A painting is a fiddle tune and the brush is a bow.

Howard Rains is a native Texas artist and fiddler living in Austin whose twin obsessions are drawing and playing traditional American fiddle music. Generally his work is from one of two worlds: drawing from life or drawing from the mind. Sometimes these two worlds merge in strange ways as the colors shift and the lines dance. Most of Howard’s works are watercolor on paper although he does work in acrylic, oil, collage, and print media.

It is impossible to mention Howard’s artwork without also mentioning his music as they exist side by side. Often he is doing both simultaneously. Howard plays rare, old traditional fiddle tunes learned from friends, family and old recordings. In his art as well as his music, it is always important to remember the element of tradition–of things being passed down from generation to generation.

His brush has been handed down to him just like his bow. His only wish is to share his music as well as his art, and pass on the brush and the bow.