Watercolor (6weeks/Online)

Instructor: Lee Newman
November 4 - December 16
Wednesdays, 7-10 pm EST
 
Watercolor is distinct and easily differentiated from marks made with oils or acrylics. The medium is a language of transparent layers of color, crisp brushstrokes and textured edges interplaying with the glistening white of untouched paper. To handle it is to balance the fluidity and the unexpected with the controlled. While watching the alchemy of pigment suspended in water form a shape, the choices are myriad. To interfere or not interfere? To add or subtract from a wash? To control or let go? To glaze an additional layer? These questions are in constant dialog with compositional considerations—such as the size, scale and relationship of the shapes—making watercolor a practice based in playfulness and chance as well as in keen perception and decisive action. 
 
This course will introduce watercolor as a medium and a process, focusing on its unique attributes and strategies for using them in a personalized way. The course begins with explorations of watercolor properties and painting techniques before focusing on assignments that encourage individual development through a strategic and responsive approach to watercolor painting. Students will work from still life setups, photographs and the live model. Through group discussions and critiques, students will cultivate a classroom community based on dialogue, exchange of ideas and positive feedback. The ultimate goal of the course is not to teach students how to paint in a particular way, but rather to enable students to develop a competency in the medium that facilitates their own artistic explorations. Instruction will be live through Zoom. 
 
Image: Fadia Jawdat
 
Once registered, you will receive an email containing information on how to join Zoom 24 hours before or the morning of the start of the class or workshop.