Legacy is a central theme in the paintings of S.E. Watters. The question: what will remain of our efforts in the end? is one he asks continuously. In his work, he aims to capture a feeling of disillusion with the fact that a lifetime of struggle to survive, provide, and love will end the same way as any other.

The paring down of the subjects in his compositions emphasizes this intent. The black that envelops and partially obscures the figures is a symbol of the progression of time and the encroaching of eventual anonymity, making each artwork a tool and a warning for the viewer to remember that one is allowed only a limited time on this earth.

Watters’ work has been part of multiple exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, and Munich.