I gave 2 workshops in Edmonton last weekend. They were sponsored by The Paint Spot a great art store, gallery and studio just off Whyte Ave. I have to thank Kim and her staff for making me feel so welcome. They are big supporters of Canadian and Albertan artists.
There were 2 classes both very enthusiastic about learning more about watercolour. It’s always a wonderful experience to be in a room like that.
The first day I did a demo of one of my favourite scenes from Calgary, the Stephan Ave Mall. It’s a good example of the monumental style street scene and has great shapes and composition.
Christmas on Stephan Ave
This painting is all about value, the colour is completely secondary. But if you have a good composition and a good value then the painting will be successful. As a friend of mine said: Colour gets the glory but value does the work.
On the second day I did something I’ve never done before which is do a demo that I hadn’t practiced. This time I went in cold and that made it a very interesting experience. There was extra focus when I began the painting. But it did allow me to demonstrate the process I go through before I start a new painting. I always do a thumbnail value study in pencil. I find this practice very important. Since I’ve been doing this I notice the quality and especially the consistency of my paintings improved dramatically.
Sunlight On Jasper Ave
This is the demo I did on the second day. It’s a view down Jasper Ave. My main thought process was to see and paint the buildings on the left side as a single shape. I think it’s very successful. I really like the sense of light. I plan to do this painting again as a demonstration for my new distributor ArtClick.tv. Next time I do it I would like to improve the sky and also change the composition a little to bring the building on the right a little closer to the edge. Bringing that building right out of the frame at the bottom was the biggest change I made after the workshop when I got back in my studio.
Anyway it was great to meet everyone and it was a lot of fun. I look forward to returning.