me . Whenever we go on a trip , I ’ m excited to paint when we get home . No matter what I may have seen , something always inspires me to paint .”
Wondering what else inspires him , I asked if he had a favorite artist he looks up to .
“ My favorite of all time is Winslow Homer who is a turn of the century watercolor artist . He painted at a time when watercolor wasn ’ t well-received or respected . He painted subjects that I really love-fishing , hunting , and all the outdoors that he experienced . It just struck a chord with me . His art was very simple , but the masters make things look simple when it ’ s not . He was a master of making things look uncomplicated .”
Considering this love of simplicity , I asked Dean about his process . Does he fly by the seat of his pants or plan every detail ?
10 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE