Dug Waggoner

A California native, born in Sacramento, I knew from an early age that drawing was a natural and comfortable home for me. Throughout my secondary schooling the opportunity to use my skills was never far away including being chosen as staff artist for the high school newspaper. Those artistic skills were sharpened and distilled in the intense atmosphere at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA. Graduating from there opened the door to a career in advertising design and illustration. Now, with many levels of drawing and painting skills in hand, I turn my eye to realizing my goal of producing fine art watercolor and pastel paintings.


I enjoy working in watercolor and pastel mediums but find the drawing aspects and color brilliance of pastel a better voice for my work. Being comfortable with the two methods has evolved in a way for me to use them in the same painting. That approach is now a two-stage process of rendering pastels over a watercolor base and the results are very effective.


Pastel has always appealed to my need to draw and paint in the same motion. Building up layers of eye-mixing colors is very exhilarating. To my eye the colored particles of pure pigment shimmer and resonate far more than other painting methods.


The speed that watercolor gives me has been a great teacher. Mistakes can be recovered if you let them. I love the transparent overlapping of tones and layers, the thrilling accidents between wet and dry, and the fragile dignity of the pigment never ceases to amaze me.


The work continues in the evolution of this learning process, and bringing these two powerful mediums together has defined my personal approach in capturing an inspiration.