LAST DAY OF KAREN FREY WORKSHOP - DAY 3 DEMO

Other than painting myself, nothing is more enjoyable to me than to watch artists paint! There is something magical about it. This was Karen's demo for the last day of the workshop. She already had the drawing and under painting completed, so we watched her bring this image to life this morning. The amazing thing is how small this painting is (1/2 sheet, I think) considering the detail in the face, etc. Her smallest brush is a 16 and she usually works with a 20 or larger.

I probably shouldn't have gone but I didn't want to miss this demo. Besides, all my painting gear was left in the classroom. I woke up with a headcold so I tried to stay at a distance from others and left without painting in the afternoon. I didn't want to share my cold with my friend Sally who was set up next to me. I knew if I left I wouldn't paint at home. I was right. Hopefully, I will complete the painting I started. It's not great but I will practice some of the techniques on it. There were some very good paintings being developed in the class. Sorry I wasn't able to see them finished. Over all it was a great 3 days. I enjoy taking workshops as well at teaching them. I always gain a new perspective as a student that helps me as a teacher. This workshop was no exception.

KAREN FREY DEMO FINISHED!

Karen's painting turned out beautifully and it was fun to see her develop it from start to finish. Of course, then it was our turn to try to do the same. This is as far as I got. Most of it is very tight. Too tight for me. I did start to loosen up at the very last minute and see possibilities for merging some of her technique with my sensibilities for how I want to paint. The edges of each shape are the most difficult part of all. At least knowing what to look for and having a semblance of an idea how to go about it is a start. It is that darn "practice, practice, practice" mantra rearing it's ugly head again. No getting around it. At least it is fun practicing, practicing, practicing.

KAREN FREY WORKSHOP DAY 1

I decided at the last minute to take a 3 day workshop with Karen Frey through the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. Karen is a favorite of mine...both her work and as a person. She is a tiny woman with a huge talent. Her paintings are to drool over. They must be seen in person to fully appreciate the richness of the paint, the gorgeous mixtures of color and value and the unusual edges she develops through her unique style of painting wet into wet. I actually studied with Karen for two years at her home studio in Oakland. I wanted to learn the "secrets" to this way of painting. Well, in two years I never saw her paint a painting from start to finish. In fact, she only "demoed" little bits here and there to help a student understand something. Karen was a great teacher and I learned a lot from her. She was the one who urged me to start drawing directly with a brush and helped me in many ways. In general, I think it is smart to have students develop their own style...but, darn it, how does she do it? I still wanted to see her paint. I now have my wish and I am very excited. Click on the post title to go to Karen's website.

Here is Karen's painting after day 1. She has a simple grid marked on the photo and on the board. She draws with a brush using a weak solution of Manganese Blue. Next she goes over the entire painting with a very diluted wash saving the whites. She never uses masking fluid and paints around the whites. This stage is harder than it looks. She softens edges as needed. That is as far as we got today. Tomorrow she will finish the painting and then it is our turn.

Here is my painting after the "sissy wash" has been applied, along with the original photo I took and then how it looked after I put it through a few filters in Photoshop Elements. I used the photoshop version to do the underpainting. It feels good to be painting again after days of office work.