Clarkson Men

I am so happy to share this labor of love I worked on for a few months during the holidays. My husband's Aunt Mary Ellen mailed him this photo of his grandfather and some friends at Clarkson University in 1937. The minute I saw the photo, I knew it had to become a painting.

I had no idea how to even begin such a challenge. As you can see, the picture is old and sepia toned and rather dark and a bit difficult to pick out details. I loved their poses and full glasses of beer, but could do without some of the background. I certainly was not ready to decipher the beer taps or whatever is behind the bar there. I couldn’t quite tell what certain fabrics they had on and of course didn’t know the colors, but I love to make that part up myself!

I started by doing the only thing I know how, jumping right in! I wanted to keep the painting loose and capture the element of time.

It was a true challenge, but I love how it turned out. Each man is so distinct and I love that they are all having a beer together. It makes you wonder who they were and what their lives were like back then. They look like interesting people I would have liked to know.

Clarkson Men, original watercolor by Andrea Merican

I am honored that this painting was juried into the AZ Watercolor Association Spring Show and I recently discovered it won an award as well!

If you have any old photos that you’d like to see captured in watercolor like this one, send me an email. I’d love to see your families and see if we can work together to create something special.