WatercolorArtist_April2019 [27]

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5 Exercises to Master the Art of Mixing Paint

The New

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Bright Ideas for Painting Figures in Motion

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Contents

APRIL 2019

Features

20

CREATING THE EXTRAORDINARY FROM THE ORDINARY Mary Whyte weaves together the traditional and the contemporary to create compelling narratives. BY ROBERT K. CARSTEN

28

28

TRUE COLORS An innate sense of curiosity and exploration has led Ali Cavanaugh to new levels of portraiture.

36

BY STEFANIE LAUFERSWEILER

36

44

MAKING THE GOAL

48

A quartet of artists share how their experiences, both at home and abroad, influence their art.

Ibe Ananaba’s colorfully expressive paintings capture the unbridled excitement of soccer’s biggest event.

Get inspired by nine watermedia winners. PLUS: Enter our 11th annual showcase (page 58).

BY ISABELLE V. LIM

BY ANNE HEVENER

WATERCOLORISTS OF SOUTHEASTERN ASIA

10TH ANNUAL WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE

BY ANNE HEVENER

ArtistsNetwork.com

1

APRIL 2019 Columns 4 EDITOR’S NOTE

How today’s artists view the figure and face.

6 HAPPENINGS

The Texas Watercolor Society honors two pioneers, and more. BY MCKENZIE GRAHAM

11

WATERCOLOR ESSENTIALS Try these five ways to mix colors for completely different results. BY RYAN FOX

60 BURNING QUESTION How do you convey the essence of a person?

COMPILED BY ANNE HEVENER

62 CREATIVITY WORKSHOP Add a new dimension to your painting practice with toned paper. BY BRENDA SWENSON

72 OPEN BOOK

Sometimes seemingly commonplace scenes are the most captivating. BY TIM OLIVER

Get Social

11

62 ON THE COVER

5 Exercises to Master the Art of Mixing Paint 62 The New Face of Portraiture 20, 28 Bright Ideas for Painting Figures in Motion 44 4 Competition Winners Reveal Their Secrets 48 Interlock Contemplation With Intention I (detail; watercolor on paper, 20x24) by Ali Cavanaugh

@ARTISTSNETWORK Watercolor Artist (ISSN 1941-5451) is published six times a year in February, April, June, August, October and December by F+W Media, Inc., 10151 Carver Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash OH 45242; tel: 513/531-2222. Single copies: $7.99. Subscription rates: one year $21.97. Canadian subscriptions add $12 per year postal surcharge. Foreign subscriptions add $18 per year postal charge, and remit in U.S. funds. Watercolor Artist will not be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Only submissions with a self-addressed, stamped envelope will be returned. Volume 27, No. 2. Periodicals postage paid at Blue Ash, OH, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Watercolor Artist, P.O. Box 421751, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1751. F+W Media, Inc. Back issues are available at northlightshop.com or by calling 855/842-5267. GST R122594716. Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 40025316. Canadian return address: 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON N8T 3B7.

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Watercolor artist | APRIL 2019

THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF WATERCOLOR SENNELIER WATERCOLORS

FABRIANO ARTISTICO

RAPHAËL BRUSHES

CRETACOLOR PENCILS

SINCE 1887

SINCE 1793

SINCE 1264

SINCE 1790

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T

he best portraits, as we know, do much more than capture a likeness. If we only want to record what a person looks like (and there’s a need for that, too), we can—as artist Jamie Wyeth reminds us—simply take a snapshot. If it’s something more meaningful we’re after, though, it doesn’t matter whether the model is the Queen of England or the Queen’s gardener, the truly memorable portraits are those that capture our attention and transport us—as only great art can do. In this issue, we’re celebrating contemporary artists whose fresh approaches to the human figure and face stir up just that sort of excitement. For artist Mary Whyte (on page 20), that means capturing an emotional truth: “I really just want to create as best I can the people and places of our times,” she —JAMIE WYETH says, “and I want to do it in a meaningful way. I don’t want just to copy them or do things that might be conceived as trite. I want them to be as earnest, real and sincere as I can possibly make them.” For artist Ali Cavanaugh (on page 28), the model is usually someone she knows well, making it easier to find their vulnerability and portray them, as she puts it, “with a deep sense of awareness, intellect and conscientiousness.” Because the path to this kind of emotional power can feel a bit elusive as soon as one actually puts brush to paper, we went to six celebrated watercolor artists and asked them to describe what they’ve found is key to capturing the spirit or essence of one’s model (on page 60). Whether it’s the narrative power of a Whyte composition, the daring color in Cavanaugh’s new “Chroma” series or one of the outstanding portraits among the winners in the 10th Annual Watermedia Showcase (on page 48), we hope you’ll find plenty to inspire a new way of looking at this endlessly fascinating subject. WA

“

When painting portraits, a lot of people say, ‘Why not get a photograph of the person?’ Photography is wonderful, and it is an art form in itself, but ... my portrait is a culmination of elements ... a truer image of a person than just the ‘click’ of a snapshot.

”

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Watercolor artist | APRIL 2019

Watercolor ARTISTSNETWORK.COM

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Anne Hevener SENIOR DESIGNER Brian Roeth SENIOR EDITOR Beth Williams ASSOCIATE EDITOR McKenzie Graham GROUP PUBLISHER, VISUAL ARTS, WRITING, GENEALOGY, WOODWORKING + HORTICULTURE Allison Dolan

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PHOTO BY CARA HUMMEL

Editor’s Note

Happenings

/ MAKING A SPLASH /

Texas Watercolor Society This year, the Texas Watercolor Society celebrates 70 years of inspiring, teaching and showcasing local artists. The Society is planning an anniversary exhibition with calls for entries in February and artist Carol Carter as juror of the entries. The show will open May 29 and offer workshops with Carter at the Kelso Art Center of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. The founders of the society were Amy Freeman Lee and Margaret Bosshardt Pace Willson, bold and worldly artists who—in 1949—took charge in an era when leadership

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Watercolor artist | APRIL 2019

wasn’t often encouraged in women. “They were very active in San Antonio and traveled the globe, frequently visiting Europe to study the art there,” says Publicity Chair Martha Philipp. “They gave exceptional gifts to the McNay Art Museum here in San Antonio.” In addition to the Society, Lee was a founder of the San Antonio Symphony and the San Antonio Art League. She had 149 solo exhibitions in her life and was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1984. The documentary “Reality Is Becoming” is about her extraordinary life.

Caribbean Showers (watercolor on paper, 33x42) by Charles Rouse won the Best of Show Award in the Texas Watercolor Society’s 69th Annual Exhibition in 2018.

Willson was well known for her watercolor work in the U.S., but she made a second home in Venice. She was a founder of the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts, and served on the board for the San Antonio Museum of Art. Perhaps most famous for her family business, Pace Foods, Willson’s true passion was always teaching art. Both founders’ legacies will be honored over the next year of celebrations.

/ NEW TO VIEW / AMERICAN WATERCOLORS: RESEARCH RESOURCES FROM THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART Curator Kathleen A. Foster has, with the help of others at the museum, compiled a free, comprehensive online research tool for those interested in the study of American watercolor artists, societies and research. The articles include information on watercolor techniques and materials, the New York Water Color Society (now the American Watercolor Society), records of watercolor exhibitions dating back to the 1800s and much more. philamuseum.github.io/ americanwatercolors/ Two Cats (watercolor over graphite on wove paper, 10¾x14¾) by Stuart David. ©ESTATE OF STUART DAVIS; LICENSED BY VAGA, NEW YORK; PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART: GIFT OF CARL ZIGROSSER, 1951.

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Harmony Watercolour – A natural-white paper for all wet-painting techniques. Harmony Watercolour features surface sizing. Colours stand out excellently on the paper and impress with their natural brilliance, thus giving every subject its very own, unique presence. Masking fluids or masking tape can be used and removed residue-free. While wet colours can be easily corrected or taken off. Harmony Watercolour is acid free, light-resistant and features extreme longevity. It is available in Cold Pressed, Rough and Hot Pressed. And all are eraser resistant due to the surface sizing.

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Happenings

New + Notable / STUDIO STAPLES /

/ ON THE SHELVES /

Hallberg Watercolor Rainbow Area Rug [$120] This 5x8-foot watercolor-print rug is a bold way to show your studio guests exactly where your priorities lie. It also comes in an 8x10 size—and may even serve as natural camouflage for escaped paint drips. wayfair.com

A Piece of the World [$28] A must-read for any Andrew Wyeth admirer, this novel by Christina Baker Kline weaves a narrative around the artist’s famous painting, Christina’s World, by combining details from real-life muse Christina Olson with the author’s own imagined world. harpercollins.com

The Secret Lives of Color [$20] Perfect for the color obsessed among us, Kassia St. Clair’s book contains the stories of 75 various hues, including “the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague,” according to Penguin. penguinrandomhouse.com

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Watercolor artist | APRIL 2019

RUG PHOTO COURTESY OF WAYFAIR

SINDstudio Ceramics [$24-$30] Dima and Nadya Gurevich run the Israel-based ceramics studio, SIND, with a focus on the principles of functional design and artful everyday objects. Their watercolor plates are imbued with “playful sensibility.” Perfect for your studio snack. etsy.com/shop/sindstudio

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Taking Home the Prize Lian Mei Tsai wins the Watercolor Artist Magazine Award at the 2018 National Watercolor Society 98th International Open Exhibition.

In the recent National Watercolor Society’s (NWS) International Open Exhibition, NWS signature member Lian Mei Tsai won the Watercolor Artist Magazine Award for his ambitious painting Fishing Boat, which he says was conjured from the memories of his childhood. “When I was young,” says Tsai, “I liked boats. It was a hard living for my parents, and I didn’t go out much. I only had bumpy rides and old houses. The port and boats by the sea were hotbeds for my childhood imagination.” His memories include frame-like narratives: “The coast of Kaohsiung, the distance to the fishing boat, my grandmother’s ancient home,” says the artist, “can never be forgotten at heart.” Tsai’s goals for the future include incorporating Eastern calligraphy into Western paintings. “I want to explore a new painting language for Chinese watercolor in modern art.” WA

Fishing Boat (watercolor on paper, 15x224⁄5)

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Watercolor Essentials

Mix It Up

Perfume Bottles, Tunisia (watercolor on paper, 22x30)

Try these five ways to combine two colors for completely different results. By Ryan Fox

O

ne topic that’s often overlooked in discussions of color theory is the idea that there are various techniques used to mix and apply color. Each method produces different results, sometimes surprisingly so, even with the same colors. Let’s look at five different ways to mix watercolor—both on the palette and on paper—and how to use transparent paints as opaques to achieve desired effects.

MIXING COLORS ON THE PALETTE Most painters mix colors on the palette. It’s safe; what you see is what you get. But keep in mind that when mixing complementary colors, you reduce the chroma, or purity, which often results in grays. To avoid muddy color, be especially mindful when combining opaque and transparent paints. ArtistsNetwork.com 11

Watercolor Essentials

Color-Mixing Studies Color-mixing studies are invaluable because they take a lot of the guesswork out of color mixing, providing a road map for successful paintings. These five exercises can be completed in a matter of minutes. You’ll need at least one dark color and its complement; I used cobalt blue and orange lake. Take notes and keep a journal for future reference.

Mixing on the Palette

Wet-Into-Wet

Mix a dark gray-black directly onto the palette using the two colors. Paint a 2x1-inch vertical rectangle on the paper using a neutral mixture. Next, create a warmer and cooler version of the dark mix.

Paint a 2x1-inch rectangle of each color, leaving a 1-inch space between them. While both colors are wet, take a brush loaded with clean water and join the area between the rectangles, merging the colors.

Glazing Paint a 2x1-inch vertical line of each color. When dry, layer each color’s complement in three horizontal strokes: one dark, one medium and one light value.

Color Charging Create a 2x2-inch square of each color. While the paint is wet, use the opposite color and drop it into a corner. Does this look different than glazing? Do the colors stay transparent/opaque?

Making Transparent Colors Function as Opaque Create a 2x3-inch rectangle with a dark value created by your colors. Let it dry thoroughly. Drop pure color on top and let dry.

12 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019

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Watercolor Essentials Potosi Afternoon (watercolor on paper, 22x15)

“waking the children.” Children don’t like to be awakened, and neither does your paint. When color is lifted, it can create unintended mixes because you’re inadvertently blending them on the paper. Color Charging Charging color into an area of wet paint produces vastly different results depending on which color is used first. Load a juicy amount of paint onto your brush and lightly touch it to the previous wet color. Let the colors blend naturally. Typically, I find that dropping darker colors into lighter values works well; however, you can also get amazing results when you charge lighter colors into darker values. The hues will remain harmonious even when complementary colors are used.

MAKING TRANSPARENT COLORS FUNCTION AS OPAQUE

MIXING COLORS ON THE PAPER Mixing watercolors on the painting surface is where the magic happens as the medium’s transparency and free-flowing qualities take over. Wet-Into-Wet Placing pure colors next to each other on wet paper produces beautiful results. The colors will blend when connected with water and allowed to merge, or “kiss,” as in the sky and other areas in Potosi Afternoon (above). Avoid blending colors with a brush; instead, let the water do the work and watch what happens.

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APRIL 2019

Glazing Layering watercolor over previously painted areas that have dried is another color-mixing method. Light reflects off the top layer of paint first. The results differ subtly, depending on which color is painted first and what’s layered over it, once it has dried. Technically, the colors don’t really mix because they sit on top of one another; however, they’re mixed visually. This technique can be used to add depth and saturation, or to darken and neutralize a previously painted color. Too many brushstrokes will reactivate dried color and lift it. I call this

You can make transparent paint appear opaque by dropping strong color on top of darks, which results in a chalky, opaque look. If you have dark values in a painting and want to energize them, you can place a lighter value color on top of dry paint. This is a modified glazing technique and works best if you don’t touch the darks with a brush. Here’s how: Use a lot of paint on a brush tip and squeeze a drop of color on top of your dark value. When dry, the puddle will form a hard edge. If you want to feather the edges, take a spray bottle and spritz water between the puddle and dry paper. The color will spread out depending on the amount of water applied. If you want to preserve details, apply masking fluid to protect colors and shapes before applying paint, as in Perfume Bottles, Tunisia (on page 11).

Turn to page 16 for a demo

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Bringing It Together

Incorporate a variety of color-mixing techniques to add interest to your painting.

Toolkit PAINTS:

• Daniel Smith perinone orange or MaimeriBlu orange lake • Winsor & Newton cobalt blue BRUSHES:

• Creative Mark Harmony squirrel mop No. 6 • Mimik synthetic round No. 4

Step 1

Step 2

I started with a simple line drawing of the overgrown ruins of Ta Prohm at Angkor Wat, Cambodia, based on a photo I took years ago.

I painted the shadow areas first using a dark palette, continually alternating between warm/cool and neutral passages. While the paper was wet, I dropped orange lake and cobalt blue into a few areas to create intentional blossoms.

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

I created the mid-values by color charging orange into still-wet areas of cobalt blue. I lightly darkened the sky with a neutral gray palette mix.

At the base of the tree, I applied the two colors wet-into-wet and let them blend when connected by water. I also darkened and neutralized the platform in the lower-right corner via glazing.

I created detail in the temple by glazing and then painted the tree using glazing and drybrush techniques. I spattered the foreground with a mixed-gray palette.

16 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019

Final I further darkened the sky using a neutral palette mix. I then neutralized and darkened the lower-right area via repeated glazing of cobalt blue to complete Ta Prohm Ruins (watercolor on paper, 15x11). WA Ryan Fox (rfoxphoto.com) is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and five regional societies. His paintings have won awards in the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, Northeast Watercolor Society, Georgia Watercolor Society and more. He teaches workshops on various watercolor techniques and can be found in his downtown Raleigh, N.C., studio most days. ArtistsNetwork.com 17

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Creating the

Extraordinary From the

Ordinary

THROUGH MASTERY OF MEDIUM, COMPOSITION AND MESSAGE, SOUTH CAROLINA ARTIST MARY WHYTE EMPLOYS TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES TO ATTAIN EXQUISITE, UNCONVENTIONAL GENRE PAINTINGS. By Robert K. Carsten

I

really just want to create—as best as I can—the people and places of our times, and I want to do it in a way that’s meaningful,” says Mary Whyte. “I don’t want just to copy them or do things that might be conceived as trite. I want them to be as earnest, real and sincere as I can possibly make them.” Over the past four decades, having created hundreds of commissioned portraits and numerous non-commissioned figurative paintings, Whyte has achieved mastery in her technique and process—a method that combines working from life, memory, imagination and photographs.

GENRE PAINTING REGENERATED

In 2007, inspired by a newspaper article on the shutdown of a textile mill, Whyte began a three-year painting campaign across 10 Southern states, depicting workers from vanishing industries. She painted and sketched, and learned about the lives of ordinary blue-collar workers, from elevator operators to crabbers, sponge divers and more. An extraordinary exhibition, “Working South: Paintings and Sketches by Mary Whyte,” resulted from the series, and it traveled to five museums. One of the keys to Whyte’s success is that her artistry goes beyond mere documentation of reality. She’s able to depict her subjects’ inner qualities—their pride, strength of will, resilience, and hopes and dreams—all caught in a weathered face, a meaningful gesture or Lovers (watercolor on paper, 44¼x44¾) skilled hands that reveal the hardships of a worker’s life.

20 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019

ArtistsNetwork.com 21

Blue Plate (watercolor on paper, 23x33)

Lovers (on pages 20-21), from the “Working South” series, portrays a quilter from Berea, Ky. The portrait exemplifies Whyte’s keen ability to relate to the intense dedication sensitively—as well as to the worries and difficulties—faced daily by workers across industries large and small. Whyte’s forte lies in her ever-persistent need to refine her compositions until they reveal a greater story. “I had her husband hold up the quilt as she walked back and forth in front of it while I photographed her,” says Whyte. “I was particularly interested in studying her hands and arms. Later, I redesigned the idea, lowering the quilt and fitting the composition into a square format, which enabled me to connect the bent ‘S’ shape of the subject to that of the young lovers.” The subject told Whyte that she made the quilt when she and her husband were first married, inspired by the “Cherry Blossom Riddle Song” or just the “Riddle Song.” The song is an English folk tune brought over by early settlers to the Appalachian Mountains. Often sung as a lullaby, it’s about the perplexities of life. Lovers is at once a painting of a highly skilled quilter and artisan, as well as an allegory of youth and old age, of both young and enduring love. These abilities to tell a story visually, so personal yet so universal, place Whyte’s work securely in the realm of great American genre painting.

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Blue Plate (final thumbnail)

CONCEPT AND COMPOSITION

“I like the neighborhood atmosphere of Charleston,” Whyte observes as she explains her concept and process in creating Blue Plate (above). “We have small grocery stores and a lot of diners, and beautiful, old, historic buildings with large windows, like the site where I did this painting. The wonderful north light coming in on my model made the highlights and skin tones cool and the shadows warm.” Whyte was eating breakfast at one of her beloved diners one morning, enjoying the people-watching and general hubbub in the kitchen. She was struck by the

subject’s sudden entrance and asked her if she’d pose for some additional photos, arranging to come before the diner opened one morning. “I particularly liked the blackboard behind her and the things on the counter, which were like an added still life,” says Whyte. “What I really wanted was the light shape against the dark chalkboard, and I loved the graffiti of the writing all around her.” Back in her studio, Whyte did a series of thumbnail sketches to work out the design. “Originally, I thought I’d have it open to the kitchen on the right with someone cooking and maybe someone sitting at the counter,” she says. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted the lights on the plate to connect to the vertical light on the right [see Blue Plate final thumbnail, at left]. I edited out lots of stuff that was on the counter and invented some things on the shelves, because I needed a shape, color or value, as well as the top of the chair in front to break the strong horizontal line of the counter. Because I purposely used so little of the color blue, it became the star color, doubling as a reference for the diner’s special of the day.” Iron Man (watercolor on paper, 39x28)

AT EASE

Subjects painted in their preferred environment usually produce more natural portraits. “I don’t always know what I’m looking for in a pose,” says Whyte, “but I know it when I get an ‘Ah, that’s it’ feeling. Often, I’ll mirror the movement I want the subject to do, moving and positioning myself so it’s as though they’re looking in a mirror.” In his small office, Whyte engaged Philip Simmons, renowned Charleston blacksmith, in this way, with lively conversation about his life and family, as she sketched him in preparation for Iron Man (below), now in the collection of Charleston’s Gibbes Museum of Art. Her subjects aren’t always planned, however. Whyte asked a man she spotted on a Charleston street to model, inspiring the painting Portal (below). “He turned out to be a fantastic model,” she recalls. “I wanted to include his tattoos and long hair, and because I liked the mystical air about him, I wanted to push this feeling. We found an old building in Charleston where dramatic light came onto the stairwell in diagonal bands, spectacularly catching Portal (watercolor on paper, 28¾x20)

ArtistsNetwork.com 23

Twirl (thumbnail)

the smoke from the incense burner. I photographed him from a couple of steps below, looking upward at him to enhance the mysterious feeling.” Some of the subjects and designs in Whyte’s paintings are painted largely from memory and imagination. “Twirl [below] is of a young girl who has modeled for me many times,” says Whyte. “We used to sit together with her cousin and grandmother in church. Whenever I arrived, she’d come flying across the pavement with these fantastic little dresses that would flounce out around her. I didn’t think I could get that action in photos, so I composed and painted it completely out of my head [see Twirl thumbnail, at left]. I realized that it wasn’t important to show all of her hands or legs; instead, I focused intently on her movement.” Twirl (watercolor on paper, 18½x18½)

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Window (watercolor on paper, 38½x28½)

Toolkit PAINTS

• M. Graham: azo yellow, burnt sienna, cadmium red light, cadmium yellow, cerulean blue, cobalt blue, cobalt teal, Hooker’s green, maroon perylene, quinacridone rose, raw sienna, sap green, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre SURFACE

• Arches 300-lb. cold-pressed BRUSHES

• Mary Whyte Series 801, size 6 squirrel cat’s tongue • Mary Whyte Maestro size 8 round Siberian kolinsky red sable PALETTE

• John Pike

In another painting featuring movement, the swirling motion and curvature of the man’s arm in Window (above) powerfully draws the viewer’s eye to the center of the composition. “As artists, it’s important to establish what we know to be the center of interest,” explains Whyte, “and that we don’t allow anything to compete. Everything else should enhance it.” The artist wasn’t able to make sketches of the window washer because he was moving so fast. Positioning herself on the other side of the glass, she memorized and photographed him. “It was so interesting to look at him through the soap suds,” says Whyte. “When I returned home, I soaped up a window to study how I could see through it and how the water ran down. It was great fun. He had actually worked on ground level, but I made it look like he was up high, and I changed the colors of the background

and his shirt to make him more eye-catching. I never hesitate to change the color, shape or size of anything. When I’m painting, things are never set in stone.”

THUMBS UP

The artist takes great stock in simplification, distilling her idea through a series of thumbnail sketches and studies. “The simpler the composition, the stronger the result,” says Whyte. “I often think about what makes a powerful painting with strong emotional content. In order to achieve that, I ask myself: What’s essential here? What’s essential to keep, and what’s essential to leave out?” Underscoring this point, a series of thumbnails combined with two previous paintings led to the dramatic, expressive crescendo in Aspen Leaf (on page 26). Whyte ArtistsNetwork.com 25

“I never hesitate to change the color, shape or size of anything. When I’m painting, things are never set in stone.” began the painting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The subject is the caretaker of a vast tract of land, and the first painting Whyte did included snow-covered Aspen Leaf (thumbnail)

mountains in the background. The second version still included mountains but also a grouping of aspen trees. “I realized I was missing the whole point,” observes Whyte. “In my mind, with his white hair and his narrow, thin frame, he was the aspen tree. So, I thought, ‘Let me take out the group of aspens and darken the background so he becomes likened to a single aspen tree. I’ll include just one branch and one leaf to strengthen the concept [see Aspen Leaf thumbnail, at left].’ I leaned the figure into the composition to create a sense of movement and cast the lower half of the subject’s body in shadow, thrusting emphasis upward to his face.” This kind of insight and compositional prowess doesn’t always come easily or quickly. Whyte is prepared to go through multiple versions of a painting before settling on the right one. She admits that the two previous versions of Aspen Leaf just didn’t have the power and emotion she was after. “They were more like pastoral scenes and not about this older gentleman, so I discarded them in order to start fresh in each instance,” she says. “On average, I probably tear up one out of every four paintings I do, never hesitating to have a go at the same subject again. Just because one didn’t work out doesn’t mean I failed. It means that I know not to do again whatever it was that weakened the painting.” Whyte’s breathtaking composition, Flurries (opposite), depicts a rancher from New Mexico out feeding his herds. “I was intrigued with

Aspen Leaf (watercolor on paper, 19x28¼)

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PHOTO BY JACK ALTERMAN

Flurries (watercolor on paper, 23x31)

the relationship between the work the man did and the work his dog did,” she says, “so I balanced the two subjects in my composition by connecting them with bales of straw. I was careful about adding detail to the straw, dissolving the rest, which is my way of directing the eye and telling the viewer what’s important and where to linger.” Whyte created contrast behind the man’s head to emphasize the subject further, and removed the real-life trees and hills in the background. To paint the snow flurries, she flicked drops of water onto the paint while the sky area was still wet. “One thing that can contribute to a successful painting,” says Whyte, “is having a dominant color or color family. I call this a ‘mother’ color. Here, I wanted to push the dominant warms of my palette more into neutrals to achieve the sense of light when the sky is that milky white color.” Often asked to describe the moment when a painting is finished, Whyte responds, “It’s when I know that there’s nothing I can add that will further the concept or the emotion of the painting. Therefore, a sketch can be ‘complete’ or a very detailed painting can be ‘complete.’ We must remember that painting is an invention. As artists, we have two realities: the reality of what was there and our own reality, which is our own world. Our paintings invite the viewer into our world—into what we saw and what we felt.” WA Robert K. Carsten (robertcarsten.com) is a multimedia artist, writer and exhibitions juror. He teaches workshops in the U.S. and abroad.

Meet the Artist Mary Whyte (marywhyte.com) was the recipient of the Portrait Society of America’s Gold Medal in 2016, the society’s highest achievement. She was also the recipient of the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award, the highest honor given to an artist in South Carolina. Her groundbreaking exhibition, “Working South,” was featured on “CBS Sunday Morning,” and traveled to museums throughout the South. Whyte was an exhibitor and presenter at the Foreign Countries International Watercolour Summit in Nanning, China. Her paintings are shown in major exhibitions and collected nationally and internationally. She’s the author of six books on her life and art instruction, and also the subject of a biography by curator and historian Martha R. Severens, entitled More Than a Likeness, The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte. For workshop information, contact her agent and manager at [email protected]. ArtistsNetwork.com 27

TRUE

COLORS

CONSTANT CURIOSITY LEADS ARTIST ALI CAVANAUGH TOWARD NEW WAYS TO EXPRESS HER ONGOING FASCINATION WITH THE HUMAN FACE AND FORM. By Stefanie Laufersweiler

ABOVE Vivid (watercolor on clay panel, 8x8) LEFT Gush (watercolor on clay panel, 8x8)

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In her “Immerse” series, painted between 2015 and 2016, Cavanaugh focused on babies and small children as subjects, using light and airy color. “I used a lot of turquoise and viridian to create the feeling of a dream or another world,” she says. Looking Through to You (watercolor on clay panel, 11x14) was a reversal of that cool palette. “I thought, ‘What would happen if I flipped the palette to warm red? Would it change the dream feeling?’” the artist recalls. “Most of my work comes out of this sort of curiosity.”

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A

bowl of candy. That was the spark of inspiration behind artist Ali Cavanaugh’s recent “Chroma” series, featuring portraits painted in bold, largely monochromatic color. “I was brainstorming ideas for a 2018 show in Palm Springs,” she says, “and I kept thinking, ‘bowl of candy.’ I wanted to have a whole wall of different-colored faces.” Cavanaugh created 25 paintings for the series. The subjects are all people the artist knows personally. She wanted to explore portraying them, she says, “with a deep sense of awareness, intellect and conscientiousness.” Her color choices began simply by pulling out some of her favorite tubes of paint—some old favorites and some new. “I devoted each painting to a color,” she says, “and each painting was a separate experiment in learning the capabilities of that individual color. I used gravity and lots of water to create sweeps of color with smooth gradients.” The looser, abstract areas of these portraits provide plenty of room for play and experimentation, which keeps each painting fresh and a bit unpredictable. “Sometimes I start with abstraction, and sometimes I start with rendering the face,” she says. “It depends on the painting. Each one is a little different, because I try to remain open to the process.”

Evermore (watercolor on clay panel, 30x40)

Cavanaugh admits that it’s difficult to fight off the desire to overwork a painting, but recording the progression of each work has helped her avoid it. “When I started photographing the stages of my process with every painting several years ago,” she says, “I began to see the beauty in leaving areas unrefined.”

CREATIVE EVOLUTION ONE STEP AT A TIME

Cavanaugh uses a process she calls “micro-evolution” to avoid complacency and push herself toward continued creative development in practical ways. “I describe it as ‘stepping stones,’ ” she says. “After a painting that I’m working on is complete, I search for what was successful about it. I then take those successes—

it might be a certain paint, or water technique, or model, or composition—and I apply it to my next painting. So, one painting becomes a stepping stone to the next, and so on. I let the process grow organically and change with each painting.” Two of Cavanaugh’s most important creative discoveries have come about during home repair and remodeling projects. Up until 2005, the artist had been painting mainly in oil. That’s when a carpenter doing construction work on her home noticed her artwork. He asked if she could paint a family portrait for him in a barter exchange for the courtyard he was building. “But his wife loved watercolor,” Cavanaugh says. “I thought, ‘I’m sure I can figure it out.’ ” Indeed, with some trial and error, she finished the portrait in watercolor.

Find a Model’s Inner Child Most of Cavanaugh’s paintings are portraits of close friends and family. Each begins with a photo shoot during which she attempts to capture the unique presence and inner beauty of each individual. “I’m most excited to paint people who have an honesty to them,” she says. “Children are the benchmark. They possess an openness that’s hard for adults to match. As I photograph my subjects, I try to get them to open up and be present with vulnerability—like a child.”

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Afterglow (left) and Erosion (below) are also part of the “Chroma” series, but both of these pieces use acrylic, which Cavanaugh says she needed for certain effects. “The fluorescent orange in Afterglow [watercolor and acrylic on clay panel, 8x8] is Golden high-flow acrylic, the closest thing to ink,” she says. She started both paintings by just playing with the acrylic—puddling it, running water through it slowly. “The burnt sienna in Erosion [watercolor and acrylic on clay panel, 8x8] was so grainy that I just let it do what it was going to do, and then began sculpting the face out of it,” she says.

She then took a leftover sheet of the watercolor paper and began to play around, painting a few monochromatic figures in three smaller, separate works. She included the pieces in an exhibition of her oil paintings, and they unexpectedly stole the show. With that, Cavanaugh shifted her focus to watercolor. She worked on watercolor paper for nearly a year when—thanks to another home improvement project— she made a creative connection that would invigorate her career. “As I was applying finishing plaster to a wall using trowels and water, I started thinking about frescoes and how watercolor might work on clay or plaster,” she says. “In my search for materials, I discovered Aquabord, which has a textured clay surface.” The surface offered a workability that continues to feed the artist’s expression and has transformed her career.

MODERN FRESCOES

The custom-made clay panels that Cavanaugh uses now are made of tempered hardboard, treated with an archival coating and finished with a kaolin clay veneer. Her finished paintings, which are varnished with a UV coating, don’t require framing behind glass. She calls them “modern frescoes,” because they’re quite unlike the traditional image of watercolor paintings as a loosely painted picture on paper, framed behind glass. “Paper has more beautiful absorbency,” Cavanaugh says. “The layering

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Artist’s Toolkit PAINTS

• Daniel Smith: Payne’s gray, perylene maroon, pyrrol orange, ultramarine turquoise • Golden QoR: Indian yellow, quinacridone gold, transparent pyrrole orange • Holbein: sap green, shadow green • Sennelier: phthalo turquoise SURFACE

• Custom-made clay-surface panel (applied to hardboard) BRUSHES

• Blick Scholastic Wonder White synthetic rounds, sizes .03 to 12 • 1- to 4-inch synthetic housepaint brushes • Sponge brushes (other sponges) • Inexpensive synthetic craft brushes. “My brushes aren’t fancy at all,” Cavanaugh says. Confidante (watercolor on clay panel, 16x12)

and bleeds are so natural—but the color is permanent, which can make things harder in the end.” A clay surface, on the other hand, is more durable and forgiving, and can handle the application or removal of numerous layers of paint easily. “The push and pull of the surface is revolutionary for watercolorists,” she explains. “You just have to be light with your touch and let each layer dry well before adding another, or it will all lift up.”

The remarkable luminosity in her portraits, each of which takes about two weeks to create, comes through the delicate layering of as many as 50 layers of paint. “I only apply very small amounts of paint and layer slowly, because if I have to restart, I have to scrub it all out,” she says. Cavanaugh acknowledges that it’s most challenging when the paint just doesn’t want to do “pretty” things, or when the water keeps drying in the

wrong area or in unattractive ways. “This can throw off the composition,” she says, “but many times it’s the unexpected blooms that watercolor creates that make a painting sing.”

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

Cavanaugh’s artwork, which has received worldwide acclaim, is showcased in a new retrospective book, ArtistsNetwork.com 33

Ali Cavanaugh: Modern Fresco Paintings, to be released this spring by Unicorn Publishing. It was a revelatory project in some ways. “The thing that jumped out to me is the number of paintings that I’ve created over the past 11 years,” Cavanaugh says. “We sifted through hundreds of works to narrow the collection down to a little more than 200 for the book.” Revisiting her body of work helped the artist recognize how she has consistently pushed herself to grow. “The evolution of my concepts, and recalling how certain ideas came to fruition, was a wonderful revelation

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and reflection,” she says. “The technical development over the years is also interesting to note. When I first started painting on this [clay panel] surface, I used a limited palette of Payne’s gray, burnt sienna and burnt umber. Then my palettes grew and became quite complex, up until 2015, when I broke from tight realism and ventured into a looser approach.” A mother of four, Cavanaugh paints in her home studio in her hometown of St. Louis. She sells her finished originals and prints on her website, and she also works on a limited number of commissions. The

In 2017, after spending several years painting babies and children, Cavanaugh decided to return to painting older models, using a darker, more subdued palette, which led to paintings like Only You (above; watercolor on clay panel, 24x24). “The innocence and affection of the sisters reminded me of old Victorian photos.” Another example from this time period is Smolder (opposite; watercolor on clay panel, 12x12), in which Cavanaugh tried using watercolor to create the feeling of smoke.

artist is comfortably uncertain about what new artistic territory lies ahead. “Not knowing what’s going to be painted in the future keeps my art fresh,” she says. “Many years ago, I would have had the paintings planned out and painted in my head, and the actual process of painting became dead. When I keep curiosity in my approach, then I’m able to stay inspired and flexible, and my work evolves and stays interesting.” WA

Meet the Artist St. Louis artist Ali Cavanaugh grew up drawing and painting portraits, beginning in her teenage years. She earned a BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design in Michigan in 1995. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is included in more than 400 private and corporate collections worldwide. Her work has been commissioned by Time magazine and The New York Times, and has been featured in a number of art publications. A book of her artwork, Ali Cavanaugh: Modern Fresco Paintings, will be published this spring by Unicorn Publishing with pre-order available on Amazon or Cavanaugh’s website (alicavanaugh.com).

Freelance writer and editor Stefanie Laufersweiler, of Cincinnati, contributes regularly to Watercolor Artist. ArtistsNetwork.com 35

Asia

Watercolorists of Southeastern

This quartet of Asian watercolor artists—from Taiwan, Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand—takes landscape and plein air painting to magnificent new heights, depicting the spectacular vistas of their homelands, as well as scenes from their international travels. These celebrated artists prove that when it comes to watercolor appreciation, some passions are universal. By Isabelle V. Lim

Jasmine Huang TAIWAN

J

asmine Huang (zh-tw.facebook.com/public/JasmineHuang) graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Taiwan Tung Hai University, in 1996 and has been painting in watercolor since she was 22 years old. During her early years, she taught art and had other jobs until her big art breakthrough in 2014, when her paintings drew attention in watercolor circles. Huang never looked back and is making her mark with her award-winning art in international exhibitions.

FOLLOWING THE SUN

When Huang first exploded onto the art scene, she was a floral and still life painter. Now that she travels to attend exhibitions, she uses the opportunity to hone her plein air skills by painting landscapes of the places she visits. “Working en plein air provides a strong focus of expression,”

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Huang’s studio in New Taipei City, Taiwan

The Light of Love (watercolor on paper, 14x21½)

the artist says, “especially when I give myself a one-hour time limit. It’s always a magical experience. “I begin with a loose pencil sketch so there’s room to accommodate my own designs and thoughts,” she says. “I find endless inspiration with respect to the integrity of structural sketching using watercolor. I direct the free flow of water and paint onto the paper surface and then mix it with my brush. The beauty of watercolor is that it retains its transparency without losing its intensity. It’s difficult to control this medium, much like it’s impossible to stop a river from flowing. This is what drew me to watercolor and why it’s my medium of choice.” According to Huang, the young artists in Taiwan embrace watercolor for its convenience. “The modern influences and styles from the West are interesting, and the adaptation of Asian ink washes allows for a new watercolor phenomenon,” she says. “As for me, I’m already 50, and what I’ve achieved in the past few years has been truly rewarding,” the artist says. “At a glance, it seems to be a remarkable speed. As long as the sun is still shining ahead of me, I must continue to tread as best as possible.”

Toolkit “I believe consistent painting hours to hone one’s skills are more important than the materials an artist uses. It’s normal for me to spend up to nine hours a day painting in my studio.” SURFACE

• Arches 140-lb. PAINT

• Holbein BRUSHES

• Da Vinci — Jasmine Huang

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Myint Naing MYANMAR

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native of Rakhine State, Myanmar, Myint Naing (facebook.com/public/Myint-Naing) presently lives and paints in Yangon, the country’s largest city. He has a roomy, comfortable studio where he welcomes students, friends and art lovers for casual art discussions and advice. Naing also holds frequent figurative life drawing sessions there. He regularly exhibits at select invitational exhibitions in Asia and Europe.

Naing in his studio in Yangon, Myanmar

EMBRACING THE LANDSCAPE

Naing, who studied at The State School of Fine Arts, Yangon, in the mid-to-late ’80s, discovered watercolor during that

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Yangon Downtown (watercolor on paper, 30x22)

Yangon Downtown No. 1 (watercolor on paper, 30x22)

time and found that the medium complemented his landscape expression. “With watercolor, I could be at ease and relax when painting architectural landscapes,” he says. Naing doesn’t like to overplan his work; instead, he lets his mood and the surroundings guide him. He finds that this approach is more conducive to creating a successful painting. “After all, watercolor itself is unpredictable,” he says. “When I paint, I’m interested in patterns, colors and human energy. I’m drawn to the country’s blazing sunlight and luminous sky, as well as light and shadow, and the dynamic movement of people going about their business against the architecture in the background.” “It’s a delightful challenge to paint en plein air,” the artist continues. “I prefer to work in morning light, which, to me, is the best time of day to paint. I always finish my work on-site, stopping only when there’s nothing left to say. Back in the studio, if I’m motivated to replicate the scene, I rely on my memories and observations, as well as the piece I created en plein air. Yet, it’s always an entirely new painting.” Naing hopes that by painting Myanmar’s architecture, he’s also making a record of the country’s political changes. There are an increasing number of art movements, events and activities in the country. At the same time, its artists are beginning to travel the world. Naing’s travels have shown him that Western nature and landscapes are completely different than those in Asia, but he remains true to his experiences. “I want to continue to share the unique beauty of the Myanmar landscape from my own perspective.”

Toolkit “Art materials in Yangon are expensive and scarce, but I use the best that I can obtain.” SURFACE

• “I work on Arches and Saunders paper. I don’t soak the paper; I just tape it directly onto the board.” PAINT

• “I prefer Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith. I can’t paint without Daniel Smith’s ultramarine blue.” BRUSHES

• “I use Chinese-made brushes that are made for calligraphy and traditional watercolors. I find that I prefer them so that I can make soft strokes.” — Myint Naing

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Suzchiang Tan MALAYSIA

S

uzchiang Tan (tansuzchiang.com), a native of Johor, Malaysia, received his art diploma from Central Academy of Fine Art, in 1997. He’s a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the American Watercolor Society, and his art has earned awards at major art competitions worldwide. In the past year, Tan has successfully launched his solo exhibitions abroad.

MAKING BOLD STROKES

Tan’s studio in Johor, Malaysia

Tan paints abstract landscapes using fearless brushstrokes. His brisk, bold creations feature fine detail, similar to the Southeast Asian wax batik painting style. “I grew up in a small village where houses of different sizes are built of wood,” Tan says. “The surrounding areas all hold sweet memories of my childhood, and these precious memories greatly influence my creations. “My acquired knowledge in Chinese ink calligraphy and brush painting also influence my design and perspective,” he continues. “My imagination, combined with the ancient theory that empty spaces and ink markings become abstract shadows, invite viewers to enter each painting and ‘wander’ freely on the paper surface—to encounter many surprises or even to stop to ponder particular areas a while longer. With this approach, the painting doesn’t represent a mechanical picture of skills and techniques; it provides a subtle unique power.” The artist prefers to create his paintings in the studio, where he can go deeper into research, thoughts and exploration. Nevertheless, he appreciates the value of working en plein air, especially when traveling abroad.

Blue Memory No. 3 (watercolor on paper, 22x30)

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Toolkit SURFACE

• “I paint on coldpressed or 140-lb. rough paper and tape it directly to the board. Painting wet-into-wet gives me greater freedom to exaggerate my strokes. I think watercolor produces its best results when the paint is left to dry naturally.” PAINT

• “Mijello watercolor is currenly my favorite brand, especially the ultramarine, burnt sienna and cerulean blue. I often mix it with other brands to achieve my desired color palette.” BRUSHES

• “I don’t use masking fluid; instead, I paint around the reserved white area of the paper using flat brushes. The effects produced with these flat brushes are similar to a palette knife loaded with oil paints and placed on a canvas.” — Suzchiang Tan Memory Land No. 5 (watercolor on paper, 30x22)

“Experiencing different landscapes helps to sharpen my observation skills,” Tan says, “and I complete plein air paintings on the spot. I find that my mood and creativity are altered in different atmospheric surroundings. Each country has its own history and culture, and I find great inspiration in them.” During his extensive travels, Tan makes use of that time to study other artists’ work so that he can continue to learn and grow. That travel also feeds his commitment to international competitions. “I believe in entering international competitions so my work can be widely seen and critiqued,” the artist says. “My creative growth doesn’t happen overnight, but through extremely hard

work and a heavy investment of both time and money to participate in various exhibitions abroad.” As for his home country, Tan sees a great future for Malaysian watercolor and has just opened a new studio in Johor to accommodate the 300-plus students, ages 4 and up, who come to study watercolor. He’s thrilled to see that more fellow artists are doing well both at home and abroad, and he encourages beginning artists to enter watercolor competitions, exchange ideas and travel whenever possible. “Malaysians are brought up with a multidisciplinary focus on race, culture and tongues,” he says. “We possess a special skill to bring out the best in ourselves and, by extension, our artwork.” ArtistsNetwork.com 41

Direk Kingnok THAILAND

D

irek Kingnok (zh-tw.facebook. com/direk.kingnok) lives and paints in rural Khon Kaen, a northeastern province of Thailand, a backdrop that complements the soulful expression he hopes to capture through his watercolor practice. Currently, Kingnok paints mostly large works—some as large as 100 inches in length—depicting the Bangkok Grand Palace, the sweeping stretch of the Thai Chao Praya River, the rustic landscapes of Vietnam and Myanmar, or the dark Kathmandu nights under the radiant moon. The award-winning painter graduated with a degree in art education from the Institute of Art, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

Kingnok’s studio in Khon Kaen, Thailand

PAINTING FROM HUMBLE ROOTS

Fruit Shop (watercolor on paper, 14x20)

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Kingnok was raised in a farming family, surrounded by an abundant natural environment that he refuses to leave. He believes that background has grounded him to be an unpretentious landscape artist. “I don’t feel any pressure or experience difficulty in painting a landscape either at home in Thailand or painting en plein air during my travels abroad,” he says. “It’s because I see not only the scenes in front of my eyes, but also experience them with all of my senses. I enjoy being transported into a meditative trance while recording beautiful elements with watercolor.” Kingnok embraces the knowledge and influences of Western watercolor, and he follows and studies different techniques found on the internet and in publications to develop his skills further. He sketches loosely using pencil and trusts his judgment when it comes to color

Buddhists at the Gates of Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon (watercolor on paper, 14x20)

choices and brushstrokes. “Colors call to the viewers and serve as a mental connector to the whole painting,” he says, “while swift brushstrokes convey significant emotion and sensitivity.” Kingnok finds that painting en plein air throughout Asia is a challenge because of the intense sunlight and high humidity, but he appreciates that these conditions train him to work faster. Kingnok sees a bright future for watercolor in Thailand. He says that Thai artists are enthusiastic and possess a fun spirit. “They find their own approach and are steadfast in practice,” he says. As for his own painting endeavors, Kingnok spends at least six hours daily in his studio during the week and makes special trips to Bangkok almost every weekend to teach watercolor workshops to office workers. The artist ventures outside his country’s borders when possible. “It’s always a special privilege for me to be able to paint en plein air with other artists outside Thailand,” he says. “I enjoy the healthy exchange of new ideas and the bonds of friendship which help me to grow as an artist. I look forward to contributing more to the art community. The internet and social media are already playing a big part in boosting the connection among artists around the globe. Artists feed on inspiration to become better.” WA Hong Kong-based artist and writer Isabelle V. Lim ( isabelleart.com) has painted in watercolor since childhood and has held numerous watercolor exhibitions. She also works in pastel, and is a Master Pastelist of the Pastel Society of America, a Master Circle member of the International Association of Pastel Societies and Maître Pastelliste of the Société des Pastellistes de France.

olkit NT

ften mix watercolor ands to achieve my ideal lors. I especially like Winsor & Newton for its blue hues, Holbein’s lavender and Daniel Smith’s sap green. No white paint or masking fluid for me, though, because I believe in leaving the white of the paper to make a statement.” BRUSHES

• “I primarily use Chinese brushes made from various types of animal hair. Most of the Chinese brushes can hold lots of water and paint, which is ideal when painting on a really large surface.” — Direk Kingnok

ArtistsNetwork.com 43

Making the

GOAL

FASCINATED BY HUMAN FORM AND BEHAVIOR, IBE ANANABA FOUND THAT SOCCER PLAYERS IN THE WORLD CUP MAKE FOR THE PERFECT SUBJECTS. Interview By Anne Hevener

44 Watercolor artist |

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OPPOSITE Ahmed Musa— Nigeria (watercolor on paper, 18x24) TOP, RIGHT Lionel Messi— Argentina (watercolor on paper, 24x18)

Anne Hevener: When did your interest in art begin? How were you introduced to watercolor? Ibe Ananaba: Growing up,

I watched my older brother re-create comic characters and create his own. Following BOTTOM, RIGHT comics wasn’t my thing, but Romelu Lukaku— I shared his love for visual repBelgium (watercolor on paper, 24x18) resentation and began drawing. Looking back, I can see that drawing helped to develop my mind and perception about life in general. The soothing, therapeutic process of making art engages my senses, and I’ve been pursuing art ever since. Watercolor is one of my primary media, but it’s the most difficult. My love for watercolor began with my study of fine and applied arts in school. My mentor Okechukwu Iwundu demonstrated some watercolor “magic,” and I decided to give it all the attention I could to learn the basics and figure out my style. What I like best about the medium is its fluidity and control. Knowing when to stop a watercolor work is a gift.

AH: Describe the art scene in your hometown of Lagos, in Nigeria. IA: The art scene in Lagos is booming. Technology and social media have helped so much in providing opportunities for growth. International collectors and curators are beginning to see the potential of artists from Lagos, which inspires more artists to set up studios, regardless of the harsh economic challenges the country faces.

AH: Are portraits and figures a favorite subject? IA: Yes. My philosophy is simple: I’m human, and fellow humans surround me, so it makes for an easy favorite. I also like to study identities, which leads to my love for portraiture. I’m interested in capturing the essence of my subject’s character and soul. I find joy in observing how light plays on the human form. There’s the joy, too, that comes from breaking the rules with an artist’s creative license in search of new meaning.

AH: How did you come upon the idea to document the World Cup in watercolor? IA: I’m always looking for ways to engage my audience, and one of those ways is by making art related to topical issues. The World Cup is a global event that unifies people regardless of differences. Initially, I’d wanted to make it more interactive by involving fellow artist friends in competing countries, but I ran out of time. I decided to participate in each match the way photographers do, illustrating the entire tournament, but it was a big project for one artist to handle. I painted along, capturing highlights and moments that moved me. I’m not a ArtistsNetwork.com 45

CLOCKWISE Kylian Mbappé— France (watercolor on paper, 24x18) Harry Kane— England (watercolor on paper, 24x18) William Troost Ekeng—Nigeria (watercolor on paper, 24x18)

huge soccer fan, but documenting the tournament gave me insights into how engaging soccer can be. I like to work in series. It avails me to take the time to go beneath the surface, researching an issue. It helps to add depth and meaning to a body of work—and, in the course of doing so, I come upon new ideas.

AH: Share more about your idea that soccer is a global unifier. IA: Soccer has always been the biggest sport, globally. Huge investments are made to set up and maintain soccer teams. Each player becomes a star based on his or her style of play and personal branding. Countless times, I’ve seen strangers and people of different beliefs bond over their mutual love for the game. It always fascinates me how much value has been built on a simple round object that skilled people kick around a field. AH: Describe your creative process behind a painting. IA: I come up with an idea first and gradually bring it to life. I start by expressing my feelings visually through sketches, so as to monitor the idea’s organic progression. I like to experiment with a variety of materials ranging from traditional to nontraditional media, as I’m interested in creating new experiences for my audience and

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RIGHT Neymar Jr.—Brazil (watercolor on paper, 24x18) Luis Suarez—

myself. My favorite material depends Uruguay (watercolor on on my mood. paper, 24x18) Over time, my style has gradually transitioned from being meticulously detailed to more suggestive and gestural, as I become more interested in capturing the essence of my subject. My work centers largely on humanity. I embrace the challenge to reflect on societal issues in my paintings. I like them to be relatable.

AH: What did you find most challenging about the World Cup paintings? IA: Time! Time ran out quickly trying to paint the soccer stars. On the other hand, it was a great opportunity to challenge myself to paint fast and with confidence, and I totally loved the experience.

AH: What’s next for you? IA: The creative mind is always active. I intend to keep creating and expanding my audience. Thankfully, I just got a bigger studio space after leaving my job of 15 years as an art director in an advertising firm to begin a fulltime art practice. The studio space is located on the same premises as a Youth Art Centre that I founded with my wife. Here, we train young people in arts and crafts. I’ll also be involved with periodic solo and group art exhibitions, both local and international. Long-term, I hope to deepen the global art conversation. My wife and I did a family art experiment with our children that we called “Bonding.” It was on exhibit in November and December of last year, and revealed the role of art as a major element in binding us together as a family. The project has been humbling for my wife and me, as it’s made us understand the deeper meaning of patience, pain, joy, love, freedom and sincerity from watching our 4- and 6-year-olds as they paint along. WA Anne Hevener is editor-in-chief of Watercolor Artist, Pastel Journal and Artists Magazine.

BRAVEROOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Meet the Artist Ibe Ananaba (ibeananabart.com) was born in Belgium and raised in Aba, Nigeria. Ananaba began making art as a child, and later studied fine and applied arts at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, in Nigeria, where he majored in painting and graduated with distinction. He also works as the chief art consultant and coordinator of studio programs for Girl Child Art Foundation. The artist has exhibited in Nigeria, South Africa, Israel, the United States and England. He lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. ArtistsNetwork.com 47

10th ANNUAL

Watermedia Showcase

Beautiful. Meaningful. Well-crafted. These are just a few of the words used by awards juror John Salminen to describe the paintings that make up this year’s winner’s circle. We’re thrilled to present all of the inspiring artwork—four top award winners and five honorable mentions—in this special celebratory feature. By Anne Hevener

BEST OF SHOW

Stephen Zhang

Fire and Metal (watercolor on paper, 30x22)

Plano, Texas

Q What was the inspiration behind

Q Did everything go according

Q What do you most enjoy about

your painting?

to plan?

the watercolor medium?

A As an artist with portraiture as a

A With the painting process I employ,

A I have a special connection with

main focus, I’m constantly looking for people with distinctive individuality. The person in this painting is an artist in Detroit. I met her during a project there and was captivated by her grit, talent and attitude. The title, Fire and Metal, refers to the metalsmithing in the painting, but it also speaks about the artist. It’s a privilege to paint inspiring subjects like her.

there are always going to be many unforeseen happenings. That’s also part of the expectation.

watercolor, since it bridges Eastern and Western artistic traditions. When I paint, I take advantage of the contradictions inherent in the medium—between complexity and simplicity, controlling and letting go, external and internal, permanent and temporary.

Q What was your painting process for the work?

Q What’s most important in making a successful painting?

A To me, a successful painting is the result of a strong desire from within an artist. The artist has to be moved by the subject and then internalize it. When an artist has something personal to say, the artwork has a better chance of affecting others.

A I worked on the composition of the painting first in drawings. Then, painting directly, without a light wash or underpainting, I let the paint flow, and then responded to it accordingly. Because I use calligraphic brushwork, I don’t always cover the entire painting surface; therefore, my paintings contain elements of organic sketches.

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Q What things are influencing your painting lately? A I’m continuously influenced by Chinese Daoism. As I learn more about it, I find new insights and inspiration. Also, I’ve been working on some collaborative projects with people in other creative professions, such as musicians.

“A perfect amalgam of abstraction and representation, Stephen’s painting exhibits the best of both form and content. The painting aesthetic is found in the quality of the mark on the page, and Stephen’s command of the mark is remarkable.” — JOHN SALMINEN

“Mood and atmosphere are what move a painting from simple illustration to the realm of meaningful communication. Jasmine’s beautifully created piece speaks to the heart and invites the viewer to feel the scene, not just see it.” — J.S.

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SECOND PLACE

Jasmine Huang New Taipei City, Taiwan

Q What’s the meaning behind the painting’s title? A The inspiration comes from the aspiration within myself. I believe that when chasing dreams endlessly, an inner force will emerge with the light of hope.

Q Describe your process for painting the work.

A I worked on Arches 140-lb. hotpressed paper. Since the background is painted loosely, I didn’t have to depict too much detail in the focal area. After determining the basic composition of the painting, I allowed the paint to flow freely. During the process, I continuously corrected imperfect forms and lines. Once the bottom layer met my satisfaction, I gradually moved on to the center of interest. Even when working on an area of detail, I always pay attention to its relationship within the whole.

Q Did you encounter many problems while painting it?

A Mature painting techniques come from the accumulation of experience; no one is able to paint a watercolor well at the very beginning. When facing a white sheet of paper, I feel only excitement— not fear. The true fear appears when the painting is about to be completed. At that stage, I’m afraid that a small mistake will ruin all the previous hard work.

Q What do you hope to accomplish in your paintings?

A I want to paint beauty—the kind of beauty that people want to look at over and over again. This kind of beauty cannot be obtained simply by copying a subject. It’s difficult to achieve, but it’s these challenges that fascinate painters. The Light of Hope (watercolor on paper, 14¼x21¼)

Q Do you feel your work has been evolving? If so, how? A Thoughts evolve with age. I’m now 50 and not as impatient as I once was. I’ve learned to reflect on what life gives, and that’s what affects my work. I now focus on striking the interesting balance between abstraction and reality. ArtistsNetwork.com 51

THIRD PLACE

Irena Roman Scituate, Massachusetts

Q What was the inspiration for this painting? A Colin is from an ongoing series, “Second Wind,” that challenges stereotypical views of aging. My goal is to focus on the vitality and creativity of individuals who have developed new creative pursuits after the age of 65. Colin, a retired police officer, is now an antiques dealer with an amazing twostory barn that showcases his collection and exudes personality. The idea for the series came about while I was immersed previously in a still life series featuring vintage glass. Realizing that the glassware was a metaphor for aging, I decided to take a detour and explore narrative, figurative portraits that celebrate the grace and wisdom of those who, through a lifetime of experience, possess a wealth of knowledge.

Q Describe your painting process. A Because I work transparently, I always take time to do thumbnails and value studies before beginning a painting. My work is fairly complex, so I need to have a solid plan. Once I do, I create a very light contour drawing directly on my paper and mask out all areas that need to be saved. I often begin painting with a middle-value, wet-into-wet wash, which is how I created this piece. That wash then serves as a point of reference for the rest of the painting’s values. I prepare my paint by mixing it with water in 8-ounce cups, making sure there will be enough fluid paint handy to cover a large area. When that wash is dry, I remove the masking fluid and begin adding essential details.

Q What kinds of challenges did you encounter?

A When I pour a wash, I never really know if what I’ve mixed will end up being too light or too dark. Too dark might mean I’ll need to start over; too light might mean I’ll need to keep glazing and possibly risk overworking. My initial wash with Colin did dry lighter than I’d hoped, so it took a few more glazes to give it strength.

Q What continues to motivate you creatively?

A Finding subject matter that I love and creating a body of work has always been inspirational to me. Exploring a topic within a series opens up so many possibilities and directions. My goal is to continue letting one series unfold into the next. Whatever is worthy of a closer look will appear at some point.

Q What do you most enjoy about painting in watercolor?

A Edward Hopper once stated, “All I really want to do is paint light on the side of a house.” For me, painting in watercolor is all about channeling radiance. Its transparent nature allows me to access and preserve that exact moment of light when the familiar is transformed into the extraordinary. Interpreting light as glazes of wash is a welcome challenge— a moving target and a lifelong quest.

Colin (watercolor on paper, 21x21)

“The strength of this portrait is in the wealth of prioritized details, all of which add to our understanding of Colin. Color dominance provides visual unity and ties the painting into a cohesive statement. A well-crafted portrait increases our understanding of human nature, and Irena’s painting speaks volumes.” — J.S. ArtistsNetwork.com 53

FOURTH PLACE

Dean Mitchell Tampa, Florida

“A ‘symphony in gray.’ One of Dean’s gifts is his ability to add value to anything he paints. In this case, a mundane building becomes a monument. Finding beauty in the commonplace adds to our awareness and our appreciation of our daily lives.” — J.S.

Q What inspired this painting? A There’s an energy to a city environment that’s different from the rural area in which I grew up. But, as a teenager, I lived in Philadelphia for three or four years, and the urban energy became part of my psyche.

Q What’s most important in making a successful painting?

A What makes a great work of art is an artist’s connection to the work. If there’s no real connection and no real intimacy, it may be a good rendering, but it’s not a good painting. The beauty of art is that it’s elusive.

Q What was your painting process for the piece?

Q What has been influencing your

A I first drew sketches and did quick

work lately?

studies to get familiar with the space, so I’d be able to paint it very rapidly, yet still capture the essence of the forms and energy.

A The news has an effect on me. The

Q Did everything go according to plan?

world at large has an influence on my work and what I’m thinking. I’m constantly observing what’s going on in everyday life and reflecting those ideas in my work.

A You don’t ever know how things

Q What do you love most about

are going to turn out. That’s why I work on watercolor board; if things don’t go well, I can always gesso over it—especially when working in watercolor. It’s such a capricious medium; it changes as I’m painting. It’s like a living organism, and it demands constant decision-making. There are no set rules.

working in watercolor?

A The difficulty of it! I was scared when I first started working with transparent watercolor. It forces you to be totally consumed and immersed in it, because if you’re not, it shows. I like its unpredictability. I like trying to control it and yet not control it. It’s magical, really. Urban Streets of New York (watercolor on board, 15x11)

Juror of Awards John Salminen (johnsalminen.com) is a world-renowned watercolor artist and teacher. A signature member of many art societies, including the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, he has won more than 200 awards in national and international exhibitions. Salminen has exhibited his work in many one-person and small group shows in the United States and has been an invited artist in more than 40 international watercolor exhibitions and small group shows in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Russia, Mexico, Italy, Belgium and Australia. The artist lives in Minnesota with his wife, Kathy.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

Zhou Tianya

Shenzhen City, China Tibetan Old Amah (watercolor on paper, 22x15)

Elaine Daily Birnbaum Madison, Wisconsin

Enough (mixed watermedia on paper, 30x22)

Fang Yi Chen Tainan City, Taiwan

Shirakawago and Gokayama Villages (watercolor on paper, 20x27)

56 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019

William G. Hook Seattle, Washington

Light Rail Construction 1 (gouache on paper, 15x11) WA

Xi Guo

St. Augustine, Florida Tangle No 9 (watercolor on paper, 29x20)

Be a part of next year’s Watermedia Showcase! See page 58 for more information.

ArtistsNetwork.com 57

1 1 T H A N N U A L I N T E R N AT I O N A L

YOUR PAINTING COULD WIN $2,500 AND WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION!

showcase

watermedia

Catapult your best painting

EARLY-BIRD DEADLINE: JULY 1, 2019

into the spotlight by entering the Watermedia Showcase competition. Winners and honorable mentions will experience the joy of seeing their painting in the April 2020 issue of Watercolor Artist.

Best of Show:

$2,500 2nd Place:

$1,250 3rd Place:

$750

Fire and Metal (detail; watercolor on paper, 22x30) by Stephen Zhang

4th Place: $500 Blick gift card 5 Honorable Mentions: $100 Blick gift cards Gift cards courtesy of Watermedia Showcase sponsor:

ENTER BY JULY 1, 2019, FOR YOUR BEST ENTRY PRICE.

The competition is open to artists from around the world. All works must be original. Mixed-media entries are accepted, but the primary medium must be watermedia on paper. There is no limit to the

For a complete list of prizes, categories and entry details, visit:

artistsnetwork.com/art-competitions/watermedia-showcase/

number of entries you may submit. For additional guidelines and to enter online, visit artistsnetwork. com/art-competitions/watermedia-showcase/

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Burning Question

What’s the most important thing for a painter to do to capture the spirit or essence of a human subject?

Bev Jozwiak

Paint shapes, not objects. By that I mean instead of concentrating on “eyes,” “nose” and “mouth,” paint the structure underneath. I like a really strong dramatic light, so I can paint the shadows. I used to worry about a likeness, but when I started painting the big shapes, I found it looked more like my subjects than when I worried about every little detail.

Debra Edgerton

In capturing the essence of a human subject, an artist must have the ability to empathize. I know that sounds a bit cliché, but for me, I need to find a way to take in what I might know about the subject, and then try to reimagine the story that needs to be told or the story I want to tell. If I have that story in my head, then a portion of what I paint evokes both my subject and myself. That kind of personal investment in the work allows the viewer a glimpse into the artist’s vision. That’s where the spirit lies. 60 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019

“Have an emotional connection to your subject,” suggests Bev Jozwiak. For her, that means her subject is often her daughter, a professional dancer, as in Curtain Call (watercolor on paper, 24x22), or her older daughter’s kids. “Anybody who makes you feel something will help the viewer feel something, too,” she says.

Peggi Habets

When painting a human subject, I always try to keep in mind why it is that I’m drawn to this person in the first place and what it is that I want to communicate about them. Remembering my initial inspiration helps me to define what’s most unique or exciting about my subject. Is it the expression on her face? The glint in his eye? The gesture of the body? The subject’s interaction with another person or something else? Keeping these ideas in mind guides many of my decisions throughout the painting.

“

I’ll paint most of the detail on the eyes, because they’re the windows to the soul. — Z.L. FENG

Stan Miller

”

Mark Twain said, “First learn the truth, then dilute it at your leisure.” In painting the human subject, I encourage my students to first learn to draw— to paint the subject as it appears. Once they can accomplish the craft, I then encourage them to interpret. In my own work, I like to seek the soul of my subject by painting the eyes, nose and mouth accurately—with minimal distortions. As I move away from the features into the hair and background, I move toward more abstraction, attempting to communicate the mood through shape, color and energized strokes of paint. In the end, I’m trying to communicate and express what I’m feeling and seeing, as the model’s soul.

Donna Zagotta

For me, the key to expressing the spirit and essence of a figure isn’t about anatomically correct naturalism and carefully rendered facial features; it’s about capturing a gesture, the posture and body language, and then infusing a painting with that figure’s energy and emotion through the creative use of design and composition. ArtistsNetwork.com 61

Creativity Workshop

The gray-toned surface for Pen & Ink (watercolor and white Sharpie on Canson Mi-Teintes paper in steel gray, 7x11) provides a cool tone to the painting.

All Toned Up Try watercolor on a toned surface for a fresh take on creativity. By Brenda Swenson

G

ive yourself permission to try something new, push the boundaries of what you know or break a few so-called rules. I’ve found that the best teacher is exploration, which is why I like to sketch and paint on a variety of papers and surfaces: white and toned (colored), slick and rough, inexpensive and expensive. Some of the papers I’ve used aren’t intended for watercolor— or art. So why use them? Because I’m curious. I’ve found that using the

62 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019

same technique or materials again and again bores me, and boredom is the kiss of death for creativity. When I take a subject I’ve done before and paint it on a different surface, the experience is exciting. Why? Because I’m responding to the surface. It’s like having a new dance partner; you learn to respond to that person’s lead. Lately, I’ve been enamored of using a variety of toned paper for my transparent watercolor work. When I paint on a toned surface using transparent

watercolor, the underlying paper shows through, creating color harmony; it’s similar to how an underpainting impacts paint color. If the paper has a warm tone (yellow or cream), the paint color will appear warmer, as in Siena, Italy (opposite). If the surface has a cool tone (blue or gray), the paint color will appear cooler, as in Pen & Ink (above). For a closer look at how a toned paper impacts paint color, see “Dialing Up the Tone,” on page 64.

TONED PAPERS Working on a surface other than white watercolor-approved paper leads to fresh exploration. I’ve had wonderful results, for example, with Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper; it’s easy to work with and responds similarly to 90-lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. The paper is 98-lb. with a 66 percent rag content, and it’s gelatin sized, making it sturdy. To prevent the paper from buckling, I use less water than I would when working on Arches 140-lb. coldpressed watercolor paper. The paper has two distinct surfaces—one side has a fine grain; the other is honeycomb textured—and comes in 50 pulp-dyed, light-resistant tones. I prefer the textured side, especially in the cream and gray tones. Some papers can be a little more challenging, but are worth exploring.

I discovered Papeterie Saint-Armand’s Canal gray 150-lb. 10x14-inch pad in an art supply store in Santa Fe, N.M. It’s machine-made and comprised of recycled materials—cotton off-cuts from clothing manufacturers—as well as linen, flax straw, jute and sisal. Available in pads or 22x20-inch sheets, it comes in 20 different grades and colors, including cream, gray, beige and black. I love the gray tone and sturdy surface of the pad I purchased, but my first attempt with the paper wasn’t impressive. The colors appeared flat because they soaked deep into the paper, and the paper remained damp too long, making it difficult to get dark darks. I had to dig deep to figure out what approach the paper liked. First, I had to use less water with the paint. Next, I used the tone of the paper as the mid-value. To create whites, I relied on gouache and white pens. To make

On my last trip to Tuscany, I noticed that many of the cafés featured the same raw sienna-colored placemats. I couldn’t resist sketching Siena, Italy (pen, brown marker and gouache on placemat, 10x8) on one. I was surprised by how great the paper was. I wish I had brought some home with me for future sketching endeavors!

dark darks, I turned to Platinum carbon black ink applied with an inexpensive brush. I ended up loving the paper. This kind of problemsolving keeps my work fresh and my creativity thriving. Not all surfaces have to come from an art supply store; I’ve had great success exploring unconventional papers, too. For example, last fall, while teaching a workshop in Tuscany, I noticed that the majority of cafés featured the same color of placemat— a beautiful, warm raw sienna in an approximately 90-lb. smooth texture. During lunch, I often drew on the provided placemat, and I was surprised that the pen glided so well on the surface and that the ink didn’t bleed. The final morning in Siena, I did a quick sketch on it and found that it worked. When I returned home, I pasted it on the last page of my sketchbook.

Castle Green, built in 1898 in Pasadena, Calif., is a large, ornate venue. Due to time constraints, I opted to focus on a small corner of the historic building in Castle Green (watercolor and gouache on Papeterie SaintArmand Canal paper in gray, 11x8). I used toned paper similar in color to the structure. I painted the sky using cobalt blue and white gouache and simplified the foreground trees using burnt sienna, phthalo turquoise and green gold, and finished with red and green architectural accents.

ArtistsNetwork.com 63

Creativity Workshop

WHITE PAINT, MARKERS AND PENS When working on a toned paper, things change drastically. Most notably, we have to rely on white paint or markers for the whites, since the painting surface isn’t white. I imagine a few watercolorists are raising their brows at the thought of adding white to their work. My feeling, though, is that if white was good enough for Sargent, Homer and Turner, then it’s good enough for me. What’s the difference between using gouache and a marker/pen on toned paper? The white PITT by Faber-Castell has a chunky tip and covers well. For fine lines, I use a water-based, extra-fine Sharpie. Both of these are waterproof when dry, which enables me to glaze over white highlights without lifting the white. Gouache, on the other hand, remains water soluble. Painting over an area with gouache will lift up. I keep white gouache (not Chinese white) in a small container with a screw-on lid; it would dry out in a palette. I often use gouache when I want a soft, diffused white in the sky. I add the white into a wet passage of blue and move it around as necessary with a brush. I also use it to cover a large area, but I rarely use it to mix with other colors. Shake up your own watercolor practice by experimenting with toned paper. It will challenge your creativity in the best ways possible. Artist and workshop teacher Brenda Swenson (swensonsart.net) is the author of Keeping a Watercolor Sketchbook and Steps to Success in Watercolor (Artist’s Library). Her paintings and sketches have also been featured in a number of competition art books, including Splash 11, 12, 14 and 19 (North Light Books), as well as many art magazines. An active participant in the arts community, Swenson has served on the boards of directors for both National Watercolor Society and Watercolor West.

64 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019

Dialing Up the Tone Toned Papers Here are five of my go-to papers. Left to right: Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper: eggshell, champagne, flannel gray, steel gray; Papeterie SaintArmand Canal in gray

It’s All in the Tone While colors don’t change dramatically on a toned surface, they do become warmer, cooler or duller based on the tone. Top to bottom: Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper in eggshell, champagne, flannel gray, steel gray; Papeterie SaintArmand Canal in gray

Making the Mark Here are a few of my go-to implements when adding white or dimension to toned paper. From upper left: permanent white gouache; Faber-Castell white PITT pen; waterbased, extra fine white Sharpie; Platinum carbon black ink; Pilot Namiki fountain pen; and brown Stabilo pen.

demo

Go for Gray

Reference

Sketch and Highlights

Because this antique shop still life featured mostly cool undertones, I knew I could rely on Canson Mi-Teintes steel gray paper for the main subject—the kettles and cups.

I drew the reference scene on Canson Mi-Teintes gray paper using a 2B pencil. Next, I defined the highlights using the Faber-Castell PITT artists pen in white.

Try this at home CREATE A PAINTING ON TONED PAPER. Send a JPEG (with a resolution of 72 dpi) of your finished painting to [email protected] with “Creativity Workshop” in the subject line—or follow @artistsnetwork on Instagram and share your painting there: #everywatercolor_tonedpaper. The “editor’s choice” will receive a one-year subscription to Watercolor Artist. The entry deadline is April 15, 2019.

Final I painted the kettles using a light glaze of cobalt blue. Beneath them, I used a dark value mixture of French ultramarine and lunar black to define the ledge. I then painted above and around the kettles using green gold and a touch of lunar black. I added the final touches on the handles and the dark accents using burnt sienna and lunar black for Kettles & Cups (watercolor and pen on paper, 9x11). WA

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artist’s marketplace WORKSHOPS ALABAMA Huntsville Museum of Art 4/5-4/6/19, Huntsville. Lynnette Hesser & Steve Loucks, Ceramics: Serve with Finesse. 5/16-5/19/19, Huntsville. Robert K. Carsten, PSA-MP, IAPS-MC, CPS, Power of the Pastel Landscape. 9/23-9/27/19, Huntsville. Brian Bomeisler, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. 9/28-9/30/19, Huntsville. Brian Bomeisler, Intensive Painting/ Color based on the publication by Dr. Betty Edward, Color: A course in mastering the art of mixing colors. 10/7-10/10/19, Huntsville. Tony Couch, Watercolor Painting. 11/7-11/10/19, Huntsville. Qiang Huang, Painting Dramatic Oil Landscapes. Contact: Laura E. Smith, Director of Education/Museum Academy, 256/535-6372 [email protected] or hsvmuseum.org

ARIZONA Karlyn’s Gallery 12/2-12/6/19, Tucson. Tanque Verde Ranch. Contact: MISA, 715/747-2054, [email protected]

Jan Sitts AS OTHER ART ORGANIZATIONS CONTACT ME, I WILL POST PROPOSED DATES FOR UPCOMING CLASSES. 5/6-5/8/19 and 11/4-11/6/19, Sedona. Sedona Arts Center. Contact: Jennifer, 928/282-3809

Eric Wiegardt, AWS-DF, NWS 3/4-3/8/19, Scottsdale. Wiegardt’s Painterly Watercolors. Contact: Scottsdale Artists’ School, Trudy Hays, 480/990-1422 [email protected]

CALIFORNIA Art In The Mountains 3/25-3/27/19, Dana Point. Painting the Portrait and the Figure. Watercolor - studio. All levels welcome. Live Models - fee included. 4/24-4/26/19 and 4/28-4/30/19, Santa Barbara (moved from San Antonio). Alvaro Castagnet, The Pillars of Watercolor. Watercolor - plein air - intermediate to advanced outdoor painters. 9/9-9/13/19, Santa Barbara. David Taylor, Moving Forward and Capturing the Moment. Watercolor - plein air, intermediate to advanced. Contact: Tracy Culbertson, 503/930-4572 [email protected] or www.artinthemountains.com

Tony Couch, AWS

RIVERSIDE ART WORKSHOPS 2019

3/4-3/7/19, Cambria. Contact: 678/513-6676, [email protected]

Idyllwild Arts Summer Program Join us for Metals and Jewelry workshops during Metals Week 2019! Also, a variety of workshops in Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Ceramics, Mixed Media, Sculpture, Glass Blowing, Book Arts, Textiles, Native American Arts, and more. Located in the beautiful mountains of Southern California. Established in 1950. Contact: 951/468-7265, [email protected] or www.idyllwildarts.org/adultarts

Tom Lynch

Breathtaking Views of The Hudson River

11/13-11/16/19, San Diego. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

Eric Wiegardt, AWS-DF, NWS

Small & Friendly Classes Kathie George .......................... 5/7-5/9 Nicki Heenan ........................ 5/14-5/17 *Peggi Habets ...... 6/4-6/7 & 6/10-6/13 Jean Pederson ..................... 6/18-6/21 Janet Rogers ........................ 6/26-6/28 *Fabio Cembranelli ................ 7/9-7/12 Giuliano Boscaini ................. 7/23-7/26 Ritvik Sharma .......................... 8/3-8/4 *Herman Pekel..................... 8/12-8/15 Ryan Fox .............................. 8/26-8/28 Rick Surowicz ...................... 9/10-9/12 Michael Reardon .................. 9/25-9/27 *Andy Evansen ................ 10/22-10/25 Average class size 8-12 students. * is full. Newburgh, NY 845-787-4167 [email protected]

66 Watercolor artist

| APRIL 2019

3/26-3/29/19, Palm Desert. Wiegardt’s Painterly Watercolors. Contact: CREATE Center for the Arts, Savannah Carlin, 760/834-8318, [email protected] or www.CREATEcenterforthearts.org

COLORADO Jan Sitts June or July 2019, Gunnison Art Center. Dates TBA.

FLORIDA Robert Burridge 2/9-2/10/19, Sarasota. Abstract Acrylic Painting & Collage. 2-day Painting Workshop (Saturday-Sunday). Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236. Contact: Elizabeth Goodwill, Education Director 941/365-2032, [email protected] or www.artsarasota.org 2/27-3/2/19, The Villages. Abstract Acrylic Painting & Collage. 4-day Painting Workshop (Wednesday-Saturday). Contact: Bev Hennessy, 352/572-5317, [email protected]

Jaimie Cordero 2/8-2/9/19, Pinecrest. “Light & Shadow for Sun Lovers”. 2-Day Workshop with Photography tips, Composition strengthening, Plein air sketching, and Color Layering in Watercolor. 9/9-9/10/19, Pinecrest. “Tropical Florals in Light & Shadow”. 2-Day Workshop featuring dazzling tropical plants in Watercolor. Contact: Jaimie, 786/303-5293, [email protected]

Tony Couch, AWS 2/25-2/28/19, Punta Gorda. Contact: 678/513-6676, [email protected]

artist’s marketplace Karlyn’s Gallery 2/18-2/21/19, The Villages. Contact: Bev Hennessey, [email protected] 2/25-2/27/19, Ocala. Contact: Sue Primeau, [email protected] 3/8-3/10/19, Citrus. Citrus Watercolor Society. March 8th is a demo. The two day workshop runs March 9-10. Contact: Kim Schied, [email protected] www.citruswatercolorsociety.org

Tom Lynch 2/25-3/1/19, Pensacola. 3/5-3/8/19, Punta Gorda. 3/14-3/16/19, Lake Park. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

Vladislav Yeliseyev AIS, NWS 4/25-4/28/19, Atlanta Watercolor Workshop. Contact: 404/237-2324, [email protected] or www.atlantaartistscenter.org

MICHIGAN

INDIANA

7/17-7/20/19, Lowell. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

Iain Stewart

Tony Couch, AWS

2/16-2/18/19, Naples. Plein Air Workshop. 3/23-3/25/19, Sarasota. Plein Air Workshop. Contact: Marina, 941/330-6865 [email protected] or www.yeliseyevfineart.com 3/27/19, Bradenton. Keeton’s Art Supply. One day Watercolor workshops. Contact: 941/747-2995

GEORGIA Robert Burridge 4/1-4/5/19, Norcross. Larger & Looser! 5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday). Kudzu Art Zone. Contact: Kathy Kitz, Workshop Coordinator 770/263-7832, [email protected] or www.kudzuartzone.org

Jaimie Cordero 9/5-9/7/19, St. Marys. “Celebrating the Light & Shadow of St. Marys”. 3-Day Workshop with Photography tips, Composition

Tom Lynch

Vladislav Yeliseyev AIS, NWS

LOUISIANA

Vladislav Yeliseyev AIS, NWS

5/20-5/23/19, Newton. Sketching on Location. Contact: Newton Watercolor Society, [email protected]

6/4-6/7/19, Boise. Idaho Watercolor Society. Contact: zduffi[email protected]

2/18-2/21/19, Punta Gorda. Visual Arts Center. Contact: Kimberly, 941/639-8810

3/18-3/22/19, Victorian Fernandina. Painting fun on sunny Amelia Island. Stately homes with moss-draped oaks plus a harbor, boats and rickety docks. Demonstrations, lots of individual painting time and assistance. Work in watercolor or acrylics. Contact: www.vanhasseltworkshops.com

Iain Stewart

Iain Stewart

Jan Sitts

Tony van Hasselt, A.W.S.

MASSACHUSETTS

IDAHO

5/9-5/11/19, Carmel. Watercolor workshop at Carmel Art Education Studio. Contact: [email protected]

3/11-3/14/19, Miami. Contact: Miami Watercolor Society, miamiwatercolor.org

farmers market, lighthouse and more. Demonstrations, lots of individual painting time and assistance. Work in watercolor or acrylics. Contact: www.vanhasseltworkshops.com

strengthening, Plein air sketching, and Color Layering in Watercolor. Contact: Jaimie, 786/303-5293, [email protected]

Chris Unwin Watercolor Workshop Weekly on Wednesdays. West Bloomfield, MI 48322 Contact: Chris Unwin, 248/624-4902 [email protected] or www.ChrisUnwin.net

4/15-4/18/19, New Orleans. Contact: 678/513-6676, [email protected]

MISSOURI

Tom Lynch

Tony Couch, AWS

6/4-6/7/19, Metairie. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

5/6-5/9/19, Branson. Contact: 678/513-6676, [email protected]

NEVADA

MAINE

Tom Lynch

Marjorie Glick

8/13-8/19/19, Reno. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

6/16-6/21/19, Stonington. Watercolor Plein Air: Color and Light. This magical coastal landscape is an artists’ paradise! Stretch your perception of how you see, think about, and paint the landscape by learning new ways of interpreting it with color and composition. Express your ideas using watercolor’s elusive qualities of spontaneity and transparency. Expand what you know through individual mentoring. Daily demonstrations, ample time for painting, individual guidance and critiques are included. Stonington, Maine is 90 minutes by car from Bangor, Maine airport. Contact: www.marjorieglick.com

Tony van Hasselt, A.W.S. 7/29-8/2/19, Belfast. Five days of plein air fun, exploring this teaming coastal harbor and enjoying the charm of Victorian Bayside. Subjects galore. Demonstrations, lots of individual painting time and assistance. Work in watercolor or acrylics. Contact: www.vanhasseltworkshops.com 9/16-9/20/19, Boothbay Harbor. Let Tony show you favorite spots in his own “backyard”. Coastal scenes, rickety docks, a

NEW YORK Robert Burridge 5/20-5/24/19, Greenville. Contemporary Abstract Figure Painting & Collage. 5-day Painting Workshop (MondayFriday). Hudson River Valley Art Workshop. Contact: Kim LaPolla, 518/966-5219 or 888/665-0044, PO Box 659, Greenville, NY 12083 www.artworkshops.com

Tony Couch, AWS 7/15-7/17/19, Elmira. Contact: 678/513-6676, [email protected]

Hudson River Valley Art Workshops 3/17-3/23/19, Kellee Wynne Conrad. 3/27-3/31/19, Patti Mollica. 3/31-4/6/19, Alain Picard. 4/10-4/14/19, Alvaro Castagnet.

I D Y L L W I L D   A R T S

PAINTING & DRAWING WORKSHOPS

MARGARET SCANLAN, ROBIN'S WINDOW, WATERCOLOR

2019 FACULTY • Bill Cramer • Robert Dvorák • David Reid-Marr • Margaret Scanlan • and more!

Register Now! [email protected] 951.468.7265 idyllwildarts.org/register

ArtistsNetwork.com 67

artist’s marketplace

[email protected] 630-851-2652 www.tomlynch.com 2019 WORKSHOPS

ROBERT BURRIDGE

• Burridge Studio App • Free Online Newsletter • Free Weekly BobBlast • Current Workshop Schedule • Workshops in Bob's Studio

February 9 – 16 Feb 25 – March 1 March 5 – 8 March 14 – 16 June 4 – 7 June 17 – 20 June 22 – 24 July 17 – 20 August 13 – 19 September 9 – 13 September 27 – 29 October Dates TBD November 13 – 16

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Pensacola, FL Punta Gorda, FL Lake Park, FL Metairie, LA Fredericksburg, VA Studio Fredericksburg, VA Plein Air Lowell, MI Reno, NV Ingram, TX Spokane, WA Italy (Venice-Tuscany/Florence) 2 Weeks Plein Air San Diego, CA

Available For Workshops In Your Area

4/14-4/18/19, Howard Rose. 5/5-5/11/19, Koo Schadler. 5/15-5/19/19, Barbara Nechis. 5/19-5/25/19, Robert Burridge. 6/2-6/8/19, Jane Davies. 6/9-6/15/19, Leah Lopez. 6/23-6/29/19, Paul Leveille. 6/30-7/6/19, Michael Solovyev. 7/7-7/13/19, Debora Stewart. 7/14-7/20/19, Kim English. 7/21-7/27/19, Sally Strand. 7/28-8/3/19, Michael Story. 8/4-8/10/19, David Daniels. 9/1-9/7/19, Retreat Week. 9/8-9/14/19, Margaret Dyer. 9/15-9/21/19, David Taylor. 9/22-9/28/19, John MacDonald. Contact: 888/665-0044 [email protected] or www.artworkshops.com

Riverside Art Workshops Breathtaking Views of The Hudson River. 5/7-5/9/19, Newburgh. Kathie George. 5/14-5/17/19, Newburgh. Nicki Heenan. 6/4-6/7/19, Newburgh. Peggi Habets*. 6/10-6/13/19, Newburgh. Peggi Habets*. 6/18-6/21/19, Newburgh. Jean Pederson. 6/26-6/28/19, Newburgh. Janet Rogers. 7/9-7/12/19, Newburgh. Fabio Cembranelli*. 7/23-7/26/19, Newburgh. Giuliano Boscaini. 8/3-8/4/19, Newburgh. Ritvik Sharma. 8/12-8/15/19, Newburgh. Herman Pekel*. 8/26-8/28/19, Newburgh. Ryan Fox. 9/10-9/12/19, Newburgh. Rick Surowicz. 9/25-9/27/19, Newburgh. Michael Reardon. 10/22-10/25/19, Newburgh. Andy Evansen*. Average class size 8-12 students. * is full. Contact: 845/787-4167, [email protected]

NORTH CAROLINA Robert Burridge

RobertBurridge.com

Visit www.ArtAcademyLive.com Your Online Source For Art Instruction 24/7

2/22-2/24/19, Lincolnton. Loosen Up with Aquamedia Painting. 3-day Painting Workshop (Friday-Sunday). Donna Downey Studios, 109 Saddletree Road, Lincolnton, NC 28092 Contact: Donna Downey, 704/240-8076 [email protected] 8/5-8/9/19, Boone. Abstract Acrylic Painting & Collage. 5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday). Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. Contact: Edwina May, Workshop Coordinator 800/227-2788 or www.cheapjoes.com

John C. Campbell Folk School 2/15-2/17/19, Virginia Urani, Get Your Feet Wet with Watercolor. $354. 2/24-3/2/19, Pebbie Mott, Painting in Acrylics. $630. 3/8-3/10/19, Jane Voorhees, The Art of Sketching: Adding Excitement to Your Drawing Practice. $354. 3/24-3/29/19, Gay Bryant, Watercolor I. $564. 4/7-4/13/19, Mary Jane Volkmann, Painting the World Around Us. $630. 4/28-5/4/19, Redenta Soprano, Botanical Watercolor – Blooms in Spring. $630. 5/12-5/17/19, Joseph Synan, Dive into the Water…Colors! $564. 5/26-6/1/19, Vicky Luffman, The Joy of Silk Painting. $630. 6/9-6/15/19, Melody Boggs, Old Masters Style of Oil Painting. $630. Contact: John C. Campbell Folk School Brasstown, NC 800-FOLK-SCH or www.folkschool.org

Tony Couch, AWS 3/25-3/28/19, New Bern. 6/25-6/27/19, Hickory. Contact: 678/513-6676, [email protected]

Kanuga Watermedia Workshops

SPRINGMAID MOUNTAIN 2019 Watermedia Workshops

Mark E. Mehaffey Plein Air 6/2–6/7

Ted Nuttall

TONY

My 2019

BOOKS AND DVD’S

VAN HASSELT

A W S

Watercolor Workshops

Mar: Victorian Amelia Island, FL May: Discover Andalusian Spain Jul-Aug: Belfast & Bayside, ME Sept: My Boothbay Harbor, ME

vanhasseltworkshops.com

68 Watercolor artist

| APRIL 2019

Still Life 9/8–9/13 Portraits 9/15–9/20

Linda Daly Baker Master Mentoring 9/22–9/27 SpringmaidMountain.com (828) 765-2353

3/30-4/5/19, Hendersonville. Held at the Kanuga Conference Center in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, we offer 5 full days of instruction featuring 12 award-winning instructors. Painting is always a learning experience. Our goal is to help painters sharpen their critical awareness and discover painting gratification. Class sizes range from 12 to a maximum of 24 students, and each student selects one instructor for the entire week. We also have Independent Studios for those who wish to paint on their own. Meals and lodging are included. (Commuter option available.) Contact: 615/202-0281, [email protected] or www.kanugawatermediaworkshops.com

Jan Sitts 11/11-11/14/20, Matthew. Award Winning Artist Workshop. Contact: 704/607-6046, [email protected]

Springmaid Mountain 6/2-6/7/19, Mark E. Mehaffey, Plein Air. 9/8-9/13/19, Ted Nuttall, Still Life. 9/15-9/20/19, Ted Nuttall, Portraits. 9/22-9/27/19, Linda Daly Baker, Master Mentoring. Contact: 828/765-2353 [email protected]

NORTH DAKOTA Iain Stewart 6/17-6/21/19, Fargo. Contact: Red River Watercolor Society, RRWS National Exhibition Workshop Chair, Shanna Cramer, 218/790-3320 or www.redriverws.org

artist’s marketplace OREGON Art In The Mountains 7/29-8/2/19 and 8/5-8/9/19, Bend. Herman Pekel, Be Brave and Have Fun. Studio and plein air- watercolor. All levels welcome. 8/12-8/16/19, Bend. Iain Stewart, Sketchbook to Studio. Watercolor - studio. All levels welcome. 8/19-8/23/19, Bend. Chinmaya Panda, Portrait and Figure in Watercolor. Watercolor - studio. All levels welcome. 8/26-8/30/19, Bend. Michael Reardon, Watercolor Techniques. Watercolor - studio. All levels welcome - some experience helpful. Contact: Tracy Culbertson, 503/930-4572 [email protected] or www.artinthemountains.com

SOUTH CAROLINA Art In The Mountains 7/9-7/11/19, Greenville. Mary Whyte, Painting the Portrait and the Figure. Watercolor - studio. All levels welcome. Contact: Tracy Culbertson, 503/930-4572 [email protected] or www.artinthemountains.com

TEXAS Robert Burridge 4/15/19, Granbury. Postmodern Collage Painting. 5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday). Lake Granbury Art Association. 4/22/19, Granbury. Loosen Up, Fix & Finish! 5-day Workshop (Monday-Friday). Lake Granbury Art Association. Contact: Dr. Diana Littlejohn, 817/326-5629 or [email protected]

Tom Lynch 9/9-9/13/19, Ingram. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

Jan Sitts 2019, Flower Mound. Dates TBA. Contact: [email protected] 10/1-10/4/19, Lake Granbury Art Association. Contact: Diana, 817/578-1842

Texas Watercolor Society 5/29-5/31/19, San Antonio. Carol Carter, Watercolor From The Heart. Come and learn new and exciting ways to express yourself through watercolor. Contact: [email protected]

VIRGINIA Tom Lynch 6/17-6/20/19, Fredericksburg. Studio. 6/22-6/24/19, Fredericksburg. Plein Air. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

WASHINGTON Tom Lynch 9/27-9/29/19, Spokane. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

Jan Sitts 9/5-9/8/19, Coupeville. Pacific Northwest Art School. Contact: Lisa Bernhardt, 360/678-3396 9/13-9/15/19, Vancouver. Treesong Nature Awareness and Retreat Center. Contact: Linda Lee, 978/618-3990

Eric Wiegardt, AWS-DF, NWS 4/9-4/12/19, Spokane. Wiegardt’s Painterly Watercolors. Contact: Spokane Art Supply, Victor Davis, 509/327-6628 [email protected] 4/25-4/28/19, Bainbridge Island. Wiegardt’s Painterly Watercolors. Contact: Winslow Art Center, Martha Jordan, 206/715-6663 [email protected]

WEST VIRGINIA Jaimie Cordero 5/2-5/4/19, Hedgesville. “Celebrate Spring in Watercolor”. 3-Day Workshop celebrating the colors of Spring, includes photo tips, Color Layering, Plein Air Sketching. Contact: Jaimie, 786/303-5293, [email protected]

WISCONSIN Karlyn’s Gallery 6/11-6/14/19, Washburn. Karlyn’s Gallery. $395. 6/25-6/28/19, Washburn. Karlyn’s Gallery. $395. 7/9-7/12/19, Washburn. Karlyn’s Gallery. $395. 7/23-7/26/19, Washburn. Karlyn’s Gallery. $395. 8/6-8/9/19, Washburn. Karlyn’s Gallery. $395. 8/20-8/23/19, Washburn. Karlyn’s Gallery. $395. 10/8-10/11/19, Washburn. Karlyn’s Gallery. $395. Contact: 715/373-2922, [email protected]

Jan Sitts 6/9-6/12/19, Lac du Flambeau. Dillmans Creative Art Retreat. Contact: Sue

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HUDSON RIVER VALLEY ART WORKSHOPS Learning, Laughter, and Friendships in an Inspiring, & Inviting Environment

Call Toll-Free 1-888-665-0044 Kellee Wynne Conrad Mar 17-23, 2019 Patti Mollica Mar 27-31, 2019 Alain Picard Mar 31-Apr 6, 2019 Alvaro Castagnet Apr 10-14, 2019 Howard Rose Apr 14-18, 2019 Koo Schadler May 5-11, 2019 Barbara Nechis May 15-19, 2019 Robert Burridge May 19-25, 2019 Jane Davies Jun 2-8, 2019 Leah Lopez Jun 9-15, 2019 Paul Leveille Jun 23-29, 2019 Michael Solovyev Jun 30-Jul 6, 2019 Debora Stewart Jul 7-13, 2019 Kim English Jul 14-20, 2019 Sally Strand Jul 21-27, 2019 Michael Story Jul 28-Aug 3, 2019 David Daniels Aug 4-10, 2019 Retreat Week Sep 1-7, 2019 Margaret Dyer Sep 8-14, 2019 David Taylor Sep 15-21, 2019 John MacDonald Sep 22-28, 2019

artworkshops.com

Bev Jozwiak, AWS, NWS

New Workshop DVD One of Eight

Start to Finish Lessons in Bev’s

Step by

Step 4 day Video On 4 DVDs

AMother’s Love

Alexis Lavine, NWS Nita Engle, AWS See 8 Minute Segments of Bev’s, Lexie’s & Nita’s 4 day long Workshop Videos

Order info for Books & Videos WWW.ChrisUnwin.Net ArtistsNetwork.com 69

artist’s marketplace INTERNATIONAL CANADA Robert Burridge 5/6-5/10/19, Calgary, Alberta. Postmodern Polyptych Painting. 4-day Workshop (Wednesday-Saturday). Leading Edge Art Workshops. Contact: Louise Hall, 403/233-7389 [email protected] or www.greatartworkshops.com

CROATIA Vladislav Yeliseyev AIS, NWS 6/6-6/13/19, Painting Vacation in Croatia. Artists dream vacation! Majestic scenes of courtyards, quaint villages, old stone buildings, olives on the trees, and small fishing boats - just a few subjects to name. Discount for early bird registration is till 11/30/2018. Contact: Marina, 941/330-6865 [email protected] or www.yeliseyevfineart.com

EUROPE Art In The Mountains 10/20-11/8/19, Karlyn Holman, 9 Countries from Denmark to New Orleans. Painting days are ‘at sea’ days only. Contact: Tracy Culbertson, 503/930-4572 [email protected] or www.artinthemountains.com

modern first class lodging accommodations while retaining an old-world authenticity. We will paint daily, either on site or on short field trips to view charming villages, olive groves and the beautiful, romantic Tuscan country- side. The workshop is offered through Il Chiostro. Artists of all levels and mediums are welcome and will leave enriched by this experience. Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

Yuki Hall, OWS, WPA and Diana Marra 9/27-10/4/19, Tuscany. Yuki Hall, OWS, WPA & Diana Marra, Painting Under The Tuscan Sun. Watercolor painting, sketching and Chinese brush painting. Join us for a magical painting and touring adventure in Tuscany! We will be staying in a beautiful 16th -century renovated family-owned farmhouse with its history and winery. The farm house, surrounded by grape vines and olive trees, is perched 1,300 feet above sea level and has a spectacular view. You will be painting and sketching in watercolor as well as learning Chinese brush painting. Our week in Tuscany will include fantastic excursions; Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Montalcino, with guided tour and private transportation, as well as a wine tour with wine tasting. You will enjoy authentic Tuscan cuisine prepared with care and excellent fresh ingredients. We will paint daily on site or at the farmhouse. All levels are welcome. Contact: yukihallfi[email protected] or www.yukihallfineart.com

FRANCE

Karlyn’s Gallery

Art In The Mountains

5/6-5/17/19, Southern Italy. Join Karlyn and Bonnie Broitzman on a trip to Southern Italy with Giuseppe Rossi to the areas of Puglia and Basilicata. Contact: 715/373-2922, [email protected]

6/10-6/14/19, Paris. Herman Pekel, watercolor- plein air intermediate to advanced. Contact: Tracy Culbertson, 503/930-4572 [email protected] or www.artinthemountains.com

Marjorie Glick 8/30-9/6/20, Giverny. (Tentative) Concord Art. Contact: www.marjorieglick.com

Iain Stewart 9/1-9/8/19, Sketching Mediterranean Villages-South of France. Contact: 510/483-5713, [email protected] or www.frenchescapade.com

ITALY Marjorie Glick/Il Chiostro TBD Tuscany. This will be a relaxing and inspiring painting workshop and artists’ re-treat in the Chianti Region of Tuscany, Italy. We will stay in an authentic 12th century monastery, San Fedele, which has been recently restored to

The Watermill at Posara, Lunigiana, Tuscany The 2019 painting tutors at the Watermill are: 4/27-5/4/19, Watercolours with Paul Talbot-Greaves (from UK). 5/18-5/25/19, Watercolours with Keiko Tanabe (from Japan). 6/1-6/8/19, Watercolours with Sandra Strohschein 1 (from USA). 6/8-6/15/19, Watercolours with Sandra Strohschein 2 (from USA). 6/22-6/29/19, Oils and watercolours with Vicki Norman (from UK). 6/29-7/6/19, Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics) with Mike Willdridge (from UK). 7/13-7/20/19, Watercolours, pastels, collage and mixed media plus acrylics with Sue Ford (from UK).

8/17-8/24/19, Watercolours, acrylics and oils with Jude Scott 1 (from Australia). 8/24-8/31/19, Watercolours, acrylics and oils with Jude Scott 2 (from Australia). 8/31-9/7/19, Water-based oils, acrylics and watercolours with Varvara Neiman (from UK). 9/14-9/21/19, Watercolours (and oils and acrylics) with Claire Warner (from UK). 9/21-9/28/19, Oils, acrylics, pastels and drawing mediums with Maggie Renner Hellmann (from USA). 9/28-10/5/19, Watercolours, acrylics and oils with Charles Sluga (from Australia). 10/5-10/12/19, Watercolours with Tim Wilmot (from the UK). 10/12-10/19/19, Watercolours with David Taylor (from Australia). Contact: Bill or Lois on [email protected] or phone +39 327 379 9178. More details at https://watermill.net

MEXICO Robert Burridge 3/10-3/16/19, San Miguel De Allende. Abstract Acrylic Painting & Collage Workshop in Mexico. Contact: Flying Colors, 858/518-0949 [email protected] or www.FlyingColorsArt.com

Tom Lynch 2/9-2/16/19, Puerto Vallarta. Contact: 630/851-2652 [email protected] or www.TomLynch.com

RUSSIA Vladislav Yeliseyev AIS, NWS 6/20-6/30/19, Painting and Cultural Vacation in Moscow and Golden Ring Cities: Vladimir, Suzdal, Plyos and more. Discount for early bird registration is till 11/30/2018. Contact: Marina, 941/330-6865 [email protected] or www.yeliseyevfineart.com

SPAIN Karlyn’s Gallery 9/5-9/21/19, La Finca del Nino. Karlyn and Bonnie Broitzman. A full two weeks of painting and sharing great food and friendship. Contact: 715/373-2922, [email protected]

Tony van Hasselt, A.W.S. 4/30-5/10/19, Seville and Andalusia. Come sketch or paint in a place that takes your breath away. Zahara de la Sierra is one of the most picturesque white pueblos in the area. Start a

Inspiring painting holidays in rural Tuscany IUUQTwatermill.net

“Our best holiday ever!” MARJORIE GLICK

We offer stimulating, fun-filled courses with acclaimed tutors based in a beautiful setting in unspoilt Italy.

watercolor workshops 2019/2020 focusing on dynamic color and light

Weeklong classes in painting, drawing, mixed media and more.

coastal maine, giverny, france and tuscany, italy see website for info and dates:

www.marjorieglick.com

JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL Email: [email protected] Call Bill or Lois: +39 




folkschool.org BRASSTOWN

1-800-FOLK-SCH NORTH CAROLINA

Jeanne Carbonetti

Cambria CA, March 4-7 Branson MO, May 6-9 New Bern NC, March 25-28 Hickory NC, June 25-27 New Orleans LA, April 15-18 Elmira NY, July 15-17 Available for a workshop at your location

70 Watercolor artist

| APRIL 2019

Expanded Website Featuring Sales Gallery for Watercolor Paintings Store for Books, DVDs & Prints www.crowhillgallery.com 802-875-3763

Master Artist Workshops Huntsville, AL | 256.535. | hsvmuseum.org

Painting Under the Tuscan Sun Sep 27 ~ Oct 4, 2019

Yuki Hall and Diana Marra 937.679.2464 | [email protected] www.yukihallfineart.com | www.dianamarra.com

artist’s marketplace sketchbook journal and work based on the drawings or paint right on location. Demonstrations, lots of painting time and assistance. Contact: www.vanhasseltworkshops.com

Eric Wiegardt, AWS-DF, NWS 9/14-9/28/19, Barcelona & Costa Brava. Watercolor Plein Air Workshop. Contact: Wiegardt Studio Gallery, 360/665-5976 [email protected]

Vladislav Yeliseyev AIS, NWS 5/27-6/3/19, Painting vacation in Spain. Don’t Be a Tourist. Be our Guest! Join me for 8 unforgettable days in Costa Brava. Discount for early bird registration is till 11/30/2018. Contact: French Escapade, 510/483-5713 [email protected] or www.frenchescapade.com

CRUISE Karlyn’s Gallery 10/20-11/8/19. Copenhagen, Denmark to New Orleans, USA. Trans-atlantic cruise on Norwegian Star Cruise. Contact: Art in the Mountains, 503/930-4572 [email protected]

ADVERTISER’S INDEX Acorn Stairlifts ................................................9 Aquarelle Studios And Galleries..................71 Art Guild Of Louisiana ..................................71 Art In The Mountains ...................................69 Blick Art Materials ....................................... BC Canson ........................................................ IFC Creative Art Workshops ..............................69 Crow Hill Gallery ..........................................70 F+W ................................................. 9, 10, 18, 58 Firststreet .................................................19, 59 Gibson County Visual Arts Association .....71 Hahnemuhle USA .......................................... 7 Hearing Help Express ...................................15 Hudson River Valley.....................................69 Huntsville Museum Of Art...........................70 Iain Stewart Watercolors .............................71 Idyllwild Arts ................................................. 67 Illinois Watercolor Society ...........................71 Jan Sitts ..........................................................71 Jerry’s Artarama ............................................ 5 John C. Campbell Folk School ....................70 Kanuga .........................................................66 Karlyn’s Gallery ............................................66 Legion Paper .............................................. IBC Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum ........71 Marguerite Meyerson ..................................66 Marjorie Glick ...............................................70 National Watercolor Society .......................71 Pennsylvania Watercolor Society ...............71 Pikes Peak Watercolor Society ....................71 Renaissance School of Art..........................69 Robert Burridge Studio .............................. 68 Safe Step Walk-In Tub Co.............................13 Savoir Faire .....................................................3 Society of Watercolor Artists.......................71 Terry Patterson............................................ 68 Texas Watercolor Society ............................71 Tom Lynch.................................................... 68 Tony Couch...................................................70 Tony van Hasselt ......................................... 68 Valley Arts Foundation ................................71 Watermill, The ..............................................70 Wiegardt Gallery ........................................ 68 Yuki Hall Fine Art ..........................................70

CALL FOR ENTRIES DEADLINE: MARCH 4, 2019 Gibson Co Visual Arts Association, 18th GCVAA National Juried Exhibition, Trenton, TN. $2,200 Cash Awards. Juror-Rose Edin AWS-NWS-TWSA / Workshop April 29 May 3, 2019. Online prospectus: www.gcvaa.org. Submit digital entries to [email protected]. All 2-D media accepted; no photography. Exhibition 731/784-4120 / 731/352-5852 Workshop.

Jan Sitts Mixed Media Workshops

DEADLINE: MARCH 10, 2019 Society of Watercolor Artists International Watermedia Juried Exhibit. Awards-$5,000. Juror & workshop-Iain Stewart. Exhibit at Atrium Gallery FWCL in Fort Worth, Texas, April 14 May 19, 2019. For more entry info: swawatercolor.com or email exhibit chair: [email protected]

DEADLINE: MARCH 31, 2019 The Pikes Peak Watercolor Society presents International Watermedia 2019. Juror: Martha Mans AWS, NWS. Show Dates: June 3 - July 30, 2019 at the Pikes Peak Library District, Library 21c. Best of show $2,000. Additional cash and prizes. On line entries only at Café http://callforentry.org, apply to callsPPWS International Watermedia 2019.

Texture, Color Feeling Book available [email protected]  www.jansitts.com

DEADLINE: APRIL 15, 2019 8th Annual Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition, June 16 - July 21, 2019, $5,800 in awards, Mick McAndrews judge of awards. Prospectus: valleyartsvt.com, Email request: [email protected], Information: Gary Eckhart fi[email protected], enter at: artshowmanager.com

DEADLINE: APRIL 22, 2019 The Woodson Art Museum is accepting submissions to the annual juried Birds in Art exhibition, September 7 - December 1, 2019. All works must interpret birds and related subject matter. Processing fee: $55 for one entry; $65 for two entries. Postmark and online submission deadline for entry form, digital image, and processing fee April 22, 2019. For prospectus/entry form, visit www.lywam.org/2019-prospectus; call 715/845-7010; email [email protected] or write 700 N 12th St., Wausau, WI 54403-5007.

DEADLINE: APRIL 26, 2019 Texas Watercolor Society, 70th Annual National Exhibit, May 29 - August 15, 2019. $7,000 Total Cash Awards, $1,500 Best of Show. Juror & Workshop instructor Carol Carter (see workshop). Prospectus: TexasWatercolorSociety.org

DEADLINE: MAY 10, 2019 National Watercolor Society 99th International Open Exhibition. Submissions: April 8 - May 10, 2019. Digital Entries Open 4/8/19 Noon EST. Entries Close 5/10/19 Noon EST. Accepted Entries posted online June 10, 2019. Exhibition Opening at the NWS Gallery Saturday, October 19, 3-6 pm. Jurors: Jean Grastorf, Elaine Daily Birnbaum, and Frank Eber. Award Juror: Brian Rutenberg. For prospectus www.nationalwatercolorsociety.org

DEADLINE: MAY 13, 2019 Louisiana - River Road Show Golden Anniversary. 50th Annual national juried exhibition sponsored by Art Guild of Louisiana. Open to all U.S. artists 18+ (except photography or digitally enhanced). Work must be original and created within the last 2 years. Juror/Judge: William Schneider, OPA, AISM. $40 for first 3 entries (maximum 10). $4,000+ in cash and merchandise awards. Exhibit is August 3 - September 19, 2019 at the Louisiana State Archives Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA. Prospectus on website; artguildlouisiana.org/river-road-show Contact: Claudia LeJeune, 225/292-2004 or [email protected]

DEADLINE: MAY 15, 2019 Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s 40th International Juried Exhibition, August 31 - October 26, 2019 at the Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA. Fees for 1 or 2 paintings – Members $25, Non-members $40. Easy online entry and payment or use a mail in form. Juror of Selection – John Salminen, Juror of Awards – Matthew Bird. Anticipate over $14,000 in Awards. Entries accepted beginning March 1, 2019. For a prospectus, visit www.pawcs.com or email [email protected]

DEADLINE, MAY 19, 2019 Illinois Watercolor Society’s Small Waters: A national juried exhibition of small scale watercolors (image size totaling 144 square inches or less). July 19 - September 14, 2019 at the Schoenherr Gallery at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. $4,300 cash awards. For prospectus visit www.illinoiswatercolorsociety.org

ArtistsNetwork.com 71

Open Book

Stop. Park. Sketch. “One of the nicest compliments I’ve received,” says Tim Oliver (timoliverart.com) “was from someone who said: ‘You seem to like scenes that the rest of us just drive by.’ I am, for whatever reason, drawn to ordinary and ubiquitous things. I love the land and the sky, but I really love the place where they meet past or present human activity. There’s always a story there that I’m drawn to. For this sketch, I was on my way home from Midland, Texas, to Lubbock, and I was struck by the image of these two oil rigs drilling close to each other late in the day. Never without my sketchbook and kit, I pulled over and captured my impression from the tailgate of my pickup.”

YOUR TURN!

Share a sketch or painting of a scene that you refused to drive by. @ArtistsNetwork on Instagram: #everywatercolor_roadside

“OPEN BOOK” S P O N S O R E D BY

72 Watercolor artist |

APRIL 2019