Randy Eckard was raised in North Carolina, and studied at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota Florida and the Haywood School of Craft in Clyde, North Carolina. Inspired by his wandering and explorations of the Maine coast, Eckard's paintings have won over 180 awards in watercolor from art festivals and juried shows throughout New England and the Southeast.

"My approach to watercolor painting is nontraditional, in that I try to avoid the limitations and trappings of traditional watercolor techniques. Although traditional washes are an intregral part of the painting process, I rely more on the layering of color with glazing and drybrush work (color applied with a brush squeezed almost dry of moisture). Moving between wet and dry on the same piece of paper achieves a variety of complimentary thick and thin surfaces, which allows for the luminous quality of watercolor with added depth of color and texture.

Light plays an essential role in my paintings. It is as if the subtle or dramatic interplay of light and shadow become the subject more than the objects themselves. Light reveals the character, color, and texture of objects, whether man-made or natural. The alteration of lighted and shadowed planes produces powerful repeated patterns and can be an important element of design."