Van H. Treat is a native of one of the
most art-conscious areas of the country. Born in San Francisco
in 1941, he graduated from high school in Carmel, California in
1959. He attend California College of Arts and Crafts, and
Oklahoma State University. After a three year tour with
the United States Army, he enrolled in the prestigious Brooks
Institute of Photography, in Santa Barbara, California, graduating
with a major in Illustration. Van spent the next 17 years
as a professional, in the area of research and industrial photography.
During this time he confined his love of painting, to late nights,
and exhibiting at week-end festivals. In 1986, the avocation
became a full-time vocation. Over the years, Van has won
many First Place and Best of show awards at exhibitions all across
the country.
Van has spent years perfecting his impeccable
dry brush watercolor technique. Preferring not to be labeled
a regional painter, he gathers his subject matter from location
across the country. He uses his extensive knowledge of photography
and composition to aid him in capturing the basic scene on film
for further study in the studio. His highly detailed paintings,
reflect his mastery of composition and draftsmanship, requiring
long hours of intense designing, drawing, and painting to achieve
his distinctive and recognizable style. His art is a dramatic
interplay of stark settings, and serene moods, intensified by
his expressive handling of light and shadow, on rural and maritime
themes.
Van's paintings have been compared to such
greats as; Andrew Wyeth, and Eric Sloan, both in style and content.
A long-time friend of Van's, from his Carmel days, Donald Teague,
personalized his book to Van by saying 'Van picked the most fascinating
medium of all, and knows how to handle it...' a high compliment
from the Dean of American Watercolorists.
Van and his wife Fannie, live in the shadows
of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, and Van's limited
edition prints and Original Watercolors can be found in finer
galleries across the country. You can also visit with Van
in his working studio at Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
"Van H. Treat is an artist who invites
you to walk through the woods, meander up long deserted pathways,
pull up a rock, and sit beside a running stream...There is no
Illusion here. His places are real...VERY real."
