Sterling
Edwards is a contemporary watermedia master and photographer born in
Kansas City, Missouri in 1951. At age twelve, he was enrolled in oil
painting classes after his parents noticed that he had a natural
ability to draw. He quickly learned the basic skills to execute an oil
painting with a strong composition and expressive brushwork. From that
time until the present he has been intrigued with art of all mediums
and has taken advantage of every opportunity to expand his knowledge
and skills. In 1985 Sterling began studying and experimenting with
water based mediums; primarily transparent watercolors and acrylics.
Influenced by watercolor master and friend Zoltan Szabo, he spent
several years developing his own unique style of painting watercolors.
Most of Sterling’s paintings are interpretive statements that reflect
his love of the outdoors. Using primarily large brushes, his main
objective is to create an expressive and unique interpretive painting
that is a choreographed balance of interlocking shapes, strong light
and dark values, and unusual colors. The result is an expressive
painting that is often a balance of abstract and representational
design that captures the mood and dynamics of the subject as
interpreted by Sterling.In 1993 Sterling began teaching his style of painting at workshops throughout North Carolina where he now resides. As his reputation as an accomplished watermedia artist and teacher rapidly grew, he was requested to conduct workshops in neighboring states. Today, Sterling’s workshops are attended by hundreds of people annually throughout the United States and Canada. He was a featured artist in the fall 2001 issue of Watercolor Magic Magazine in an article titled, “Ones to watch” and has been featured in numerous newspaper articles. In 2007 he was awarded signature member status in the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, an international organization based in Toronto, Canada that recognizes those who have mastered transparent watercolor. Also in 2007 Sterling designed and introduced a signature set of watercolor brushes and a watercolor palette that are marketed internationally. He is a co-founder of the Rusty Nail Painters, an international invitation group of professional artists that meet every two years for an intense week of painting, exchange of ideas, and philosophical discussions about art theory and techniques. In 2010 he was awarded signature membership status in the esteemed Transparent Watercolor Society of America. That same year he was selected as a featured artist in the book, “Best of America Watermedia Artists” published by Kennedy Publishing Company. He is the author of the North Light book” Creating Luminous Watercolor Landscapes, a Four Step Process”, published by F+W Publishing Company and is a contributing artist in numerous other magazines and books. Today Sterling’s book, signature line of products, and instructional DVD’s are marketed world wide. His award winning watermedia paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the world and he is represented by several galleries in the U.S and Canada. He works from both his home and commercial studios in Hendersonville, North Carolina located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.