Surrounded by flying pies and pigs, attendees delighted in the first of three Waterworks summer “Beyond the Surface” artist talks, which are scheduled for the fourth Thursdays of  June, July and August.

Charlotte artist Ráed Al-Rawi’s humorous and easy-going manner provided glimpses into his imaginative paintings, which are much deeper in meaning than what first draws the eye. 

Al-Rawi demonstrated how he turns a blank slate into chuckle-inducing scenes where people, places and things defy gravity.

“It all starts when I squirt four primary colors on the palette. Before the paint dries, I must begin creating, making initial lines to delineate foreground, subject placement and sky,” he said.

His advice: “Don’t get caught up in the detail.” Allow room to add, remove and relocate. Then, using a dry brush technique to achieve softer edges, Al-Rawi applied color to the canvas and began developing his flying sheep, weasel or bear. He promised to send pictures of the final painting, and you can be sure Waterworks will share it. 

Join in the fun of seeing “Beyond The Surface” of two more exhibiting artists in this summer’s exhibition, IMAGINE. Natacha Sochat will reveal the evolution of the Eye Guy series on July 22, and Dennis the Menace cartoonist Marcus Hamilton will autograph the art center’s big Dennis on Aug. 26. Both events start at 12:30 p.m. and are free to attend. RSVP to admin@waterworks.org.