Noel Van Tol: Watercolor Artist

Using bold bright colors I am primarily fascinated with the contrasts and transparencies of watercolor painting.

As a second generation florist my life has always revolved around flowers and plants.  After 30 years as co-owner of Hilltop Florist and Greenhouse in Mankato, formerly my parents business, semi-retirement has afforded me the time to renew my love of painting.  Spending most of my life in Mankato, Minnesota, a second home in Moss Point, Mississippi has provided the motivation and inspiration for endless subjects.  This 120 year old antebellum style house, surrounded by foliage and blooms of the deep south has become a gathering place for the Singing River Artists, a group to which I belong.  The Mississippi Gulf Coast has long been a haven for painters and potters and has a close knit art community.  Most of my paintings are done in my gardens, both in Mankato and Moss Point.  When weather is uncooperative the interiors evolve.