Wyn Ericson of Louisville was recently named first-place winner in the International Watercolour Masters 2024 Contest.
Last fall he submitted a portrait of his wife Chelsea, but couldn’t imagine the results that transpired.
“It’s like the Olympics,” he said. “They’ve been holding these shows every two years for the past six years and it’s continuing to grow. I submitted a piece and didn’t think much about it.”
A few months later he received an email stating he was in the top 200 submissions across the globe.
“That was cool by itself, but a month after that I got another email that said 22 masters judged the submissions,” he said. “They didn’t know whose work was whose, and they used this specific formula for judging. There were 10 first-place winners out of 4,567 entries and I received first place.”
In addition, Ericson was asked to be a part of a live show, demonstrating his work alongside other master artists.
Before he knew it, Ericson and his wife were standing in Lilleshall Hall, an estate in Shropshire, England, conversing among some of the most renowned artists in the world. The international exhibit was on display and an awards ceremony was the icing on the cake.
“It was an amazing experience and was really surreal,” he said. “It was mind blowing. They have a wine and cheese party in what’s virtually a castle, and we’re standing around these beautiful gardens. I didn’t know all of the masters but now we’re friends and we’re following each other on social media.”
They share demonstrations, future art show information and general encouragement in the art world.
“When you do something for hours and hours a day and you’re putting yourself out there, you don’t know what will happen,” Ericson said.
The experience was a huge confidence boost and validation of Ericson’s skill – something all professionals appreciate as they continue to improve their craft.
“You go your whole life trying to make that shift from, ‘Am I good at this?’ to ‘Wait a second, I just won this huge recognition,’ and I’m speechless,” he said. “It gives me chills.”
His life has been surrounded by art, but he wasn’t always so confident.
Ericson’s father was a middle school art teacher and he recalls going to the mountains, painting landscapes with his dad on the weekend and attending museum exhibitions. Like his father, Ericson became an art teacher, but after 15 years in the classroom he decided to take a leap of faith to become a full-time artist.
He’s worked with acrylics, oils and other mediums, and eventually landed on a love for watercolor painting.
“There’s an ease to watercolor,” he said. “You can manipulate it and you can take it wherever you go. It’s low maintenance and there’s no fumes.”
For the past five years Ericson has entered various shows, placing among the top of the entries.
He’s a member of the National and American watercolor societies, and continued to push for growth and development in his craft.
While he finds landscape pieces enjoyable, he’s not one to shy away from a challenge, and in an effort to accomplish something new, he set his sights on portrait painting.
“It’s challenging but I’m one of those guys who has to figure it out,” he said. “I started doing portraits of my children and my wife. I’m self-taught in that area. I haven’t taken any portrait workshops. I want to continue to challenge myself and improve.”
Portraits can provide options for artists. For example, some prefer to paint portraits with a broad brush, blurring the lines of facial features and details, while others enjoy the challenge of making the piece look as realistic as possible. Ericson falls into the latter category.
“I’d call it realistic representationalism,” he said. “I love going into the textures and fibers to create something hyper-realistic. It’s fun to be unpredictable sometimes, but I enjoy the lifelike qualities, the likeness and the connection that come with detailed portraits.”
He paints from photographs, and it often takes 45 to 60 hours per portrait, particularly when he’s going for an extremely detailed piece.
“It’s a fun challenge and I was originally inspired by wanting to have my kids’ portraits done,” Ericson said. “I’m watching them grow up so fast. Between a lot of faith on my wife’s part and the kids’ support, I’ve been so blessed to be able to do this.”
His three children are beginning to learn watercolor too. They recently took Ericson’s online course for new artists – something he created out of his passion for supporting beginner artists.
He interviewed 75 beginner watercolor artists to create a course that encourages and inspires.
“The results across the board were similar,” he said. “They’re scared of rejection – of things not turning out just right. Someone might see their horrible mess-ups. It was really enlightening. There’s no overnight success. I love it but it can take a toll on you. I try to get better every day and it’s important to be able to say, ‘I messed up today but I’ll do better tomorrow.’”
Ericson believes anyone who truly wants to become an artist can do so, if they have good teachers and aren’t too hard on themselves.
They say it takes 10,000 hours of anything to become an expert.
“You have to really want it,” he said. “I think if you are willing to experiment and try different things, you get a little hooked. Then you have the curiosity factor and you’re able to push through that one you think looks horrible. I want my course to help people and I’m getting feedback like, ‘I’m not afraid to show my work now,’ and that’s the goal.”
Defying the naysayers, working full time as an artist, and continuing on his quest to improve and submit his work for the world to see, Ericson is still setting new challenges for himself. The commission work is coming in and he’s doing everything he can to put himself and his work out there, while continually learning and honing his skill.
“I won first place in 2022 and 2023 at the Urban Paint Out in Louisville,” he said. “I plan to enter the Portrait Society of America show. It’s one of the biggest national competitions. I just want to continue to further myself and build my following.”
He offers original work and prints online, as well as a membership program to have prints (high-quality reproductions) delivered to your door each month. He’s accepting commission work for portraits, and is continuing to improve the online course for beginner watercolor artists.
It’s been a long road of ups and downs for the professional artist, but there’s something to be said for chasing dreams and working toward lifelong goals.
“I don’t feel like I’m working,” he said. “The days go by so fast. There were so many that told me to stick with teaching, but I really felt like I could do this. I did do it, and on an international scale, and it’s amazing.”
