WATER BIRDS

One of Coheleach's most celebrated paintings, 'Brightwaters Creek' has won a number of awards and now hangs in Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum where, in 1983, he was honored as a 'Master Artist' at the prestigious 'Birds in Art' exhibition. Oil (on linen canvas) is Coheleach's favorite medium, its only drawback being a rather lengthy drying time. Oil is perfect for the effect he wanted in 'Brightwaters Creek' - water that shimmers and sparkles before the eye. The secret of the scintillating water, he says, is 'vibration'. "Up close, you can see the strokes from my brush and palette knife. It looks like a palette covered with paint. But when you move back, all of the colors fall into place. Rather than blending them in and starting to look gray, the blue against the light brown really vibrates...it just looks much more alive from distance."