Welcome to my gallery. My name is David Dockery, and I paint the quiet, weathered corners of the American Midwest. My roots are planted firmly in Northern Illinois and Michigan, where the landscape changes dramatically with the seasons—from the crisp, golden light of autumn to the stark, silent beauty of winter snows. My journey with traditional watercolor runs deep. After serving as a veteran in Desert Storm, returning to civilian life required finding a sense of peace and focus. Watercolor became that anchor. The medium is unforgiving yet beautiful; it forces you to be patient, to work with the water, and to embrace the unexpected. Through the brush, I found a powerful tool for healing. Today, my passion is preservation. The family farms, rustic barns, and open country roads that shaped the American landscape are slowly disappearing. Through my paintings and my book, Looking Back, I aim to capture these vanishing landmarks before they are gone forever. Thank you for stopping by my corner of Tumblr. Whether a piece brings back a childhood memory or offers a moment of calm in a busy world, I am grateful to share this journey with you. Connect & Support: 🖼️ Prints & Gallery: [Browse my ArtPal Shop] 📖 My Book: [Find 'Looking Back' Here] 📬 Inquiries: [Send a Message / Ask]
I am going to be working on my second book this summer. Most of my work centers around the Midwest, where I am from. I have watercolor landscapes of rural areas and cityscapes. My book will focus on how to paint the weathered textures on a barn's wood or how to get the pattern on a brick wall in the city painted realistically. I will show you techniques for wet-in-wet painting, spattering, and many more. I am playing around with a few titles, but as of right now, I'm calling it Painting My Way Through the Heartland. What do you think? Any suggestions? Any requests?
Hi Guys, Happy Fathers day to all you wonderful dads out there. When I was in the Navy stationed in Florida I met a young lady and she had three kids. I moved in with them soon after and fell in love with the kids ans their mom. The youngest, Ashley, was just a few months old. Im the only Dad shes ever known and were still very close thirty years lady. The two boys were five and seven. The oldest, Bobby, was the man of rhe noise before I showed up and he made it very clear to me that he would protect her if I wasnt good to her. I agreed.
You see the boys father was very abusive and they got away from him before it got worse. I am still close to Bobby but sadly the other boy doesnt want to talk to me over a stressful day many years ago when I snapped at him. It didnt matter how many times I apologized he just wrote me off. It hurts, but I am doing my best. Dads aren't always perfect.
My Dad passed away at seventy-five in 2011. He had a heart attack on the golf course.
I was really devastated because he was still so active. I thought I'd have more time with him.
After a few years I took his memoirs and mine about growing up in a small town in Northwest Illinois. Its a great look back at how things were in the 20th Century. Its a good read for anyone that either wants to remember it or to see what it was like for people in the 1940s to 1980s.
I miss my dad, Ron Dockery, every day. He was a great guy. I dont know if anyone who didn't like him. He remembered peoples names and their family's names too. He was always friendly and ready to buy a round of beers and watch a Cubs or Bears game. He loved his Chicago sports. He also supported local basketball.
Happy Heavenly Fathers Day, Dad. Love you!
The best part is its totally FREE on amazon kindle. Its called Looking Back: Growing Up in Middle-America in the 20th Century. Heres a link:
I have decided that I will be moving. I live in Michigan because a guy who I thought was a good friend and my caregiver were supposed to live together in my home. About two months later he got mad at me for something childish and pushed me to the ground. (Im disabled and can barely walk) so I kicked him out with good reason. But ive been living in a small town with some great neighbors and a wonderful church but no family.
For three years ive soent the holidays watching everyone else having fun looking forward to meals and gifts and tine wirh little ones and i was alone. Alone for every birthday and father's day too. So I decided im going to move to Eau Claire, Wisconsin near my son, his fiancee and their 2 kids. My youngest there is 7 so im still in time to be a part of his childhood.
The bonus here is that Eau Claire is a college town with a vibrant art scene. Its funny how God's plan works. O am hoping to meet aome other artists, join a studio, and maybe have an exhibition. If my health holds out maybe I can go to a few art shows. The bottom line is no more lonely holidays! Its not good when you have severe depression!
If any if you younger people who are following me are interested in the history of the country check out my book. I wrote it for my Pops, Ron Dockery. He loved our home town of Barrington, IL. When he died he had some memories on his computer and I got them. Unfortunately it wasnt much so I decided to add my memories growing up there. People from all ages would enjoy the book. Its about growing up in the Midwest but its not just about that.
The book spans from the 1940s to 1980s. There are song lyrics of popular songs in each decade. There are also some pages about prices of common things, like a car, at the time. You wont believe what a car cost in the 1950s.
The rest of the book is real experiences in our town. There are also descriptions of Chicagolans. For example, the gangster, Baby- Face Nelson was gunned down where the McDonalds is in town. Its a wild story but shows how things were during times when it was hard to find work.
By the time I was growing up things were beginning to change with the additon of video games but we still didnt have cell phones and computers were huge. We had 1 home computer from a company called Franklin. It didn't do much. I had to program it to make a calendar.
We still ate at rhe dinner table as a family and discussed our day.
Kids rode their bikes until the street lights came on. Sometimes we would play games like kick the can in my front yard. We lived sports and when it was time for chores there was no room for slackers.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY everyone here in America. As a veteran it means a lot to me to think of those that were left behind in my war and all wars worldwide. Its such a nasty business. I just wanted to get a college education and the Navy offered the GI Bill.
So here's some creative business for ya: This is my studio and latest lighthouse painting that I am painting. I am also trying to do my 1st video on my process. Bare with me because theres a lot to learn but Ill get there. Have a great and creative day!
I am going to talk a little today about watercolors. I know that some artists shy away from it. Their excuse is usually something along the lines of no way to cover up mistakes or it's too hard to control. But that's where they'd be wrong. There are ways to cover up mistakes, but I usually don't. I just leave it and work around it. But as far as the flow of the water, that's one of the most important aspects of watercolor painting. You need to learn the amount of water for each part of the paint you use. It takes a lot of practice. The first layer is always the wettest. I usually wet the entire paper, wait until it has a sheen, and then I dive in.
Another good tip is to work light to dark. For other mediums, its usially the opposite, but because of the transparency of watercolor its light to dark. And you should always use the paper as your pure white color.
And since I mentioned color its important to use a limited pallette. There are hundreds of different shades of watercolor paints. But thats to make the company money. Remember that you can create any color with the primary colors red, green, and blue. But about 5 or 6 is usually what I use.
You also want to make sure you use professional-quality paper. I use Arches 9 x 12 300 lb cold-press paper.
The same goes for paint. I mostly use Daniel Smith paints. There are other good ones, but just ensure they're professional grade.
The same could be said about some brushes as well. Not all of the brushes you use will be top-notch, but it helps to have some on hand.
I hope these tips help guide you on your journey to becoming a confident and accomplished watercolor artist. Watercolor is a beautiful medium filled with surprises, emotion, and endless opportunities to grow. Keep experimenting, keep painting, and most importantly—enjoy the creative process.
If you ever have questions or need encouragement along the way, please feel free to contact me anytime. Wishing you inspiration, creativity, and many joyful hours at the easel. Have a wonderful creating day!
VISIT MY STORE AND SEE WHAT MY ART LOOKS LIKE IN FRAMES AND ON THE WALL TODAY!
I know I said Id talk about art but if you want to get to know more about me and what inspires me you have to meet my fur-baby. My pal Cheech. I got him juat over a year ago. The lady could only have 1 cat in her rental ao cheech and Chong were separated. Hes been so fun to have. Hes a goofy cat that makes me laugh daily. I think he enjoys my home because he can go out on the screened in porch all day year round thanks to the pet door! Let me know if you have any pets.
I am cataloging all my paintings so I can start selling originals on daviddockery.com
Here are a couple of the ones I photographed today; Anchored Dreama (left) and Against the Tide (right)
Please let me know what you think. Be honest. If youre looking for a work if art please stop by my website. If you cant find what you need there let me know. I have been known to work on comission.
Its finally a decent day here in Rhodes, MI. I dont get out of the house as much as I'd like to. I have lost over 60 pounds with Ozempik. I really notice the difference when walking. Hope everyone is having a good day! Let me know what part of the world youre from. Im actually feom the Chicago area originally but I really love my home in Mi
