Watercolor Through the Eyes of Masters

COURSE NOTES

CLASS 1: INTRODUCTION TO WATERCOLOR

From Cave Paintings to Chinese ink painting to the European Renaissance

REFERENCE IMAGES

Prehistoric cave painting of a horse
A drawing of an owl with the face of a human baby, blending bird and human features.

DEMONSTRATIONS:

Watercolor painting of a dun horse with black mane and tail, outlined in black, titled 'Dun Horse' from Lascaux Cave.
Watercolor painting of a barn owl with large black eyes, brown and white feathers, and a pale yellow beak, set against a light background.

Class 2: EARLY ENGLISH SCHOOL
Early traditional approaches to watercolor painting including artists like Alexander Cozens, Thomas Girtin and early J.M.W. Turner

REFERENCE IMAGE

A watercolor landscape painting of Mount Vesuvius in the background, overlooking a harbor with boats. In the foreground, there are trees and buildings on a hillside.

DEMONSTRATION

Watercolor painting of a coastal landscape with a body of water in the foreground, a mountain in the background, and trees and buildings along the shoreline.

Class 3: J.M.W. TURNER

Examining the British master painter J.M.W. Turner and how his style and technique changed over time

REFERENCE IMAGE:

A watercolor painting of a city skyline across a body of water during sunset, with colorful clouds in the sky.

DEMONSTRATION:

Watercolor painting of a city skyline with a body of water in the foreground during a sunset or sunrise with clouds in the sky.

Class 4: WINSLOW HOMER AND OTHER 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN PAINTERS

Focusing on American watercolorist Winslow Homer and his contemporaries during 19th century America

REFERENCE IMAGE:

Watercolor painting of a sailboat on the water with two people on board, clouds overhead.

DEMONSTRATION:

Watercolor painting of a white sailboat with four people on deck sailing in blue water, with a small distant island with palm trees in the background.

Class 5: IMPRESSIONIST WATERCOLORS

Investigating the way painters such as Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne approached color with watercolor

REFERENCE IMAGE:

A watercolor landscape painting of a mountain with a house and trees in the foreground.

DEMONSTRATION:

Watercolor painting of a mountain landscape with a large mountain in the background, small buildings with red roofs, trees, and a winding path in the foreground.

Class 6: J.S. Sargent

Focusing on the works and techniques of master American watercolorist, John Singer Sargent

REFERENCE IMAGE:

Watercolor painting of a narrow alleyway or corridor with light-colored walls and a view toward the end with a small opening. The scene is painted in soft, muted tones.
A watercolor painting of an alleyway between beige buildings, with a blue sky overhead.

DEMONSTRATION:

CLASS 7 : ART NOUVEAU AND EXPRESSIONIST WATERCOLORS

Exploring how artists such as Auguste Rodin, Arthur Miller and Charles Rennie MacKintosh adapted their work through watercolor around the turn of the 19th to 20 century

REFERENCE IMAGE:

Watercolor painting of a religious scene depicting Jesus Christ at the Last Supper with his disciples, inside a church with an arched doorway in the background.

DEMONSTRATION:

CLASS 8: NIHONGA PAINTING

Focusing on specifically the ink works of early Nihonga painting by artists such as Takeuchi Seiho, Kawai Gyokudô and Yokoyama Taikan

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DEMONSTRATION:

CLASS 9: MODERN AND ABSTRACT

Looking at artists such as Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keefe, Paul Klee and others to illustrate the diverse ways of painting in watercolor during the 20th century.

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DEMONSTRATION:

CLASS 10: ANDREW WYETH

Examining artists working today in fine art, illustration and graphic novels

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DEMONSTRATION: