Plains artist plays by her own rules

Watercolor painting is a translucent art medium, meaning an artist can build up layers of colors that complement each other as the piece takes shape.

Normally the finished project has a ‘loose’ feel to it leaving the viewer to use their imagination to complete the scene. Detail is not a priority with watercolor painting and the colors are more subdued.

However, for watercolor artist Ilene Paulsen, those rules do not hold.

“The technique I prefer for my watercolor paintings is realistic and vibrant. I have chosen this style of painting because my passion lies in bringing out the details of the subject matter in my artwork," Paulsen said. "Working from my own close-up reference photos allows me to see the intricacies of the veins in flower petals, the eyelashes on a horse, or the individual feathers on a bird.”

Paulsen grew up in central Minnesota and then spent 20 years living in various areas in Southeast Alaska, including logging camps on the islands.

"Living the Dream, Alaskan style" was fulfilled with gardening, hunting, boating, trapping, camping, fishing and canning salmon. Plus, homeschooling five children!

Toss in raising horses, pigs, chickens, goats, ducks and rabbits, and somehow, Paulsen still found time to paint.

“From the time I was 5 years old, drawing and painting have been an interest of mine as it has allowed me to express my creativity. My first solo art show occurred in Homer, Alaska, in 2007, and I co-founded the Valley Fine Arts Association, which the purpose was to promote the arts and artists in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.”

She moved to Montana six years ago and became a Signature Member of the Montana Watercolor Society, having had the honor of her artwork accepted into their shows every year. Paulsen has been invited to participate in the Anaconda Wildlife Art Expo, held Sept. 17-19.

As most successful artists have done, she has tried all different types of mediums, but watercolor painting is her favorite due to its ease of use, fast drying time, being able to reconstitute the paint after it has dried on the palette with easy water cleanup and no obnoxious odors.

“I am basically a self-taught artist using the natural talents God has gifted me with to create art,” she said. “The limited number of watercolor classes I have participated in have shown me that there are alternate techniques to create visual effects with the watercolors such as using paint-mask and salt.”

Her technique not only breaks the traditional watercolor practice, but it also requires much more time from the first brush stroke to completion.

“The average amount of time spent on a 22-inch by 30-inch watercolor sheet, which is full size, is roughly 40 hours. Wintertime, with no outdoor gardening activities and shorter daylight hours, allows me to spend a greater amount of time pursuing my artwork,” Paulsen said.

Living outside of Plains, she again receives inspiration from the landscape, wildlife and farm animals to draw on for her work.

“My intentions were to raise the roof on our home this summer to create an art studio and display area, but the increasing cost of building supplies has put that project on hold.”

But a glimpse of her detailed watercolor can be enjoyed at www.ilenepaulsen.com.