free watercolor paper for workshop attendees!

I'm super excited to announce that Hahnemuehle USA is sponsoring my next plein air workshop in Pennsylvania by providing each of my students with a 12x16 block of Hahnemuehle "Cezanne" watercolor paper! Whoo hoo!

This 1-day workshop will be held a the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA. The class size is limited and it will fill up fast, so be sure to sign up as soon as registration opens.

In other news, I'll be conducting a hands-on demo with Amsterdam Acrylics at Kennett Copy and More, in Kennett Square, PA! This is a new art supply store that just opened new my studio, and a great place for my students to run out to if they forget something when they come to class!

Come out to my demo, and try out the paints and mediums for yourself!

Also in the news, I reviewed several of the papers manufactured specifically for oil and acrylic painting by Hahnemuehle, and that review is posted on the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) blog. These unique papers all performed differently under various mediums -- check out my review to learn which papers are best for you!

Lastly, I just received notification that I was awarded Signature Membership status in the Central New York Watercolor Society! Whoo hoo! This marks my 9th Signature awarded from an Artist Society! Yay!

New Workshop just added! Plein Air painting in Watercolor!

New workshop just added! I'm teaching a 1-day plein air watercolor workshop at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford in September! This workshop is already starting to fill up, so sign up now if you want to get in before it's too late.

Students will learn how to break through the confusion of choosing a plein air painting subject, and learn how to plan a landscape composition by eliminating distractions and focusing on their subjects. They will learn how to capture light and shadow in their paintings, and how to see the landscape in simplified shapes of colors and values. They will learn how to mix colors with a limited palette, and depict a variety of perspective techniques to create depth and dimension in paintings. Students will learn how to sketch quick value studies, and add buildings, architectural elements, and gestural figures to the landscape to create drama and interest in their paintings. A variety of techniques will be demonstrated, and students will receive lots of hands on individual instruction and critique.

• This workshop takes place outdoors, so please bring a folding chair.
• Rain date will be September 19.

Instructor -- Annie Strack
Annie Strack has earned Signature Membership in 9 artist societies including the International Society of Marine Painters, and she is an Official Authorized Artist for the U.S. Coast Guard. Her paintings are exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the world and have been featured in over 20 solo shows. She is the author of the art instruction video Painting Seascapes in Watercolor which is broadcast on television stations worldwide and also available on DVD, and since 2005 she’s been a Contributing Editor for Professional Artist magazine. She teaches painting at Artists Network University, and she travels around the world to teach workshops, jury art exhibits, and paint en plein air. Her artwork has received hundreds of awards and hangs in over 1,000 collections worldwide including U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Pentagon, U.S. Senate, Veterans Administration, and many more.

Required supplies for this course:

• Palette containing your favorite (or standard) watercolors
• Assorted watercolor brushes (natural hair such as sable and squirrel preferred)
• Sketchbook or journal for sketches
• Several pieces of 140# CP or rough watercolor paper, small sizes, no larger than quarter sheet (Watercolor Blocks preferred)
• Water container
• Pencil
• Value Finder (you may purchase one from instructor for $5 if you don't have one)
• Optional: Watercolor easel, plein air umbrella, hat

Workshop and demo in New Jersey

Last week I judged an art exhibit and demonstrated watercolor painting for the Salem County Art League in New Jersey. It was a great show, and a great group of artists! Scroll through the photos to see my 1-hour demo.

I drove to Wisconsin to hang out with my sister for the summer, and when I get back home in August I'll be going back to New Jersey to teach a one-day workshop for the Salem County Art League. There's still a couple of spaces left in that workshop, but it will fill up fast so if you want to get in this class you need to sign up right away. I also have two 6 week classes for advanced watercolor painting starting in August in my studio in Kennett Square, and a one-day plein air painting workshop coming up in September at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford. Details for all of these are on my Calendar page. In the meantime, if you're in northern Wisconsin and want to get together for
some some plein air painting, let me know!