Mark Kohler

J. Mark Kohler back to artists page

Mark Kohler depicts the independent spirit of the modern working cowboy with all the passion he feels for his proud subjects. "I applaud the values and self-sufficiency of the working cowboy. And through the use of watercolor and it's translucent quality, I can show reflected light in unique ways. Each painting becomes an opportunity to portray my subjects as they deserve to be, with dignity.

Watercolor has been a challenging as well as fulfilling medium for me. Learning how to handle the paint and developing my own style were the biggest obstacles I had to overcome. I have a flexible palette and my working process is relatively simple. I work from photographs, and when I begin a painting, I use big, broad color washes, using mostly wet-into-wet techniques. I refine and tighten up the painting, and finish with a dry brush technique to complete the details. The watercolor paper I use is handmade and very distinctive ... it adds to the integrity of my paintings."

Mark has spent the last 13 years traveling the American West from Texas to California and from Arizona to Montana. "Everywhere I've traveled, I've had the good fortune to meet hard-working, decent men and women who are following a life-style that is, at the same time, both noble and disappearing. It's my privilege to chronicle their struggle to keep the tradition of the West alive."

"The Good Doctor"
Watercolor on paper

"Mundito"
Watercolor on paper

"Beaming with Pride"
Watercolor on paper

"Never Met a Stranger"
Watercolor on paper

"Ripsaw"
Watercolor on paper

"On RO Time"
Watercolor on paper

"Workin Old Style"
Watercolor on paper
"We've Been Down This Road"
Watercolor on paper