For Barrington area artist Renée DeLapp, inspiration is all around. “Looking at a blank piece of paper has always offered the challenge of creating a painting,” DeLapp said. Her first interest in painting was inspired in her teen years, while watching her older brother, Fred Johnson, practice watercolor painting as he studied to become an architect. The fascination with painting became a lifelong pursuit for this versatile watercolor artist who captures the beauty in people, abstracts, landscapes, florals, and local architecture. DeLapp has donated paintings to the Barrington Area Historical Society that have been used for their Christmas cards.

Trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Wright campus of the City Colleges of Chicago, DeLapp shares that watercolor painting is a challenging medium to work with. “The medium is transparent, and you cannot go from dark to light,” she said. “It also allows you to become more creative and see things you normally wouldn’t see.” She managed to train while also being mom to three sons and a daughter, and working as a secretary to her husband, architect Mike DeLapp.

Like many artists, DeLapp carries a sketchbook to capture inspirations, and she takes photos of scenes she plans to paint. At the Deer Path Art League in Lake Forest, where she served as president for four years, DeLapp was responsible for directing three annual art fairs with each have more than 150 participants. Her advice to budding watercolor artists is to not get discouraged. “You need to develop your style and be patient. Keep trying different methods,” she says. Today, it takes DeLapp’s keen eyes and hands only a day or two to complete a painting, while others may take her a week or two. For the people who buy her works, their enjoyment will last a very long time.