Tallahassee Watercolor Society MArch/April 2023 Newsletter

Stan Miller, Workshop

MAY 16, 17, AND 18TH

WORKSHOP THEME: “PAINTING THE PORTRAIT AND LANDSCAPE IN WATERCOLOR”

In this workshop students have the options of being guided through a portrait or a landscape painting. Each day, both a portrait and a landscape will be demonstrated by the instructor, students have the choice each day of either choosing the landscape or the portrait, if they choose to be guided through the demonstration by Stan. Students also have the option of working on their own subjects. Students are encouraged to bring photos of subjects that they might like to paint in the future for Stan to look at and discuss with the student. Technique, color, choosing paintable subjects, understanding composition and design will also be addressed in this workshop. If students have questions, they are welcome to email Stan: Stan@stanmiller.net

HOW TO ATTEND THE WORKSHOP

Member Cost: $300.00 for all three days. Non-Member Cost: $350.00 for all three days.

MAY 16, 17, 18, 2023

9:00 TO 4:00 EACH DAY

Cancellation Policy: Deposits are non-refundable within 7 days of workshop unless we can fill your spot.

SEATING IS VERY LIMITED, SO REGISTER NOW!

Application Deadline: April 24, 2023 Deposit to hold seat: $100.00

What about Gouache?

Do you have tubes of gouache in your paint collection that you don't know how to use? If you have only some white gouache in your watercolor palette that you don't know what to do with it besides highlighting in small spots? If so, you are missing out on its potential.

Linda Menke, TaWS Signature member and gouache fan, has been using this wonderful medium for 16 years and will be sharing her experience with and love for these versatile pigments. Find out how to expand your watercolor painting techniques and explore new areas of creativity.

The April program is all about demystifying the age-old medium of gouache. Bring an oil painting friend along. They will relate to the techniques and can learn how they can use gouache, too.

Chip Townsend

Here is a recent painting of my daughter’s dog Lulu.

It is watercolor with some pen and ink on Arches cold press paper.

The first layer is quin. Gold, with burnt sienna later to add the shapes.

Evoking A Sense of Nostalgia

April 21, 22, 2023 – Painting Workshop with Beth Bathe at the Natalia Andreeva’s Studio, Tallahassee, FL

“How The Heck Does She Do That?”

Wondering what Water Mixable Oil paints are all about? Known for blurring the line between watercolor and oil paintings, Beth Bathe\’s unparalleled style evokes feelings of nostalgia, like an old sepia-toned photograph. Beth uses unconventional tools including squeegees and Q-tips, along with her brushes focusing on composition, values, edges, and drawing rather than color. During this two-day intensive workshop, Beth shares her unique technique with students. In the morning Beth will do a demo and show how she uses photography and simple apps on her phone to simplify forms enhance value and emphasize composition. In the afternoon students will work from photos (either bring your own on your phone/iPad, or Beth will have prints to share). Students are encouraged to use water mixable oils to get the most out of the workshop. Beth will have paint for her students to try as well as her prepared painting panels, brushes and other supplies for you to use during the workshop. This workshop is for all level of painters – from beginners to returnees. For more info about workshop visit: www.andreeva.com/beth

35th Art in Gadsden Juried Exhibition

August 4 – September 16, 2023

The Gadsden Arts Center & Museum’s annual juried exhibition of fine art represents over 80 regional artists, and those with “Gadsden County roots” each year. This landmark 35th Art in Gadsden juried exhibition will offer special programming for our patrons, including a tour of artists’ studios during the run of show, and a special three-day Art in Gadsden sale of art to benefit exhibiting artists and the museum

This exhibition draws visitors and patrons from across the region to enjoy 100+ pieces of recent art by top artists. New and returning, established and upcoming artists submit work for review by the selection committee, and the resulting exhibition spans virtually all mediums, including watercolor, egg tempera, acrylic, oil, photography, clay, encaustic, wood, metal, glass, and serigraph.

The founders of the Art in Gadsden exhibition, Beth Appleton and David Harbaugh, wanted to bring fine art to Gadsden County, foster the careers of local artists, and draw the community together through this special event. Beginning in 1989, Art in Gadsden was displayed in empty downtown storefronts in Quincy, organized by a dedicated and all volunteer community. This exhibition draws visitors and patrons from across the region each year, and is an exciting opportunity for regional artists to share their work, and for Gadsden Arts to celebrate the creativity within our community.

Applications for the 35th Art in Gadsden will be available online in March 2023.

Painting the Tree Peony

Marney Ward starts with a feeling on which all creative decisions hinge. Here, she describes her process for painting the delicacy, tenderness, and fragility of a tree peony.

The Artist’s Toolkit

• PAINTS: Winsor & Newton: permanent rose, alizarin crimson, quinacridone gold, aureolin (yellow), sap green, cobalt blue, French ultramarine blue, Winsor violet, burnt sienna, new gamboge (yellow) (or try Indian yellow or M. Graham’s gamboge)
• SURFACE: Winsor & Newton 140-lb. cold-pressed
• BRUSHES: variety of round brushes, mostly synthetic or synthetic blends; scrubber made by cutting down the bristles on a small oil brush

Reference Photo

I take my own reference photos. This one is of a tree peony in my backyard. This blossom caught my eye because it was paler, more transparent and more delicate than the others. I cropped the photo for composition and to fit the proportions of the paper.

Step 1

I gridded both the photo and the paper into 16 rectangles by quartering each side. Then I drew freehand using an F or H mechanical pencil; the slightly harder lead is less prone to smudging. I was careful not to press too hard to avoid creating depressions in the paper. I sometimes make little notations to clarify areas that might be confusing.

Step 2

I always paint the background first, and here I started with the top, keeping it wet for mostly soft edges. I wanted a variety of mostly light and muted greens to give the impression of dappled light. My warm colors were sap green, aureolin (yellow), new gamboge (yellow), quinacridone gold and burnt sienna, with French ultramarine blue and Winsor violet for the darks or more muted greens. Even the leaves’ red veins (top right) were done wet-into-wet to produce a soft, broken effect. I painted one leaf at a time, but I wet carefully around the flower petals, as I wanted those edges to be crisp.

Step 3

I continued with the lower background, using darker greens to give weight to the overall composition; these leaves were also more in the shade. I painted the red stems wet-into-wet where I wanted them soft, but hard-edged (dry) for the main stems. I then painted the peony’s petals, using a lot of water to keep the colors smoothly blended and light in value. For the darker petal in the upper left, I used alizarin crimson and Winsor violet for the dark streak, and added the transparent shadow on the bottom when the underlying color was almost completely dry. To create the shadow color, I added a bit of sap green and French ultramarine blue to the underlying pinkish color.

Step 4

I completed the outer layer, skipping petals to ensure a dry area on either side of the petal. My favorite petal is the large one on the right; it was so silvery, with a variety of soft pinks in the middle. I kept the white bits near the bottom paper white for maximum glow. It’s mostly quite wet for soft, gentle blending, but I wanted a few drier lines near the bottom to accentuate the light there. The darker petal below it was primarily permanent rose and new gamboge, adding that dark streak — while it was still wet — with permanent rose, burnt sienna, Winsor violet and French ultramarine blue for granulation. When the outer layer was complete, I started on the inner layer of petals.

Step 5

As I completed the inner petals one at a time, I paid close attention to the colors and values on the reference photo, electing not to go as dark as parts of the photo. I added new gamboge near the bottom of the upper petals for that glow coming through, and alizarin crimson at the base of a couple of petals. Around the lighter parts of the center, I painted carefully, since I wasn’t using masking fluid. As I added grayish streaks and the shadow of an underlying stem near the base, I keptthe transparency of the petal at 7 o’clock. Overall, I wanted to create a shimmering effect with subtle changes in value and color.

Step 6: Final Painting

To avoid disturbing the center, I first checked the entire painting for a final balance of values, darkening a few areas and lightening up others. Then, I started the center by painting the yellow stamens with new gamboge, and then the darker brownish shadows using burnt sienna and a bit of blue or purple. To create the reds, I added new gamboge and quinacridone gold to the permanent rose on the warmer left side and added Winsor violet and French ultramarine to the permanent rose on the darker right side, keeping it mostly wet and suggested. I extended the reds and yellows into the base of the petals on the left side. The warmth and darkness of the center really brought out the delicate, diaphanous quality of the petals in Tenderness (watercolor on paper, 14×21).