34 Watercolor artist | FEBRUARY 2019
Louisiana
Watercolor
Society
Dongfeng Li
Morehead, Ky.
Lunchtime (watercolor
on paper, 34x26)“My inspiration for
Lunchtime was the
coal miner—the hard-
est worker in the
United States—and
the gray dust gleam-
ing in the sun. Gray
is one of my favorite
palette colors, and
I like mixing it with
blue and green.
“I received a
Morehead State
University research
grant back in 2012
and painted the
people in the area
of Eastern Kentucky,
which included coal
miners. I like paint-
ing people in the
same professions
but spanning differ-
ent countries, as I’ve
done with miners.
“It’s a great honor
to win this award,
both for my water-
color research and
creative explorations.
I want to continue
creating more of my
favorite subjects,
and hopefully they’ll
be accepted by
audiences and
jurors alike.”JUROR TIP: “Send
work that represents
your heartfelt best.
Then, once a paint-
ing makes an
appearance, retire it.
Resist the tempta-
tion to re-enter
work. Instead, go
back into the studio
to make another
great painting.”
— JOHN SALMINEN“Li’s painting is a beautiful example of the perfect blend of both form and con-
tent. The quality of the mark on the page gives the piece a wonderful surface,
while the gesture and expression of the igure present an unlinching look at the
nature of hard work. While the execution is painterly, the story is documentary.”
— JOHN SALMINEN, JUROR