Celery Bog Paint Out Today!

Why I don't go by myself to paint plein air - I don't know, but today the Wabash Valley Watercolor Society organized a paint out at the West Lafayette Celery Bog nature center.  It's always a dream to be outdoors painting.  There were 10 of us that enjoyed painting, sharing lunch and then sharing our work.  Awesome day!  Here are photos of what I started today.  I need to add some finishing touches.

Sharing Art with Kids

 It's summer - time for kid's activities at church.  It's been a great week giving 20 elementary age young people a chance to use "real" artist watercolor and watercolor paper for the first time.  They caught the idea that they were painting with water with a little paint.  It was wet on wet with a pinch of salt and voila - the wonder of creating.  We also created giant "fandango" self portrait puppets - what fun!

Marvelous Morning Glories

Instead of painting, I've been working on the organizational end of the Wabash Valley Watercolor Society.  What a wonderful group of artists to be getting involved with here in Lafayette!

The president of the WVWS encouraged all of us to bring something to the meeting tonight and decided it was high time to sit down and paint and get out of my "organizational mode!"  I've been drinking in the beauty of my morning glory photos and decided it was time to paint a few.  Here are my first efforts - one on Yupo, the other on Strathmore 140 lb paper.  It's always a challenge to capture the delicacy of morning glory pets.

Here is the photo I was inspired by - taken in Laguna Beach, California in 2007.

Teaching Again!

It's been a great experience teaching watercolor painting to several senior citizens at Friendship House where my mom lives. The most "senior" member of class is learning watercolors for the first time at 90 years of age!  She is still an avid quilter!  They've been real good sports as I've put them through their paces to learn the color wheel.  These past two classes we've taken a break from the color wheel to paint a flower - a giant hibiscus, hopefully using what they learned from the color wheel.  This is just a glimpse.  I'll post pictures of their finished pieces in a couple of weeks.  We meet every other week for watercolor classes and the off week for pastel classes with a marvelous teacher from the area.

Painting for "Visions of Community"

In recent weeks my time has been spent gardening and working with the Wabash Valley Watercolor Society planning for the future.  So that has not left much time to paint.  There is a community art event happening right now for which I painted a couple of 8 x 10 watercolors.  The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette is sponsoring a fund raiser - local artists pay $5 for an 8 x 10 frame and donate their work to the Art Museum for an upcoming auction.  These are my

two little paintings.  

Classes to Begin

It's time to begin teaching watercolor classes again.  Seeing students experience the joy of watercolors is something I've missed since I closed up my teaching studio over a year ago anticipating our move to West Lafayette, Indiana.  There have been opportunities in recent weeks to demo and provide students with a watercolor experience which has led me to find studio space outside my home where I could schedule some classes.  Class information can be found here on the blog. We'll start by creating a color wheel, then do some experimental painting of leaves to see how the paper, paint, and water interact.  Join us!  Spread the word!

  

Jerie Artz – Artzart

“Fun” – damentals of Watercolor

At Basketworks  

The Art of Life Café 

        1020-C Sagamore Parkway West

West lafayette, IN  

www.jerieartz-artzart.blogspot.com www. jerieartz.com http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/sugarbaker

6 Week Session

Monday afternoons 2-4pm

or

Monday evenings 6 -8pm

May 20, 27, June 3, 10, 17, 24

 $150 for six classes

Recommended Supply List Attached

Come and enjoy the experience of watercolors! Positive, directed teaching,

weekly handouts, demos and your own original creations!

May 20:  Week 1 – Watercolor Basics

·        Create your own Color Wheel; Painting – Leaves

May 27: Week 2 – Color Family Tree

·        Enchanted Forest/Negative Space; Painting– Primary Colors

June 3: Week 3 – Color Family Tree

·        Enchanted Forest/Negative Space Painting

·        Primary/Compliment Colors

June 10 Week 4 – Color Family Tree

·        Enchanted Forest/Negative Space Painting

·        Primary/Compliment and Analogous Colors

June 17 Week 5 – Florals or Still Life Painting

·        Based on what has been learned in class.

June 24 Week 6 – Tissue Paper Texture Watercolor

_________________________________________

Registration

Reserve your place by mailing this form to Jerie Artz, 3635 Goodall Court,

West Lafayette, Indiana 47906; tel. (765)838-8359

  $75 due at registration, $75 due at the first class. Make checks payable to Jerie Artz

Name _____________________________ e-mail___________________

Address____________________________  phone ___________________

Monday Afternoon Class ___________ or  Evening Class ___________

Either time would work for me! _______________

To assure your place in class, please register by May 10.   In order to accommodate busy schedules, I’m offering the afternoon or evening option.  There is a required minimum of 8 registered students per class.  In the event of only one class there will be the option to take the class offered or your check will be returned.

Tippecanoe County Courthouse

Oh the challenges of perspective!  I've had the opportunity to tackle that challenge while painting the neoclassic architecture of the Tippecanoe County Courthouse for an Indiana Bar Association art contest.

Both paintings are on twin rocker handmade paper,  made right up on the road in Brookston, Indiana.  The first one is watercolor and pastels, the 2nd painting is watercolor and pen work.  I think they are finished, but they may still have something to tell me before I submit them for the contest April 22nd!