Pia Reilly

I am a painter, and my watercolors are mostly what people connect with my name.
But I am also a passionate abstract/semi abstract oil painter.
Color is my game.

When I arrived to SE Alaska straight from Sweden, after attending “Fria Malarskolan” Art School in Halmstad, Sweden, I landed in Petersburg in the mid eighties. A very good match for me, as this town has a very strong Norwegian/scandinavian heritage, and I felt at home right away.
Here I was taken by the amazing beauty and raw wilderness. A perfect watercolor palette with its blue/green/grays, mysterious fog and cloud formations.

I live on a cliff above the ocean with a constantly changing view, from everything hidden behind thick fog to the splendor of blue sunny skies and shiny snow covered mountains.
I soon realized that despite this beauty we lacked color, and my watercolors got brighter and more colorful with the years.