Jane will teach technique and control, with an emphasis on the nature and behavior of water. During this week-long workshop, students will paint four watercolor portraits. Jane will start the class with a demonstration of a portrait, and will then assist students while they paint their own versions of the face that Jane painted in the demo. This exercise will demonstrate the wide variety of styles among the class members and launch individual students on a discovery of untapped options in painting. After painting two more portraits in this manner, students will paint self-portraits. One class day will be devoted to painting from life, giving students the chance to see the difference between working from a model and working from a photograph. Individual coaching will include developing composition using multiple photos; layering techniques; paper, brush, and pigment choices; salvaging disasters; palette arrangement and color choices to prevent muddiness; and using a computer as a tool. Jane will discuss using transparency, staining and granulating colors. Students will learn specific exercises that they can practice at home or in class to strengthen their watercolor technique. This class is suitable for all levels.

For more information about  about this class and to register call 830 990 4048 or email JL personally at daniel@baronscreekside.com

Painting is my passion, whether in oils or watercolors. Traditional oils are like applying colored butter to a canvas… a luscious process I could never tire of. Family portraits in oils have been the classic medium over the ages to preserve a loved one's image and spirit.

Painting a portrait in watercolor is a lot like raising a child. It is a tight rope act, an incredibly fine balance between letting the vibrant transparent colors grow and bloom in unexpected directions… and being a careful and thoughtful guide, coaxing and coaching and watching…ever careful not to meddle too much with a brush and spoil the beauty. After fifteen years of painting watercolor portraits, I am still enthralled with the process. I begin each painting with excited expectation, a mother wondering if I am up to the challenge. I can't imagine a better job.

The visual treat of a watercolor is its transparency…. its clean, pure color. What better medium to use for a child's portrait? There is no white paint; so careful planning is essential to the process. The portrait is painted from light to dark (just the opposite of an oil approach). It takes calculated finesse to create multiple luminous layers, without dissolving previous layers and muddying the color. Carefully layered washes give a watercolor painting its characteristic sparkle and glow.