New York Academy of Art

While landscape painting and watercolor painting are often considered challenging in their own right, it may be hard to find a better natural pairing than the two. With the proper understanding of how watercolor works, this is one of the most fun and forgiving mediums that representational painters have at their disposal. There are so many tried and true watercolor techniques we can experiment with to solve the visual puzzles that a landscape can present. Luckily, and to our benefit, watercolor is the easiest painting medium to transport, set up, clean up and it is non-toxic. Thus, it is an accessible medium for painters of any skill level. We will examine works by masters like John Singer Sargent, Thomas Moran, and Georgia O’Keeffe, and break down what it is they are doing to create a successful watercolor painting. You will begin to notice objects may be rendered more loosely than they had once appeared, before really understanding the medium. You may even see areas where an artist had made a mistake, and woven it back into the overall fabric of the image. Starting at rendering landscapes from basic techniques and limited color palettes, we will build up our core strengths and understanding of watercolor, eventually getting to techniques that will give our paintings vibrant colors, tonal depth and textural complexity. We will copy a master painting and paint en plein air, all while learning things that can be carried over into other mediums as well. This is a beginner to advanced class that will be fast paced and challenging, but highly rewarding.