January 31, 2015

Johannah Silva shares a laugh with Steve Meyer about plants and paints.

That's right! We had a guest speaker today. The ever popular Johannah Silva (above) was here from Winsor & Newton to chat about watercolor, watercolor media, and more. We saw (and smelled) a variety of paints and media and learned about pigments through history. We got some botanical  lessons, too, as we examined Rose Madder Genuine, the only "scented" watercolor in the W&N lineup. We passed a sample around trying to identify the scent. And we did! No, it wasn't rose; it was bergamot (like Earl Grey Tea). And we discovered that bergamot is a member of the monarda family (the same as bee balm). The fascinating things we learn!

As if that weren't enough, we even got some samples of artist grade watercolor and some granulating medium for the class to test drive. If you've enjoyed our adventures with gum arabic, just imagine what we do with granulating medium! Keep coming back and see.

Over and above the excitement, we found time to paint. As you might expect, we were group-thinking about flowers today. Steve brought his flower paintings from last week along to explore framing options (sorry! no photos) in a heated discussion.

Sara continues her three-step process of painting plants. Today, the subject is a paperwhite (also a beautifully scented plant!). She starts with a sketch ...

...moves to a watercolor sketch....

 ...and begins the final painting.

Ellen spent her time painting foliage, too. She uses the sponge technique to create a fall scene with all the color of the season, but muted enough to serve as a background for the forefront couple.

Another proponent of the sponge technique is Mohammed. Notice the differences in texture between the brush and sponge portions of the painting.

Alan combines a door from New Orleans and a wreath from Biloxi to celebrate Mardi Gras. But the real star of the painting is the foliage green color of the door.

Then he moves to Yupo for another southern scene. The smooth synthetic paper really makes the magnolia blossoms stand out in the foreground (and yes, those are magnolias. We are nothing if not botanically accurate!)

Still using Yupo, Alan begins a self-portrait. Notice the shiny green bits? That's masking fluid... something not often seen on Yupo.

And he finishes up his owl lineup. These cuties are painted on standard watercolor paper, though, not Yupo. It really suits the texture of the feathers, doesn't it?

Madeleine's signature line and wash style is well suited to these birds on a stark tree. The stylized foreground birds and tree are complemented perfectly by the swirling, colorful background.

Same subject matter.... different style. Abla reserves her details for the birds and flowering branches. The soft background makes for an exquisite counterpoint.

Bill's landscape is soft and watery, but has so much depth. Look at all the layers reflected in the still water.

And then, Bill moves to an urban landscape. This evocative cityscape uses soft color to depict a fog-shrouded street.

Madeleine, too, uses soft yellow and dove grey for her urban painting. We love this color combination!

Ken's buildings are in much sharper focus than Bill's or Madeleine's—and the whole feeling of the city changes.

Still in the city (Graceland cemetery, to be exact), Greeta accents softly colorful stone with crisp fall foliage.

Here, she lavishes attention on the leaves in the foreground. You can sense the feel of the dry, curled leaves—and they actually look like they are blowing across the grass.

With tomorrow's anticipated snowstorm, you knew some of us were thinking of snow. Mark's snow is on a Wyoming ski run (look at the earth and the snow shadows).

And Steve begins sketching a breathtaking snow-covered woodland. All that's here are a few pencil lines, darkened to show detail. Actually, the paper is white as the snow we are looking for.

All in all, Elaine has the right idea—it's probably a perfect day to stay indoors and snuggle up with a warm puppy.

As Johannah answers questions about masking fluid and passes out samples of W&N's fine paint (at right), we're all looking forward to seeing Ken's show at Ten Cat tavern. Join us next week for a report on Ken's opening reception. It's always a good time for all.