Jackie Lyles - What a Hoot

Watercolor and gouache painting by Jackie Lyles.

Artist statement: I have enjoyed drawing and painting people and find people watching attracting me to new ideas. This young man is from Riga, Latvia. He was sitting on a bench with some friends and staring at me--"don't you dare take my picture!" I did take the photo and have painted him a couple of times. That look I never captured. A couple of paintings went in the trash and this one in the drawer.

Animals and people, it came to me after a class looking at artist's putting the two together. A white owl twisted head staring at me combined with this young man giving me the same look. It stuck when I saw the painting of the young man in the drawer--inspiration finds it's way into our souls--What a Hoot! is my resolve.