Andy Evansen AWS, NWS, USA

Andy Evansen’s career in art started as a medical illustrator in Minneapolis, creating artwork for medical device companies, textbooks and surgeons.  That industry became dependent on digital art in the early 1990s, and he longed for a return to fine art and began watercolor painting.  

Choosing a ‘style’ was not difficult, as Andy was always inspired by the representational yet impressionistic watercolor paintings of British artists Trevor Chamberlain, David Curtis, and Ed Seago among others.  He found himself attempting to capture the landscape with the same economy of brushstroke, taking advantage of the luminosity of watercolors done in just a few washes.  In addition, he was impressed with the way those artists seemed to capture everyday scenes in such a way that revealed a hidden beauty, subjects that many would simply pass by.  This appealed to Andy as he grew up in the rural Midwest of the United States, far from the large, bustling cities of the east coast or the dramatic mountains and the Pacific on the west coast.  His familiarity and love of simple farm scenes and small towns is evident in his work today.  

After winning an international watercolor competition through American Artist magazine, appearing on their cover in 2005, he became a sought-after workshop instructor who now paints and teaches internationally.  He became a signature member of the prestigious Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA) in 2012 and was elected their President in 2015.  

His paintings have won numerous awards, including the Bronze Medal of Honor at the 2012 American Watercolor Society Exhibition, and in 2015 he received the High Winds Medal and his signature status from the American Watercolor Society.  He is also a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the Transparent Watercolor Society, and was recently invited to join the Pure Watercolour Society in England as their international member.  

His work has also been selected for inclusion in the California Art Club’s Gold Medal Exhibitions, winning the Fine Art Connoisseur Award of Excellence in 2021.

His love of painting on location led to him being a featured presenter at the 2014 and 2016 Plein Air Conventions and inclusion in the 2017 Qingdao International Masters Watercolor Plein Air Event.

Andy has now juried several important exhibitions, including serving as juror of selection for both the American Watercolor Society and the TWSA Exhibitions in 2022; the California Watercolor Association in 2021, the New Jersey Watercolor Society in 2020 and the New England Watercolor Society, Philadelphia Watercolor Society and Red River Watercolor Society National Exhibitions in 2017.