Social Distancing and Distance Learning

With the outbreak of the COVID19 panic, my classes have transitioned from hybrid courses to totally online. It wasn’t a big leap since I’m already set up and using Google Classroom and the students are already accustomed to posting their work digitally. So, all is good. I’m spending time throughout the day watching for project submissions and offering feedback to their work. So, I have had some time to ramp up my watercolor studies. Here are a few recents efforts.

City Limit
Manhattan Bridge (1936)
Spectators
Remnants of Habitation

New Stuff

I haven’t posted anything in a while. Been working on speeding up my work and I have become more and more interested in Plein Air painting, as is everyone. Nothing like jumping onto a trend. I’m looking at the long game. Something to do in retirement in a few years. I have seen some benefits to my work and has opened up a lot of subject matter that I previously had no interest in capturing. I tell my students I am working on subject matter that I don’t like doing (architecture and landscapes), because they are “hard” and I want to get better at doing them. Trying to show a good example for them to immulate? There are several new works in the Watercolor section of this site.

Images from class

Reclining figure: Watercolor
Jack and Barbossa: Gouache
Ram Skull: Watercolor

About nine years ago as I was settling in as chair for the art department, I realized I wasn’t getting much done creatively. Other than a few freelance book cover designs, I was not producing at a level I wanted. My gouache technique was too time intensive for the time I had available. Fortunately, much of what I learned about this opaque watercolor (gouache) was easily transferable into transparent watercolor techniques. The best block of time I had available for creative effort was in class, so I set out to bring my watercolor technique up to speed (speed being the key). I wanted to be able to produce a finished artwork within a class period or two for the students to watch how to work with the techniques. I am now integrating in-class media demonstrations into my Illustration and Foundation Art classes and it does help students (or frustrates them) to see how the techniques are executed. Working with traditional watercolor has also expanded the subject matter I now consider. Many of the images on this site are in-class media demonstrations – both gouache and watercolor.