Bob Pitzel

I’ve been on most of the back roads surrounding the prairie community of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, where I live. I have observed, the old farmsteads, storefronts, elevators, railway stations and farm machinery succumb to the ageing and idleness of a lost era. They are all familiar haunts, a little eroded and dilapidated, but a few of which still await one last visit.

I only use watercolour to paint these images, as it is a pure media best suited to depict their rich textures with a life-like resemblance - not brash or showy, thick in pigment or glossy. Watercolour creates the natural feel I strive for of weathered wood, rusted metal and peeling paint in rural settings. There is true beauty in these images - these snapshots of time – and many paintings of them have found special homes in Canada, across North America and Europe.

Thank you for visiting my website: I do encourage you to browse through some recent paintings I have completed and contact me when you find one of interest.

Writer Elizabeth Shih's eBook, 'Getting Past It: Five Creatives Face Adversity', features Bob, as well as four other local "creatives" who have faced professional and personal challenges. To find out more, please visit www.elizabethshih.com.