Robert Yonke Art

Painting Watercolor on Canvas

Most people picture watercolor the traditional way: on paper, matted, behind glass. I still paint that way. But I’ve also been painting on canvas with watercolor for many years.

Why I Paint Watercolor on Canvas

Watercolor on canvas is exciting, liberating, rewarding, fun, and challenging all at the same time. When I taught it in workshops, I told students it would bring back the excitement of their very first painting, no matter how long they had been painting. That held true for me too.

The Cliffs, a watercolor on canvas by Robert Yonke: Irish sea cliffs under a coral sunset sky, white seabirds, green slopes and yellow gorse in the foreground — *The Cliffs*, watercolor on canvas, 15 x 30 inches. Ireland Collection.

The Process

Canvas does not take watercolor the way paper does, so the work starts before any paint goes down. I start by applying gesso to the canvas with a hard-edged tool. An old credit card works just fine. Sometimes I press leaves, grass, or small sticks into the gesso while it is wet, creating textures that become part of the painting. You do not get that on paper.

Then comes the painting. The paint sits on the surface instead of soaking in, moving, pooling, and drying in ways I can’t always predict. A spray bottle, a little alcohol, and a towel to catch the run-off are as much a part of my kit as brushes. Sometimes I incorporate charcoal or pastel, too, which technically makes the finished piece mixed media. For me, it’s simply about creating the painting I envision.

Once the painting is finished, sealing it is the final important step. This ensures that the watercolor is locked in and protected. Once it is sealed, the painting does not need glass. Like an oil or acrylic painting, it can hang without glass or a mat, eliminating glare and making it easier to display in a variety of spaces. Most of my canvases are gallery-wrapped, with the painting carried around the edges, so they go straight on the wall with no frame at all.

Collectors especially appreciate watercolor on canvas for lake houses and family rooms, where a traditional framed watercolor behind glass may not be as practical. My recent Ireland series, along with many of my other works, was painted using this technique.

You can see the work on my Artwork Archive profile. If you want to see a canvas in person or ask about a piece, get in touch.

Ireland in Watercolor

This May I went back to Ireland. We started in Westport for the first stretch and drove south through Connemara to get to Doolin. Our route took us through Leenane on Killary Harbour, Kylemore and Maam Cross, past the cottage from The Quiet Man, still standing off the road near Maam.

I painted a series of work from past trips to Ireland back in the early 2000s. That work included pubs, pipers, Dingle, Kerry, and Doolin. Most of those earlier pieces were watercolors on paper, painted small, the way travel work usually happens. This time I came home and decided to work bigger, creating four new paintings so far.

watercolor painting called Connemara Sunstorm

Connemara Sunstorm (30 x 15) is the west the way it actually looks from the road between Westport and Maam Cross.

Kylemore (30 x 15)
Everyone photographs the Abbey from across the lake. We walked the whole property, and this is from down at the water.

Achill Evening (20 x 12)
came out of a day trip to Achill Island, out at the far western edge of County Mayo. We saw Keem Bay and walked the deserted village on the slope of Slievemore.

Colors of Cork (12 x 12) is the small square of the group.

Some of this work got started on the trip. In Doolin the house we rented had been an inn, and the old bar was still in it with a window facing the cliffs. That is where I set up in the AranView Country House. Also, a big thank you to Peter Mooney Tours for providing us with excellent transport and touring for our trip.

All four paintings are in the studio now. You can see the whole Ireland collection, older work and new, at my Artwork Archive Ireland gallery. If you want to see one in person or talk about a piece, get in touch.

Thank You, SpinSheet

Thank you to SpinSheet for featuring the my work featuring sailing on Deep Creek Lake.

The article looks at the connection between my years sailing Flying Scots and the paintings that have come out of that experience.

The Flying Scot turns 70 in 2027. Designed and built in Deer Park, Maryland, just a few miles from Deep Creek Lake, it has been part of this area, and part of my work, for a long time.

You can read the full SpinSheet story here.

See more work here.

To get in touch about a piece:
https://appalachianstudio.com/contact/

A Big Year for the WGW Community Youth Cup

This year’s WGW Community Youth Cup, Garrett County’s biggest fundraising golf tournament, set out to raise $250,000 for the county’s kids and has raised $308,056 so far.

Golfers filled Thousand Acres Golf Club on the shore of Deep Creek Lake for the event. I’m happy to have been a part of the Cup for several years now. This year, my painting No. 11 was featured on the program cover and included in the silent auction at the Kick Off Dinner prior to the tournament.

Congratulations to the organizers on another successful year. If you’d like to be part of next year’s Cup, keep an eye on their website.

“Hiking Out” at the Sandy Douglass Memorial Regatta

Sailing has long been part of summer at Deep Creek Lake, and one of the highlights of the season is the annual Sandy Douglass Memorial Regatta.

Held in July, the regatta brings Flying Scot sailors together for a weekend of racing and celebrates a boat with deep roots in Garrett County. This year, I was honored when the regatta organizers ordered 38 prints of my painting “Hiking Out” to include with the trophy presentations.

My sincere thanks to the Deep Creek Yacht Racing Association and everyone involved with the Sandy Douglass Memorial Regatta for choosing my work. It was especially meaningful to have a painting inspired by sailing become part of an event with such a strong connection to Deep Creek’s sailing history.

A Deep Creek Sailing Tradition

The Sandy Douglass Memorial Regatta is named for Gordon “Sandy” Douglass, the designer of the Flying Scot.

The boat has a particularly strong connection to this area. The Flying Scot was developed here and is still built in nearby Deer Park, just a few miles from Deep Creek Lake.

For generations, Flying Scots have been a familiar sight on the lake. The regatta continues that tradition by bringing sailors together for competitive racing while also honoring the history of the boat and the community that has grown around it.

The event is organized through the Deep Creek Yacht Racing Association and hosted at the Deep Creek Lake Sailing Association on Turkey Neck. It is one of the major events on the local sailing calendar and draws competitors who share a strong appreciation for the Flying Scot and for racing at Deep Creek.

My own connection to the regatta is personal. I sailed these waters for years, and those experiences continue to influence my work.

Sailing at Deep Creek Lake

Earlier this year, I shared a short film, Chasing the Wind, about sailing at Deep Creek Lake and the people who continue to keep that tradition alive.

The video offers a closer look at the boats, the racing community and the experience of sailing in the heart of Deep Creek Lake.

Watch the sailing video and read the earlier story here.

Thank you again to the Deep Creek Yacht Racing Association, the regatta organizers and volunteers, and everyone who took part in this year’s Sandy Douglass Memorial Regatta. It was a privilege to have my work included in such a meaningful event.

To see more of my sailing paintings, view my online gallery here.

If you’re local or visiting the Deep Creek Lake area and would like to visit the studio, schedule a visit here.