Our 2017-2018 workshop season started off with a Floral Watercolor workshop with award winning local artist, Cathy Welner.  WOW!  What a great workshop.....we learned so much.  Thank you, Cathy!  There were 12 participants in the class from all over Ohio and even Michigan.  Linda and Terry traveled all the way from Loudenville, getting up at 4:30am to arrive on time, as did Yogesh, who drove in from Auburn, Michigan.  Our youngest member, Emma, a high school sophomore, participated too.

Cathy started the class by generously handing out several quality prints of her floral artworks that we could use as reference and, of course, frame later if we wanted.  The reference materials just kept on coming!  Cathy shared many of her original paintings with us....all so beautiful.  We also thank her friend, Bill, for helping bring all her prints, pictures and supplies up to the second floor Gallery!

We gathered around as Cathy started her demonstration of the ‘rose, daisy and purple aster bouquet’ that we painted in the class.  She made it look so easy.  She started with the background wash of yellow ochre, leaving the white of the paper for the roses.  After the initial wash, Cathy used a dry brush for everything else.  There was very little water on her palate and at times her brushes seemed to take a lot of abuse as she moved the paint around on the paper.  She used white paint, liberally, especially for the daisies and asters.  She was not afraid to use her fingernails or a dull razor blade to get some of the finer details.

Cathy gave us lots of tips.....how to copy the sketch onto watercolor paper, how to paint a rose, the trick to painting daisies and asters, painting negative shapes...plus more.  But, the best tip, not related to flowers, however, was how to add the sun or the moon to your landscape painting....it was so simple!  This tip alone was worth the cost of the class!
 

Cathy shares how to trace the subject onto watercolor paper.	Use a sunny window!

 

Cathy uses a circle template and wet paper towel to add a moon or sun to the painting.	Don't forget the reflection, and to break up the edges.	How easy is that!

 

Step 1.  Paint a square shape	2.  Paint around the square, adding lines that cross the points	3.  Not all lines should touch - leave some white space	4.  The rose begins to take shape.

 

Add Pro White paint for daisies	Yellow centers, and touch of blue/green for shadow	Layer shades of purple for Asters	White for petals, yellow for centers	Final details - don't forget to add shadows under center of daisies and asters

We look forward to additional workshops with Cathy....landscapes in the Fall of 2018.  We also thank Cathy for donating her completed class artwork to Euclid Art for our Spring Fine Art Show raffle.

Enjoy the rest of the story in pictures....below.

 

Cathy starts with a wash of yellow ochre.  She wets the paper using a wide brush, leaving white areas for the roses.	Painting the Asters	She decides where to place the next flower; keep an odd number.	A closer look!

 

Her palette has all kinds of paints - Holbein, her favorite, Winsor & Newton, even Cotman student grade Cerulean Blue (she likes it's graininess), and Graham paints (with honey).	Cathy uses a lot of white paint, especially for small daisies, and to highlight the Purple Asters	Her favorite brushes - round Dream Catchers, from Cheap Joes.  Sizes 4, 6, 8, 10, because they keep a sharp point.  Notice the green tips on brush handles.

 

 

Under construction...	Almost done...

 

Emma works on the second flower.	The completed painting!  Beautiful...	Yogesh concentrates on his painting.

Answer to the first question everyone always asks... "What are your favorite paints and brushes?"  Her palate holds all kinds of paints from her favorites, Holbein and Winsor & Newton, including Cotman’s student grade Cerulean Blue (she likes the graininess), to Graham paints with honey (maybe that's why the bees were so active around us!).  Her favorite colors include Mineral Violet, Olive Green, Leaf Green, Cad Yellow, Van Dyke Brown, Cerulean Blue, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion and, of course, Pro White by Daler/Rowney.  Her favorite brushes are round Dream Catcher watercolor brushes from Cheap Joe's, sizes 10, 8, 6, 4, because they keep a sharp point.  Tip...dip the handle tip of your brushes into a funky nail polish color, that way you'll always know which brushes are yours.
 

Paintings by members of the class...

Comparison between two artists, an observation.... Cathy’s watercolor techniques are the polar opposite of David Rankin, who teaches most of our watercolor classes.  Cathy uses cold press smooth paper, round brushes (mostly), very little water.  Whereas David uses rough paper, a 1-inch wash brush for almost everything, lots of water for washes and glistens, Cathy does not do washes per se, it’s more about moving the paint around on the paper, very dry brush.  David loads his brush with paint.  He uses two containers of water, one dirty and one clean, while Cathy uses only one water container.  David almost never uses white paint, because he leaves the white of the paper, painting around the ‘lightest, brightest, whitest’ part of the painting.  Cathy uses Pro White paint right over the darkest part of her paintings.  So different, and yet they both create magnificent works of art!