Watercolors and beyond

Initially, Weatherford Art Association was a very small art group who met at Weatherford College without a plan or a home base. Enter Weatherford architect Mike McCarty, who knew all the town’s movers and shakers because of his position. Mike asked what might work for a home base for the little group, and the old fire house was mentioned. It had no air conditioning or heat, was badly neglected, and only used for storage. 

“It looked like my attic,” Mike said. After WAA agreed to install AC and heating, the city cleaned out the space and agreed to lease it to them. WAA built walls to separate the front space into a gallery and the back space into rented cubicles which, along with donations, helped pay for improvements and utilities. WAA moved in around 2000 - 2001 and elected Mike McCarty as president. WAA now had a home and was greatly encouraged.

Mike was born in Dallas on July 4, 1950, and says “I was sixteen before I realized the fireworks weren’t for me.” In his teen years, he enjoyed black and white photography, building and arranging his railroad set, and planning to someday be an engineer. After two years at UTA, his professors recommended another vocation. Two years later, he decided to go back to school and be an architect.

Those were pre-computer days (1970s) when everything was drawn by hand. Richard Ferrier, a UTA professor and artist, taught several of Mike’s drawing classes. He asked him to do his drawings, and he would watercolor them. Professor Ferrier’s paintings first sparked Mike’s interest in watercolor. Lots of drawing was required for an architectural degree, but the only art class he ever took was in pottery (which is still one of his interests) and making jewelry.

After his apprenticeship and passing his licensing exam, he graduated in 1979. Mike was a self-employed architect for forty years. In 1996, Mike and his wife, Christy, built their home in Weatherford and raised their children, Austin and Meredith, there.

“Working from home was challenging, but it was good, because it kept me involved with our children.” Austin’s high school art teacher was Weatherford Art Association’s own Kathy Cunning, current WAA president. Austin, a chief petty officer in the Navy Reserves, has two young children. Daughter Meredith, a teacher of autistic children, has two sports fanatic sons who love any sport involving a ball.

Mike, now retired, and Christy are approaching their 45th wedding anniversary. Both spent several years together as members of the Parker County Quilting Guild, where Mike designed, pieced, and hand-quilted his unique geometric designs. Now, Mike prefers watercolors, and Christy enjoys some art work, but mainly gardens. 

During 1996 - 1998, Mike’s main medium became watercolor. It appeals to him because its looseness and unpredictability makes it such a contrast to the precision required in architecture. He likes “anything with chaotic parts; the pleasure of working with something you can’t totally control and see how it turns out.” 

Mike is essentially self taught — he has attended no watercolor classes or workshops, but has seen a couple seminars and watched YouTube demos. Christy says, “He’s not smart enough to know he doesn’t know how to do some things.” Mike calls himself a lazy painter; he likes to leave a lot of white paper empty rather than paint it all. His favorite colors are warm browns, especially burnt sienna, and greens, because of the challenge of emulating the variations.

Various ribbons have been awarded for his art, but he doesn’t compete beyond WAA. He says it’s the enjoyment of painting that keeps him painting. At the June 22 WAA meeting, Mike won third place for his unique mesquite wood vase he made on his new lathe. Recently, he bought a pottery wheel and plans to put that to use. He has more 3D projects ahead for the monthly competitions. More importantly, Mike was awarded WAA’s highest award, Artist of the Year, in competition with all this year’s Artist of the Month winners.

Along with many other artists, Mike’s advice to those aspiring to paint is “learn to draw.” He recommends a book he found helpful: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. It tells you to draw what you actually see rather than what you think you see, which is good advice from a creative person who keeps creating.