“Patience” traveled to Omaha
from the IWS exhibition

I had 17 talented students in my watercolor class last week sponsored by Barb Bishop and Omaha Artists, Inc.  My painting “Patience” made the trip to be an example for the class, and students worked from a photo of “Emma” as I demonstrated mixing flesh tones, layering, and lifting.

We began with painting chickens and ducks, allowing three colors to mix with each other on the paper. Then to loosen up we painted wet-in-wet using “two warms and a cool” (like burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, and cerulean). We went on to paint a flower, showing how to paint gradation, much like we would do in painting the cheek in a portrait.

It was a beautiful drive across Iowa into Nebraska, rolling hills and the colors changing as I created watercolors in my mind. I was excited to get home and paint!

From the class materials:
At left, color mixing and gradation; at right, value study example with “Emma”