This past weekend I had the pleasure of instructing Woodland Watercolour, a one-off workshop set in the Cowichan Valley. It was such a highlight to spend time in this lush, natural setting with the participants. Was it wet? Oh yes it was! We didn’t let the rain stop us 🙂 There were some great perks to the weather too: the greens in the forest were extra vibrant and the abundancy of slug-life was staggering. I don’t think I have ever seen so many slugs! I would also like to say a special thank you to the wonderful couple that hosted this workshop and provided delightful treats! Thank you as well to the Boundary Owls who (or should I say “whoooo”) assisted with defining the parameters of our exploration zone, and to the birds that serenaded us while we painted.

There were three main themes to this workshop: 1) nature, 2) watercolour and 3) creating three-dimensional paintings. After collecting inspiration from the forest, we got cozy and worked on our projects under cover.

If I ask you to imagine a watercolour painting, you will likely picture a painting on a single, rectangular piece of paper. This is absolutely valid and accurate, however it doesn’t have to be the only way we approach painting. During this workshop we explored a variety of techniques for adding depth and volume to our artworks.

Creating additive projects like this requires the creator to constantly be responding to what is happening in front of them. Each decision informs the next decision. So, when we come to the end, we find ourselves looking at something that we couldn’t have expected or predicted. It’s exciting! I love how each painting turned into a little world!

Thank you to everyone that attended this workshop! It was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with you and share our love of art and nature.

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Future Workshops

I only instruct 2-4 workshops a year so they often fill up fairly quickly. If you would like to be notified when workshop registration goes live, please let me know by sending me a message via my Contact Form and mention that you would like to be added to the email notification list.

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Upcoming Events

I have two upcoming events in July:

• I’ll be at the Gorge on Art section at the Gorge Canada Day Picnic on July 1st
  (I will be located along the Gorge waterway at the bottom of Colquitz Ave)
• I will also be at the Art Gallery Paint In event on July 19
  (I will be located across from Sir James Douglas Elementary school)