2010-11 American Watercolor Society Show
The early results are in from the 2010-11 American Watercolor Society Show at the Salmagundi Club in New York. Creative Catalyst artist John Salminen won the Gold Medal, the top award in this year’s show. Congratulations John!
If you’ve seen John’s DVD workshop, Urban Landscapes in Watercolor, you’ll recognize the techniques he used to create his AWS entry, Morning Fog. If you haven’t seen the workshop, watch the preview now to get a taste of his Gold Medal-winning methods.
Other Creative Catalyst artists on this year’s list of AWS exhibitors include Cheng-Khee Chee, Ratindra Das, Donna Zagotta, Judy Morris, and Mark Mehaffey. Congratulations all!
Kudos to Nick (again!)
Nicholas Simmons has clearly found his golden combination of technique and subject matter, and judges are taking notice. Nicholas landed the gold medal at the Texas Watercolor Society. The painting is strong, bold and colorful! Congratulations Nicholas! Well deserved.
Nick’s DVD, Innovative Water Media is on sale this week. Also, if you’re interested, check out the workshops and events that Nick has planned around the country this year.
Interview with Leo Monohan
Over the course of years, we’ve made a few mistakes. One of those we regret the most was to not produce a workshop with paper sculptor Leo Monohan. We shot a few scenes but they were definitely not up to Leo’s high standards. Consequently they were never produced.
But it was an honor and a pleasure to get to know Leo. We are thrilled to share this interview so that you too get to know this exceptional artist.
With an exacto knife and a piece of paper, he could create a universe all his own. Hard work and a few lucky breaks helped Leo leave his Black Hills home and start a path that eventually led to art school, teaching at Chinard Institute and owning an ad agency in Los Angeles. His can-do attitude is contagious. To Leo, art is all about problem solving.
We hope you enjoy this interview with Leo Monohan.
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Spotlight on James’ Yupo Workshop
Yupo can be frustrating and challenging. It also provides watercolorists an incredible design flexibility. In Mastering Yupo, George James has developed a process that promotes predictable results and a creative flexibility unheard of on regular watercolor paper. In this workshop George demonstrates his techniques for achieving variegated washes and smooth washes, lifting, ghosting, splattering, stamping, creating darks and lifting whites. He creates rich surface textures and luminous dark passages. George is generous with his knowledge and clearly explains the theory behind his every move. He opens a whole new world of creativity.
Yosemite workshop
It started with a ride from Fresno airport thru Oakhurst and then thru the winding road to the valley. From my past experience I had some ginger tablet which I kept on chewing.(Motion sickness fear) We were five instructors –Steve Quiller, John Salminen, Don Getz, Barbara Nechis and myself. What a great group of artists and friends!! With the exception of John whose group of abstract painting were confined in class room, we all had a new group of students every day. Weather was fantastic and the valley still had some colors left. Highlight was the full moon. Think of Ansel Adams! Yes, the moon was rising and I could see it thru my window. We had a day for scouting painting spots and getting acquainted with the place. Being there for the second time really helped. Steve and I decided to go for plein air painting . The evening was get together and Patty Allen gave us some down to earth advice and our daily agenda. Lars Karlsson, the awesome photographer volunteered to take photographs while we give demos. He shot some pretty candid pictures too!
Rosy glow as the sun was setting and the moon was rising behind the half dome. This was one of our favorite spot for painting. I called it “Quiller Point”. Then there was “Das Hill” and “ Getz Meadow” , and we personalized some of these painting spots.
1. Action
2. Breaking the Rules was not my idea!!
(See the featured article in “Watercolor Magazine”, winter issue.
3. I wonder what was going on in their minds.
4. ….while watching the demo.
Then came the show time
5. Started out this way at the Cathedral Beach
6. Ended up this way.
7. There were moments of consultation , contemplation and trepidation.
But then there were rewards of cocktail hour at the end of the day before we start the critique in the evening which usually stretched to a second visit to the bar to adjust our attitudes for the next day.
Last day was questions and answers and five of us were on hot seats.
Some more paintings of Yosemite
Salminen Studio
Urban landscape painter, John Salminen, lives in the wooded area of northern Minnesota. John and his wife Kathy homesteaded the property in the early 70’s and have called it home every since. When I asked John why he doesn’t paint scenes of the beautiful landscape that surrounds him, he replied that it was so beautiful that it would be impossible to improve on the subject.
Kathy Salminen’s photo is from early December 2009. She reports that there have been many major snow falls since.
John’s studio is in the basement.
Spotlight on Zagotta Workshop
Donna Zogatta listed the qualities she wanted to see in her paintings, then developed her recognizable style as a result. Surface texture, strong color and an emphasis on shape are just a few of the qualities. In The You Factor: Powerful Personal Design in Opaque Watercolor you discover the most interesting elements from your source material as you mold shapes and relationships to fit your unique vision. Donna’s inquisitive approach to design helps you create powerful compositions that say as much about you as they do about your subjects.
Donna breaks her process into manageable steps and approaches design challenges one at a time. With her design firmly established, she is free to focus on her extended painting process. She concentrates on setting up color relationships and establishing a light pattern.
Zagotta mixes an extensive watercolor palette with white gouache. The opaque paints free her to make corrections and solve design problems at any moment and achieve a complex layered effect.
To George James
More from George James!
I’ve watched his “one”, I’ve watched his “two”
I’ve watched his number “three”
And through it all George James became
A special friend to me!
A man of knowledge, humour too,
With teaching expertise!
Yes, colour, shape,design and more
Are taught with such an ease!
He has inspired, he’s freed me up!
A whole new world appears!
And here I come full steam ahead
Just bursting through my fears!
So thank you George, you’re number one
And I can’t wait to see
Another workshop brimming full
For me to “eat” with glee!
Sincerely, Gillian D.
Polly Hammett’s Special
Learn Polly Hammett’s multifaceted design approach to help encourage your unique expression. Polly teaches a step by step method to analyze your composition before it is painted. Learn how to: interact with models; contour draw; figure placement and its impact on the meaning of your painting; how to develop a background; how to manipulate dark and light patterns to achieve a strong visual statement; lifting lights; adding texture; exaggeration; distortion; the importance of transitions; and stamping. Polly shares insights on subjects integral to being an artist, including how to most benefit from critique groups. Polly’s approach to design is applicable to any subject.
Final Week: Kahn Pre-Order Special and Interview
Enjoy the process with textile artist Sherrill Kahn in Acrylic Paint Pizzazz, Collage Techniques for Paper and Fabric. In this mixed media DVD workshop, you’ll discover textures that enliven any paper or fabric project, from collages to clothing. With no brushes or drawing skills required, beginners will feel welcome, and experienced artists will find quick and innovative ways to add color to collage. It’s fast, fun and non-threatening!
Sherrill Kahn is a high energy craft artist. She has written book and articles, taught all over the country and represented a line of paints. Listen to her Interview with Kelly Powers, Mixed Media/Craft editor and Offline Editor here at Creative Catalyst. It’s free.
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Part 1
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Part 2
Four to get you started!
Get started in a new medium with an expert showing you the basics.
Interested in Oil? Check out Craig Nelson’s A Solid Start in Oil Painting: Still Life. Craig uses a limited palette and simple objects as a basis to his teaching the fundamentals. With this start, you’ll soon be ready for more complicated subjects and color schemes.
Jan Kunz helps you Get Started Right in Watercolor with a thorough description of materials and basic techniques. After a few straightforward demos, you can paint along with Jan as she executes two complete paintings. You also learn how to create a dew drop and wood grain. It’s all great fun!
If pastels are your newest interest, join Urania Christy Tarbox in Landscape in Pastel, Reflections of Monet’s Garden. You learn basic techniques, Uraina’s material preferences and a few important tips on how to stay organized. You then jump into a peaceful landscape scene, complete with reflections and lily pads. You’ll gain the confidence to head on your own.
If you’re considering acrylic, there is no better way to start than with Hugh Greer’s Acrylic Landscape Painting, Tools & Techniques. With a few basic colors, Hugh demonstrates the versatility of acrylic paints as an opaque and transparent medium. Hugh uses fluid acrylics but his information applies equally to solid body pigments.
Acrylic Pizzazz Pre-Order Special Begins
Sponge, scrape, and stamp every ounce of color out of your acrylic paints with textile artist Sherrill Kahn. In this mixed media DVD workshop, you’ll discover textures that enliven any paper or fabric project, from collages to clothing. With no brushes or drawing skills required, beginners will feel welcome, and experienced artists will find quick and innovative ways to add color to collage.
Sherrill sponges down base colors at breakneck speed before helping you master a variety of painting tools. She layers opaques with craft sticks and scrapers, flows liquid colors into fabric, and adds metallic accents with an applicator tip. She paints on cotton, card stock, interfacing, and more, and each surface produces equally striking results. She combines paper and fabric as she finishes the workshop with two complete collages.
The Findhorn Farm Workshop in October 2009
“A Barn is a Barn is a Barn.”- Robert E. Wood
“Whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.”- Jonathon Swift from ‘The Gulliver’s Travels”
“No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”- Booker T. Washington
Most artists I know have at one time or another painted barns- on paper of course! What is there in a barn that artists are so attracted to? Is it nostalgia, or is it the weather beaten old structure that stands to tell the history? I believe it’s the nostalgia that got me started. However, there is something about the simplicity of the shape of the barn that delights the painter. He can put down some basic shapes without too much trouble and not get involved with the intricacies of foliage of trees and other landscape forms. There is a quiet dignity in each of these wooden structures. The modern metal buildings don’t do much for me. Chicago Tribune reporter William Sladick wrote, “In many ways, we in the city tend to make things more complicated than they actually are. That may be the draw these farms have for me- the simplicity of the way of life.”
All this thinking about barns comes from my yearly workshop at Findhorn Farm in Wisconsin- a favorite place of mine for almost a decade. Each year I greatly look forward to it. I don’t know what it is that I like-the wet grass with cool crisp air or the smell of the chopped woods –pine, spruce and oak. Nature is in its full glory in October, and it has almost become a ritual. Away from the crowds and the noise except the ‘cowrious’ moohs coming for a drink in the creek that flows thru the farm.
Sometimes rain, sometimes warm sunshine, snow, or freeze-we’ve had it all. My friend, Sonny, is always busy throwing one more log into that pot belly stove in the farmhouse or making hot chocolate for us. Once in a while he manages to take a quick nap in the lazyboy when we are all working outside. In the evening we have the critique in the motel with pizza, wine and beer. This is when I splurge with greasy diet (brat, beer, cheese in Wisconsin). We don’t get chai or latte- just plain hot cider and chocolate. Reedsburg doesn’t have Starbucks or WalMart. It started raining on the third day. We took shelter in the farmhouse-a bit cozy but enough room for us. The group is small. Discussions are lively and informal. And alas, those barns. Red beauties on the landscape. I shall look forward to seeing them again next year.
Ambiance
Rehearsal
Conducting
Performance/ A Paint along
Finale
Happy Painting!!!
On a wet day a wet in wet is the obvious choice
Other plein air paintings of Findhorn Farm
Introducing David Curtis
We are excited to be able to introduce you to this excellent artist. Hailing from Great Britain, David Curtis is a master of the Plein air. He has six instructional DVD workshops where he’s working in both oil and watercolor. Watch David on location at the seas and streams of Great Britain (and Italy) while he works through all types of weather. David does a great job at explaining both his techniques and the reasons behind his brush strokes. Learn to translate what you see out in the field into pigments on your page with David Curtis.
More about David:
Born in Doncaster in 1948, David Curtis headed an engineering design team until 1988 when he became a full time painter. Essentially a Plein air and figurative painter, working in both oils and watercolours, he observes transient lighting conditions and effects of atmosphere in his compositions.
Curtis is a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. He is one of the UK’s most successful and best known artists. David won first prize in the Singer and Friedlander/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition in 1992, and has won many other awards for his spectacular art. Crutis he is the author of numerous books and has work in collections all over the world.
Anne Bagby’s, “Paper, Patterns & Glazing”
Put patterns to work with mixed media artist Anne Bagby. You’ll create your own stamps, masks, stencils, and paper as you build a truly customized collage. Work fast and free, layering homemade paper and lush acrylic glazes to design an intricate and eclectic figure.
In Paper, Patterns & Glazing, Anne makes all her own collage materials. She combines stamped and painted patterns to create the wafer-thin paper she uses throughout the workshop. You’ll transfer antique designs to hand-carved stamps and cut contact paper masks to guide custom stencils.
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