Recent demo paintings from my classes and workshops!

I've been so busy since my return from teaching a workshop in New Orleans, that I never got around to posting my demo paintings! I painted eight paintings during my 3-day workshop for the West Bank Art Guild, but I only have four paintings to show you because the other four paintings all sold during the workshop to some of my lovely students. The West Bank Art Guild purchased my primary painting from my workshop, and they will raffle it off to their members. The primary painting contained boats, water, trees, and buildings, so we worked on it a little each day of the workshop. We also did a couple or more "studies" each day, to practice the techniques for painting skies, water, reflections, values, mixing colors, using masking fluid, drawing perspective, creating textures, and tons of other great secrets and tips.

Awesome Artists hard at work in my workshop for the West Bank Art Guild!

Beach, 18x24 watercolor $195.

Beach, 18x24 watercolor $195.

Lake Road, 18x24 watercolor $195.

Marsh Sunset, 18x24 watercolor $195.

In my weekly class at the Community Arts Center, we worked on identifying cool and warm colors and optimum placement of them in compositions. We then painted a simple sunflower painting using a split primary palette system, learning how to mix all the necessary secondary and tertiary colors using a warm and a cool triad of primary colors. 

Split primary color wheels.

Sunflower, 16x12 watercolor, $95. 

Paint with me in Spain!

I've just been booked (yesterday!) to teach a watercolor workshop in Costa Brava, Spain -- and it's already selling out fast! There are only 8 spaces left! This plein air watercolor painting workshop is May 1 - 8, 2017. The itinerary includes museums, medieval villages, botanical gardens, castles, fishing villages, and the beautiful coastal seashore of the Costa Brava in northern Spain.

Sign up NOW to reserve your space, before it's all sold out! Contact Jackie at French Escapade tours for more information or to sign up!

Painting en Plein Air at Fontainebleu Park!

I just got back from a trip to New Orleans where I taught a watercolor painting workshop for the West Bank Art Guild. I had a fabulous trip, although I had to dig out from Winter Storm Jonah before I left home. I had a great group of artists in my workshop, and I'll post some photos of that next week! After the workshop, I spent some time visiting with old friends and getting in a little painting en plein air.

(Carol Hallock painting the beach  with oils at Fontainebleu.)

 I stayed at my dear friend Carol Hallock's home on Bayou Lacombe while I was down there. I used to live in Lacombe years ago, and Carol and I are old painting buddies. We both pursue the same subjects in our paintings, although she prefers to paint with oils while I usually reach for watercolors.

(Mary Monk using soft pastels to paint Fontainebleu beach.)

 It was nice to catch up with Mary Monk while I was in town! Mary is an old friend, and stayed at my house while she was painting in the Plein Air Brandywine Valley competition last year. She's always a lot of fun to hang out with!

(Carol Hallock, Mary Monk, and Annie Strack painting en plein air at Fontainebleu State Park.)

 I painted two small watercolors en plein air while we were at Fontainebleu State Park, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It was foggy when we got there, and the fog lifted and the light changed dramatically. We stayed out painting until sunset, and I shot some fantastic photos of the changing light to use for studio paintings later!

Fontainebleu Beach, 6x12 watercolor $79.

Fontainebleu Park, 6x12 watercolor $79.

It was a busy couple of weeks and I'm still not caught up with my studio paintings, new painting courses, and other work. I've also been inundated with requests for workshop proposals -- I'm getting those out as fast as I can, and so if you've just sent me a request you can expect to hear back within 2 days. I'm adding new workshops to the Calender Page of this website all the time, so be sure to check back often to see the latest listings. Workshops sell out quickly, so if you see one you like, you need to jump on it and register before it's sold out!