Congratulations San Diego Watercolor Society Winners
Congratulations to all the San Diego Watercolor Society 2009 International Exhibition Winners including:
George James, Conner and Maurice, SDWS Best in Show Cash Award
Judy Morris, The Pigeons, Piazza San Marco, Linda Doll Seminar Group Cash Award
Donna Zagotta, The Orange Umbrella, Ana Drobnies Cash Award
Ratindra Das, Jenny Seated, Woodside Animal Hospital/Eunice Porte Memorial Cash Award
Sue Archer’s, “Commanding Color”
Sue Archer uses her complete command of the watercolor medium to realize the bright clean colors and strong light that defines her work. Her analytical style requires careful planning and thorough knowledge of composition.
In Commanding Color, the lessons combine live demonstrations with practical examples from Sue’s personal gallery. Each concept comes in handy during the pineapple demonstration. She flows complementary colors into pre-wet paper to create subtle transitions.
Sue boosts your artistic confidence with a series of lessons on pigment quality, design principles, and color theory culminating in a glowing still life of a pineapple. You’ll learn to control value and contrast, harness the powerful white of your paper, design negative space, and energize your subjects with complementary colors.
Tuscan Treasures
Judy Morris is a high-energy watercolorist who looks for rich textures and strong contrasts in her subjects. She has made salt texturing a versatile and predictable tool by systematically studying the the results of pigments, papers and salt combinations. In this workshop, Judy adds texture to large washes to capture the rustic feel of Tuscan architecture.
Donna Zagotta Interview
Donna Zagotta (“The You Factor: Powerful, Personal Design in Opaque Watercolor”) has a feature article in the October issue of Watercolor Artist magazine on newsstands now. In the article, Donna discusses the role a painting journal plays in her (and your) creativity. She also suggests 12 prompts to get you started. On Donna’s blog, she gives advice for how to become your own coach and meet your goals as an artist.
1. Stay connected to the fact that art is an act of intention.
2. Find your ideal time of day to create and work with it.
3. Use an agenda book and a daily planner.
4. Use deadlines to your advantage.
5. Always have something “percolating” – something to look forward to each day that will entice you into the studio.
To read more about each step, visit Donna’s fantastic blog.
Becoming Your Own Coach Part I
Becoming Your Own Coach Part II
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Please click on the play button above to start the interview (about 35 min).
Nationally recognized artist and teacher, Donna Zagotta, brings her teaching skills to video in the Creative Catalyst Videos DVD The You Factor: Powerful Personal Design in Opaque Watercolor Through demonstrations and discussion, Zagotta focuses on how composition, color choices and other principles of design can be used to turn everyday subjects into personal, creative expressions. DVD art workshop is appropriate for artists of intermediate to advanced skill levels.
From Behind the Camera
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
June 2, 2009
George James will be honored at a One Man Retrospective Art Show at the Coastline Art Gallery in Huntington Beach, California (USA) from July 9 to August 8, 2009. The reception is Friday, July 10, 5-7 p.m. The exhibition will present work that spans his career and will include some of his most recent award-winning paintings. In addition, James will teach a summer workshop in Alternative Surfaces. Registration forms are available at the Coastline Art Gallery and at Coastline Community College Costa Mesa Center Office, 10156 Adams Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 or call (714) 963-8475 for more information.
Congratulations George!
From Behind the Camera – Why workshops?
People sometimes tell me they don’t watch videos or attend workshops because they want to discover their own style, independent of the influence of others. That got me thinking. What value is there in investigating how other people approach their creative pursuit?
Years of working with a variety of fine and craft arts artists has led me to believe that personal progress in art is more often a result of sifting through ideas from others than it is some sort of isolated brilliant insight developed on our own. We learn or borrow from others, then take what we’ve learned in a different direction. It is the sum total of all these influences and shifts that make up our unique vision.
I have never seen an artists work and thought to myself, “I want to paint exactly like that!” After the initial wow factor, I realize that some specific aspect of the work attracts me. I think I gain more awareness of what I want in my own painting by making note of what the exact “something” that attracted me is. It helps me get a better idea of paths I may take by learning the paths others have taken.
Here is a quick partial list of some of the ideas I’ve noted from the workshops. I learned a method of problem solving (Cobb), design options (Salminen, James), color theory (Jasper, Dalio, Archer, Mehaffey), symbolism (James) pigment qualities (Bourdet, Morris) how to render the face and figure (Kunz, O’Connor, Nelson, Hammett), patterning (Hammett, O’Connor, Bagby) and the bravery to listen to my own drummer (Das, Simmons, Hellmuth, Bagby, Trevena), and the fantastic techniques to make it happen (everyone!)
They all share a dedication to their art form. None of them suddenly woke up one morning to find they were talented. As Craig Nelson so aptly says, “You have to put in the brush miles. ” I would add that it frequently helps to be aware of our options to make an informed decision.
Cheers – Lynn Powers
From Behind the Camera
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
May 26, 2009
From Behind the Camera – Plein Frustrating
Every year around this time I find myself out in a field with a bit of paint and whole lot of frustration. For the other 9 months I am inside painting mostly portraits. It’s hard not to meet these great landscape painters and think that there is something wrong with me if I keep myself locked up on such glorious days.
But then I am on that hill or next to that lake or under that tree and while the people and place are all pleasant, I can feel myself fighting my craft and myself. I keep thinking that I should like it more and frankly get better paintings out of the experience. But then I start to consider what I’ve heard a few CCP artists say. George James described himself as a studio painter. I had never heard someone make that distinction. Shirley Trevena said in her latest video BREAKING THE RULES OF WATERCOLOR that she works on a painting for weeks, sometimes months, before she is done. Certainly she is not out in a field the entire time. She too would perhaps classify herself as a studio painter.
So would I. I am a studio painter. I need time and quiet for my work. But it makes me realize that as a studio painter, I really do love painting Plein air but not because of the finished painting. I like it because I pack a tasty snack and enjoy the view and the company of my fellow painters.
This coming week as I make my way outside I will acknowledge what I love about Plein air and also pay attention to all the same issues that are important to me in the studio. I’ll try to stay focused and optimistic. I’ll step back and think about what I’m doing. I will work on not feeling rushed. And maybe I’ll pack a few extra brownies. Because art is weighed on more than just the finished piece but also the experience of spending a day trying something new.
Cheers, Lynn Powers
From Behind the Camera
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
May 19, 2009
Elements of Painting – Light, by Ann Pember
ELEMENTS OF PAINTING WORTH CONSIDERING
LIGHT: The sunlight creates wonderful effects! How would you paint them? Ask yourself that question often as you observe the world. If a lighting effect appeals to you, create a series, painting it many times in different ways. You might vary the values, colors, point of view, or type of surface; whatever you can think of to be creative. This is good training for your right brain and will improve your ability to see. If you rely only on your linear thinking, left brain to tell you what it THINKS it sees, the results will be less creative.
For Instance: As you look at a tree, you “know” it is made up of many individual needles, or leaves, each with veins and stems. They appear to be all one color. This is information from your left brain. Your right brain, if allowed a chance, may notice more subtle information. You may discover that many leaves are grouped together in the light or shade to form a large shape, or mass. You don’t see the individual shapes at all (A) much less every vein and stem. There are colors reflected onto the tree from its surroundings, even in the darker shadows (B). That is exciting to paint! There will be similar discoveries when you observe any subject. Just find the patience to really look and SEE.
Notice the way the light pattern combines leaves together (C). Spell out the details (D) in only a few. Suggest them elsewhere(E).
Look for new or unusual groupings of shapes and light patterns when designing from flower forms. Don’t settle for a traditional and perhaps too common composition. Let your creativity lead you to something that is totally your own view of the subject. Experiment with colors too, rather than painting what you think you see. For instance, if you are painting a pink flower, use colors in addition to pink to do so. There will be numerous subtle colors reflected over the petals: lavenders and blues from the sky and greens and yellows from the foliage. Even if you don’t see them, you can make them up for a more exciting painting. A flower painted all pink is more like a botanical illustration and can be quite unexciting!
EDGES FORMED BY LIGHT: Study how the light creates edges. Look at the world and notice how many edges are really defined and sharp. There are many edges outside our area of focus, or not well illuminated, which we do not see sharply. Keep this in mind as you paint.
Do not carefully define every edge of every object. That would be unrealistic, although it could be utilized to create a stylized or abstract work of art. If you choose to do that, do so knowing that is your goal and exploit it fully. However, if you intend to create a realistic work, use a good variety of hard and soft edges. Your paintings will be more believable and will invite the viewer to move through the piece.
Use hard edges to define the subject and important shapes where the light is strongest and use soft edges to provide movement through the painting. Hard edges will stop the viewer’s eye, so design the painting with this in mind. Too many hard edges create confusion about where the focal point is and too many soft edges create boredom, with no focus to draw attention.
The texture of broken edges, or chatter marks, will also draw attention and should be quieted if they are distracting. Do so by softening the area with a clean damp brush. Prevent them by wetting the paper surface there before painting; or carefully paint on dry paper using enough paint to make a hard edge. A dry brush mark is made if there is not enough paint on the brush as it skips over the surface. This kind of paint quality can be very distracting. Use it to convey areas of texture, such as rough siding or a roof on a building. However, if it occurs within a smooth flower petal, it will draw attention and create confusion of the shape and details of the petal. It is not always a painterly way of stating a passage. It just means you did not pick up enough paint to cover the paper. Be intentional about how you apply paint to paper.
Paint with conviction and care. Decide what kind of result you desire and think about how to produce it. Envision it before you touch paint to paper!
Ratindra Das Article – In Defense of Brushes
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
April 28, 2009
FBTC – From Ratindra Das – In Defense of Brushes
I have a burning question: Whatever happened to brushes? When I asked this question to one of my artist friends, who happened to paint in oil, acrylic and occasionally in watercolor, his answer was “well, that’s all about the medium of watercolor”. Realizing the direction of this conversation, I mildly protested by mentioning spatula use in oil painting and dropped in names like Jackson Pollock, etc. My argument wasn’t very convincing and I understood his perception about the medium.
I must admit that I possess all these weapons in my arsenal and have tested some of these some time, but never found them user-friendly. I am getting the impression by reading many magazine articles and books that if it is not stamping, pouring, masking, blowing, splattering, spritzing, then it is not creative or exploratory! Manufacturers have come up with array of exotic tools, which will make a painting without the use of brushes. Never mind the computer and other techno gadgets, which perform miracles.
I was told a brush is more like an extension of your arm. It becomes part of you and brush strokes become personal. The great American teacher Robert Henri said, “The stroke is just like the artist at the time he makes it. All the uncertainties, all the bigness of his spirit and all the littlenesses are in it”. I see it in Cezanne, Van Gogh, Sorolla, and Sargent. Among contemporaries I see the same vigor and strength in Milford Zornes, George Post, Serge Hollerbach, Andrew Wyeth, and Richard Schmid – just to name a few. They are full of life and energy, no matter how imperfect at times they may have been.
I teach an adult beginner class on a voluntary basis. I noticed it’s easier to keep them engaged when they are asked to do things like pouring, splattering, pasting or some other crafty nifty stuff. There is a ‘wow’ factor in it, people are fascinated and who cares about the brush exercises! It’s an old idea! Workshops are loaded with ‘brushless’ painting instructions and heavy with creating effects. But not much with what a brush can do for you. Very few books have been published on such ‘mundane’ matters since the days when Eliot O’Hara wrote, “Making the Brush Behave”.
Seeing a painting with so much technique and excitement is almost like watching a movie with special effects with very little content. Do you see a personality of an artist in that painting? Ellen Langer, the Harvard psychologist in her book “On Becoming an Artist” makes distinction between ‘mindful creativity’ and ‘mindlessness’. “When we are mindless, our behavior is governed by rules and routines. In contrast, when we are mindful, our behavior may be guided (not governed) by rules and routines, but we stay sensitive to the ways our situation changes”. For me, being a loyal friend of brushes, which may become extinct like many old tools, I take solace in thinking that some day all brushes will be on clearance sale and I’ll be able to afford an honest to goodness sable watercolor brush. My needs are very few like what Andrew Wyeth said, “…battered tackle box with brushes, a jar of water, some rags, a couple of pencils, and a block of paper under my arm. We have come a long way together.”
Ratindra Das – Painting a Personal Reality with Ratindra Das
George James Workshops
If creativity is a fire, then George James may well be the blow torch of ignition!
As a pioneer of YUPO (synthetic paper) James generously reveals his techniques to achieve dependable results in his first workshop, Mastering Yupo. It is a library of information.
In workshop two, The Artistic Process on Yupo, James shares his design considerations, use of symbolism and patterning to create a cohesive composition.
In his third workshop, Designing for Content (part of the CCP Masters’ Series) James focuses on how to develop a personal memory into a meaningful visual statement. He introduces a few new techniques, but the main thrust of the workshop is about one artist’s inner dialog with shape, color, rhythm, form and imagery. It’s a powerful collection from a wonderful teacher.
Sale ends Tuesday, November 4, 08.
Cheng-Khee Chee Watercolor Workshop DVDs
Cheng-Khee Chee has developed five watercolor painting techniques, each suited to most effortlessly express a subject. The first half of each workshop begins with free-flowing, intuitive creativity. In the second half, Cheng-Khee Chee analyzes design and makes adjustments. He demonstrates an amazing mastery of watercolor painting. There is not enough room here to describe each workshop, so we recommend checking out the previews at the LINK below.
Sale Ends Tuesday, 9/2/08.
Carla O’Connor DVD Workshop on Sale
Carla O’Connor’s painting process promotes unique personal expression and rapid artistic growth. She uses the human form as a springboard for powerful, expressive design. Each logical step in her process addresses a specific design issue. Her initial quick drawing, or “set up,” relates the figure to the background and divides space into intriguing shapes. Working on gesso-coated paper, she modifies visual paths in her composition to keep the viewer inside the painting.
The workshop is 2 hrs. 10 min. long. Additionally, there are three bonus clips, gallery and printable handout.
Capturing Limited Light Using Expressive Brushwork by Betty Carr
Betty’s energetic approach to watercolor is contagious. Her workshop covers concepts such as: beginning with darks rather than lights, how to direct the visual path using gradations and darks, painting on a vertical surface, carrying the energy off the page and how to use expressive brushwork to add life to a painting. Along the way, Betty shares how she uses her sketch book to design her painting and think through her value pattern, her favorite quotes, warm-up exercises and much more.
View the Preview / Trailer for this DVD
Ever wonder what the big deal is about polymer clay? Here’s your chance to find out why this versatile product is so popular. In Dayle Doroshow’s two workshops she takes inspirations from the motifs of Provence, France (DD1d) and China (DD2d) to develop exciting faux materials out of Polymer clay (Femo).
You learn to make ‘jade’, ‘bone’, ‘mileflorie’ and how to create an antique look and transfer images. Dayle creates jewelry, pendants, boxes, books, beads and charms… all great fun and it makes wonderful gifts or ephemera for collage or quilting projects. Check it out!
View the Previews / Trailers for these DVDs
Build Color And Design Using A Mouth Atomizer
Mark Mehaffey’s DVD workshops will kick-off the March Madness sale in honor of his recent SILVER MEDAL award at the American Watercolor Society.
“¢ BUILD COLOR AND DESIGN USING A MOUTH ATOMIZER
Mark introduces a simple tool that opens possibilities ‘brush’ watercolor cannot achieve. He begins by revealing his deceptively simple (sneaky Mark!) explanation of design and how he uses his sketch book as a tool for working out his options. He then leads you through his planning and preparation process needed to build a mouth atomizer painting, which is not necessary if you are going to use the atomizer as a small part of a larger piece. Along the way you learn important concepts like ‘color bounce’, value balance, and color mixing.
View the Preview / Trailer for this DVD
“¢Painting A Dramatic Landscape In Watercolor
Here’s a great workshop for anyone just getting started in watercolor. Using a limited palette of colors and a few basic techniques, students learn to paint a dramatic high mountain lake landscape. It’s straight forward and to the point. A lot of ‘bang for the buck’! It’s a fun way to share your enjoyment of watercolor with a friend. “¢ PAINTING A DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE IN WATERCOLOR
View the Preview / Trailer for this DVD
Kunz DVD workshops and "Painting Watercolor Portraits that Glow" Book!
Take the worry out of watercolor! Jan Kunz’s structured approach takes the fear out of any subject, including portraits!
Introduce a friend to watercolor with Getting Started Right in Watercolor. This workshop includes two entry level exercises and basic information to help beginners avoid some very common problems.
Jan’s Roses in Crystal workshop, is a perfect workshop for flower lovers.
Jan’s portrait workshops: Watercolor Portrait Painting: Female, and Painting Watercolor Portraits: A Simple Approach From Photo to Finish (boy) make watercolor likenesses very ‘doable’. You will be amazed that you ever thought portraiture was something to avoid!
Jan’s book: Painting Watercolor Portraits That Glow is a highly sought after book by portrait painters. Used copies of this book were recently selling on Ebay at over $50. Creative Catalyst republished the book last year so that it could be more readily available. SIGNED copies are also available.
You can get ready for Mother’s Day by painting a portrait or give your Mom the workshop AND the book. A winning combination!
Watercolor Ways with Landscape Painting in Acrylic – Charles Harrington
(Sorry, this sale is over)
Are you in love with the look of watercolor landscapes but want something that doesn’t need protection under glass? Then you definitely need to check out Charles Harrington’s “Watercolor Ways with Landscape Painting in Acrylic” art instruction DVD.
This workshop helps ease the transition from watercolors to acrylics! Harrington takes the best qualities of both watercolor and acrylic and brings them together: the juicy transparency of watercolor and the permanence and flexibility of acrylics. Charles uses a small watercolor painting executed en Plein air as a reference and demonstrates how to strengthen design, create multiple textures, achieve depth and retain a variety of edge qualities using acrylics. With acrylics, artists can reclaim whites clear up to the end! That alone makes this workshop worth checking out!!
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