Collection: Paint by numbers by Donald Maier

When did he discover his talent? And was it because of a person, an event, or a specific situation?

Don had a natural talent for drawing as a kid. His two aunts were artists, and his father, realizing this, gifted Don a John Neggy oil paint set for Christmas when he was 13.

Can you tell us about his favorite setup to paint? 

He loved to paint in his studio, with his morning or afternoon coffee and some classical music or his favorite TV show on.
His other favorite setup is outside with some coffee, water, and endless sceneries.

Did he have a fellow partner (a dog, a cat,…) when painting or did he prefer being alone?

When he was going on painting trips or "vacations," as he called them, he loved to bring the family with him. In the studio, our four cats kept him company in the studio. 

Can you explain how different his painting technique was from the acrylic paint used with paint by numbers?

In acrylic paint by numbers, you have delimited numbered areas, and no mixing is needed. Acrylic paint dries fast.

While his favorite medium was watercolor. He used no pencil lines, no opaque white, and no black. Instead, he used Veridian green mixed with Alizarin Crimson or Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna. He used to mass in a large area of color (isolating the white space, often making this piece the focal point) and worked from the lightest tones to the darkest ones. You need to allow time for it to dry when necessary to achieve a hard or dry brush edge.

What do you think would be his piece of advice to share with a beginner regarding… a technique, an angle, or a piece of equipment?

His advice would probably be ~ to paint something you enjoy, and just keep on painting (practice makes perfect) and never give up.
A friend was ready to throw in the towel, but Don told him not to give up and just keep at it. Now he's a professional artist, getting awards for his work!

What is your funniest memory about Donald's painting?

Don was very focused when he painted, but he had many funny memories at home and on our painting trips. This is one I'll always remember ~ every year, we went on painting trips to our favorite haunts, met and painted with other artists, and visited friends along the way. I once asked him to stop at a rest area because I wanted to stretch my legs. He looked at me lovingly and reminded me kindly: "I am so sorry, sweetheart, but no matter how many times you stretch your legs, you won't get any taller." Don was 5' 8" to my small 4' 7" petite Asian frame.