As you might have noticed, it's been a while since I've posted to this blog or painted anything new.  I blame the holiday busyness, if nothing else.  I still don't have any new works of art to show, but thought I'd post some popular re-runs from my old blog.

Last year I took Laure Ferlita's online Beach Class through Imaginary Trips, where she takes to you a travel destination to paint without actually leaving your studio.  She is offering it again starting February 1st.  What better way to chase away the winter blues?  Here is my artwork from that class:

First of all, we need to know how to find the water.  Aaah, here we are – a boardwalk!  Hope you’re wearing your sandals – the sand can get quite hot.
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Painting #32 of 100 Paintings - Watercolor, handmade cotton rag paper, Savoir Faire 5 x 7” journal
Of course, once we get there (you ARE coming with me, aren’t you??), we’ll need a nice place to sit and relax.  Did you bring the cooler?
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Painting #26 of 100 Paintings - Watercolor, 5 x 7”, 140 lb Fabriano Cold Press paper
I imagine we’ll splash in the water, snorkel a bit, relax and talk a lot. After that, we might explore the shore a bit.  Who knows what we’ll find?
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Painting #28 of 100 Paintings - Watercolor, handmade cotton rag paper, Savoir Faire 5 x 7” journal
I think I’d rather talk to this guy instead of the pelicans though.
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Painting #29 of 100 Paintings - Watercolor, 5 x 7”, 140 lb Fabriano Cold Press paper

Of course, what trip would be complete if we didn’t collect sea shells along the way?
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Painting #31 of 100 Paintings - Watercolor, 5 x 7”, 140 lb Fabriano Cold Press paper
Lastly, when the day is done, we must stay long enough to view the sunset before leaving with so many wonderful memories of the day.
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Painting #32 of 100 Paintings - Watercolor, handmade cotton rag paper, Savoir Faire 5 x 7” journal
Thank you so much for coming to the beach with me today.  I had an absolutely fabulous time and hope you did too.  Don’t forget to grab your cooler on the way home.
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I recently attended a three-day workshop by Joe Fettingis where our class created two paintings, one of which is this bird, an Egret.
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11x15” watercolor on 140 lb Arches cold press paper
Painting #49 of 100 Paintings Project


This was my first in-person workshop.  I’d previously taken wonderful classes online and learned through book or video demonstrations, but there is no substitute for a live experience with live feedback.

This workshop was life-changing for me.  I feel like I went from an artist who dabbled in sketches to a more confident painter ready to tackle larger format paintings.

Some things I learned:
  • It is indeed possible to paint a rich, deep background in watercolor, which had always eluded me.
  • How to obtain proper ratios of paint to water and when to use various ratios. I’d heard about this so many times before, but it wasn’t until Joe simplified the process that I understood it.
  •  How to create a lighter value without adding a lot of water.
  • Scrubber brushes are not just for correcting mistakes - use them to create movement in a painting as well.
  • The relationship of brush to paper and how much pressure to use.
I’ll share more in a few days with the next painting we worked on, which seemed really complex, but when broken down in steps, was very manageable
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