by Diane: Watercolor Workshop at Fall Creek Festival

My tenth year demonstrating and teaching watercolor 

at Fall Creek Festival 

Returning this year is co-teacher, Cheryl French, who has taught and demonstrated with me for about five years. She is a print maker and painter plus she has extensive teaching experience especially with children. The class is made up of all levels and ages. The atmosphere is perfect for families painting together.

The watercolor workshop takes place in the education room of the hatchery with windows on the creek where Fall Chinook and silvers are spawning.

 

 

In preparation for teaching watercolor, I am painting and playing with watercolor. It is a medium with many playful possibilities.

Howler monkey mother
12' x 9"
First step

 

Second step - blocking in shapes with a large 3/4" filbert brush -
 a deliberate challenge. The brush's character was my partner.
Without an exact idea of how I would express the  forms,
being mindful of shapes natural for the brush. I allow myself to accept abstractions.

Many steps later
The addition of ultramarine over phthalo green over naphthol red over quinacridone gold
was uneven and not so rich as I hoped.
 

Cupuchin Monkey
The pure white cotton rag paper is good for high contrast.
 I am more comfortable with the starkness of white
when adding a gold tint over most of the whites.
 A concentrated permanent alizarin crimson
over concentrated pthalo green makes a richer dark than ivory black. 

 

The hatchery is surrounded by woods.
This painting is on a warm off white tinted cotton rag paper. 19" x16"
I like the undertone for developing rich darks.

.
A few more weeks remain for me to play.
Also to work with Crayola pan colors
like the ones provided for the class.
Mostly I decide on what I will teach
on the spot depending
on who is in the class.

Play isn't continuous joyful fun.
 Self criticism and doubt make their appearance.
But I am only spoiling paint and paper,
 not causing danger to national security.