- Rex Brandt - A Heavy Influence -

My first brush with this artist was through a book that I got as a teen in Glendale, CA.  I believe it was called "Ways With Watercolor" by Rex Brandt.   I was immediately taken with his strong sense of design and simplicity of strokes that he used to convey his ideas.   I saw a correlation between his work and that of Phil Dike's but I think that Rex's works inspired me to try watercolor at an early age.  On to the artist:

Rex Brandt - A Short Bio:

Rex Brandt was born in 1914 in San Diego, California.  His schooling was provided at Chouinard Art Institute, Riverside Junior College and UC Berkeley.   He belonged to quite a few organizations:  The National Academy of Design, Philadelphia Water Color Club, and The California Watercolor Society.  

While he was at UC Berkeley he studied with John Haley.  Returning to Southern California he was accepted into the core group of California watercolor artists, who were in the process of organizing at the time.  When they saw Rex's obvious talents they were happy to usher him into the group.  Within a few years he was winning prizes in shows all over the Western states.   

Art instruction had always been an important part of Brandt's career and in the early 40's he did extensive workshops in the San Diego area.  After the second World War he and Phil Dike created the Brandt-Dike Summer School of Painting in Corona Del Mar, just south of the art colony of Laguna Beach.  This school was extremely successful, especially during the 1950's.   At the same time he taught composition and watercolor classes at Chouinard Art Institute.  He also wrote eleven instructional books on painting in watercolor which he used in conjunction with his classes.  A lot of watercolor artists were inspired and emerged due to Brandt's influence.  

He also produced murals, educational films, and did a number of architectural illustrations.  HIs illustrations have appeared in Fortune, Life and Westways magazines.  He was a president of The California Watercolor Society in 1948.  

Some of His Works: