COEUR d’ALENE — For Ezekiel Fee, painting in watercolors is like discovering a new language.

“It’s just something about the water and the way the paint moves through it,” the Coeur d’Alene artist said. “Watercolors really give you the freedom to move the paint a lot more than you could with oils or acrylics. They’re not as forgiving as watercolors.”

The 18-year-old is making a name for himself but believes the best is yet to come.

“I still feel like I’m growing into it,” Fee said. “There’s new opportunity with each painting.”

Fee has spent the last few years discovering opportunity with his paintings. He entered Bloomsday’s perennial design contest, where the winner would have his artwork displayed on special shirts given only to those who’ve participated in every Spokane Bloomsday. Fee submitted five paintings for consideration that day. The Bloomsday committee chose his work in 2017.

They were so impressed with his talents that even though he didn’t enter the competition the following year, the committee chose a different selection from his previous entries to represent Bloomsday perennials again.

Fee said painting has been his passion for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve always liked painting,” he admitted. “Back when I was 10, my family put me into a speech class, and I gave a speech on the notion of the starving artist. I said then that I wanted to change that idea.”

Fee is off to a promising start. Aside from his work for Bloomsday, he also entered an Art on the Green youth program, where his work was awarded first prize in the painting category. This year, his piece entitled “Sunshine” is the event’s poster contest winner, representing the program to visitors. Furthermore, Blackwell Gallery agreed to show his artwork in its Sherman Avenue site, he said.

“I’m really influenced by Alvaro Castagnet,” he said. “I’m really intrigued by how he uses his boldness of color. He uses these extreme contrasts of darkness and light. It’s super-captivating. It still amazes me.”

Fee learned about Castagnet, other artists and his own painting style through watching and studying YouTube. Most of what he knows of watercolors he’s learned on his own.

“He’s not your typical artist,” his father, Patrick, said. “That’s quite an understatement. He’s only had a few classes at the Kroc Center. Otherwise, it’s all him. He’s such an amazing talent.”

Fee’s professional aspirations took off in 2015, when his father walked into a restaurant while waiting for his car to be serviced.

“He saw paintings on the wall for sale, and he got me in the door,” Fee said. “I’ve sold probably 50 paintings there.”

He also sold 12 paintings and prints at Art on the Green last year. He hopes to exceed that number this year.

“I’m hoping I can paint for a career,” he said. “My goal is to make enough so I can afford a studio downtown, and then maybe one day at a bigger city like Seattle or New York. That’s the goal.”

The 51st annual Art on the Green runs Aug. 2-4 on the North Idaho College campus.