Exploring Impressionism in Watermedia, Hands On. Spring 2011, Watercolor Art Society-Houston

The Red Canoe, Winslow Homer

Do you love the paintings produced by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist watercolor painters Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Paul Signac, Childe Hassam, van Gogh and others?  Let us explore the tools and techniques used by these masters and discover ways to add freshness and spontaneity to our own paintings.

The Impressionists developed new techniques to convey a "different way of seeing." It was an art of immediacy and movement, of candid poses and compositions, of the play of light expressed in a bright and varied use of color.  They often explored plein-air painting in order to recreate the sensation in the eye that views the subject, rather than attempt to recreate the subject.


In this course we will project paintings of these masters to take a close-up look at a few of the techniques they used.  A weekly demo of specific techniques will follow.  Then, together, we will recreate the feeling of plein-air in the classroom.  Each week, together we will paint a projected, large photograph of reference material provided by the instructor.  This will give students an opportunity to experience, first-hand, the spontaneity and freshness of these master painters by making brushmarks and colors that depict their own impressions.

Demonstrations will alternate: one week in watercolor, then the following week in acrylics.  Students are welcome to try both, or stay with one medium for all classes.  Because the art supply industry has produced many innovative materials since the early days of Impressionism, we will have an opportunity to enjoy the advantages of these fine materials.

A homework assignment will be given weekly and a brief critique of one painting will begin each class, for those who wish to participate.  Tuesday afternoon classes begin January 18 and end March 8, 2011, 1:00-4:00 p.m..

Blown Away

Blown Away, Winslow Homer*

"I have learned two or three things in my years of experience...One is, never paint a blue sky." When asked why, Homer replied, "Why, because it looks like the devil, that's all.  Another thing; a horizon is horrible-that straight line!" --"Watercolors by Winslow Homer, the Color of Light," Tedeschi
*courtesy the Brooklyn Museum, used with permission

Go to the Masters

The Red Canoe, 13 3/4 x 20" watercolor, 1889, Winslow Homer
(sold at Sotheby's in 1999 for $4,842,500 and prior to that, in 1983 for $260,000!)

In the book Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg tells us "if you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you. Maybe it's not quite that easy, but if you want to learn something, go to the source." That is my philosophy on painting as well. Those artists whose artwork draws me to it again and again have so much to teach. I never tire of pouring over the beautiful passages, hoping to figure out how to convey some of the magic in my own work. --SG

Painting Inspiration: Winslow Homer

Girl Carrying a Basket, 1882, Winslow Homer

In recent months Winslow Homer's gorgeous watercolors have piqued my interest. He utilized several techniques that modern watercolor instructors seldom endorse or teach. In fact he used anything and everything necessary to achieve his beautiful results. For instance, he often used opaque white watercolor, sometimes mixing it with color, to highlight certain areas of the painting. He often abraded the paper with knives and sandpaper. He used rough paper. He even used breadcrumbs to achieve a texture similar but more subtle than salt.