YUPO WORKSHOP

We had a great workshop at Kanuga with our instructor, George James. He excels as a master teacher, able to encourage, inspire, and explain so many concepts that have already begun pushing me forward, challenging me to make better art. We had only four days of instruction, but twice that would have been okay with me.

I realized on Monday that I feel like I'm so at home when I'm painting on YUPO, as compared to other surfaces like cotton watercolor paper. The surface opens up so many more possibilities for expression.

This painting started as a small value study of 4 shapes, no reference photo. . . more paintings to come soon but for now, I need a good night's sleep. WHAT A WEEK!

"PRECIPICE" Transparent Watercolor on YUPO 25 x 20"

WORKSHOP BOUND

I'm leaving in a few hours for a workshop in North Carolina with YUPO master and teacher, George James. There will be some wonderful instructors there at Kanuga during the four days we take classes, but each artist studies under just one teacher, with lots of activities with other instructors offered in the evenings.

Mark Mehaffey, Steve Rogers, and Steven Quiller, all of whom have paintings accepted into this year's American Watercolor Society Show, will be teaching, along with over a half a dozen other diverse watermedia teachers. Mark's painting won the SILVER MEDAL OF HONOR in the AWS show! That is AWESOME!

Very special congratulations goes to Myrna Wacknov, who not only had her painting selected for the first time in the 2008 AWS show, but ALSO WON a TOP MEDAL AWARD, too! YEAH, MYRNA!

This porch painting is another poured painting done with miskit to protect the areas I wanted to keep as light as they were. It may be too harsh looking with the stark contrast from the lights to the darks. Or maybe it's the 'too too sweet' contrasting with extra strong value changes that seems out of place.

It's an older piece, and I no longer have it. Although I've painted this several times, I may decide to paint it again and see what happens. The house in real life was not as run down as my crookedy perspective suggests.

For more info about the annual spring watercolor workshop at Kanuga, go to http://www.kanugawatercolorworkshops.com/index1.html Can't wait to discover more about the next part of this art journey. See you in a week!

"PINK LEMONADE, ANYONE?" Transparent Watercolor on Crescent Watercolor Board 12 x 17" COLLECTED