Watercolor Paintings

     Hello, and welcome to my web page! My name is Jeff Shoaf. I am a retired art teacher from several schools in the Hagerstown area (after 39 years). In addition, I have always been a practicing artist in Western Maryland. My recent retirement has allowed me to focus on my art to a greater extent.

 

      For the most part, I describe my style of painting as "simplified realism."  Watercolor lends itself to this because areas can be created quickly with minimal brushstrokes if desired.

 

      For most of my career, I've been a fairly traditional landscape painter. Lately I've been experimenting with more "urban-like" landscapes as well as a few acrylic geometric abstractions. 

 

      Most of my landscapes usually include some kind of architectural feature--and I work exclusively from my own reference photos. I enjoy the hard forms of these structures as they contrast with the softness and beauty of the surrounding environment.

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     Some artists do portraits of people. I enjoy doing portraits of buildings. Buildings speak to us and have a personality just as people do. All we have to do is listen with our eyes.

 

      I hope you enjoy my Gallery of work. Please check my resume page and contact me if you have any questions, or wish to leave a comment. Thanks for taking the time to read this synopsis.