About Madison
William Madison Fontaine, pictured here with his daughter Tara (September, 2003) was born and raised in Richmond, VA, but now resides in the "Northern Neck" of Virginia.  The Northern Neck is the peninsula of land between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers.  He learned to paint from his Great Aunt, Tina Fontaine Richardson, and also from the books that she gave him by Elliott O'Hara.  Mrs. Richardson was a professional artist, and taught art in her youthful days, but mostly painted because of the love of painting.  According to Madison, the books, "Making the Brush Behave" and "Watercolors Fare Forth" are "two of my most favorite and treasured books.  They get right to the point, and really teach techniques, enhanced with lessons and photos."  Although Madison has had no "formal" training in watercolors, his love for painting and his experiences painting with the late Mrs. Richardson have given him the desire to paint, and an eye for capturing the essence of the scene.  "I can never get as loose and free as my Great Aunt.  She had a way of saying more with less, and had a very loose yet precise style that I still envy.  Maybe as I age, I'll be able to gradually learn how to capture more with less, but for now, I just enjoy being able to create paintings that at least my friends and family enjoy".  Many of his paintings have been given away to friends, family, and loved ones.

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