Robert will be teaching us how to paint dramatic skies and also how to varnish a watercolor painting.

Robert is a recent transplant to Texas. and was pleased to find such an active arts scene and the opportunity to make like-minded friends. His artistic endeavors started in high school, where he took painting privately and taught himself the italic hand. He majored in Information Technology and Statistics in college but also studied ceramics and worked at “throwing pots” for some years.

Raising a family and working as a programmer and data analyst left little time to pursue the arts, but impending retirement spurred him to take up the pen and brush. While living in Richmond, Virginia, he studied with Christopher Wynn, a local watercolorist, for a year until COVID-19 hit. Robert has studied British watercolorists and Asian sources and has also taken workshops with Iain Stewart, Tim Oliver, and Dan Mondloch. all of whom have very eye-catching sky techniques.

Painting Skies:

The British School of Watercolour has a long history of painting interesting skies, starting with Turner and continuing to the present day. Robert especially admires Roland Hilder, who recommended painting a sky a day. Eventually, you do get better! Skies can be an essential element in your composition and can add interest to your subject. Too many watercolorists rely on graduated washes to simplify their work. Robert will touch on color theory, compositional elements, and some techniques to enhance your skies.

Varnishing Watercolors:

Oil painters have been varnishing their pictures since the early Renaissance, but we watercolorists have been slow to adopt this technique. As with all things, there are advantages and disadvantages. Probably the major objection, besides “we have always done it this way,” is that varnish can darken the picture by about one tone (based on a grayscale of 1 to 10).

It also gives the watercolor painting more of an appearance of an acrylic or oil medium. Why do it, you ask? The merits of varnishing include that it gives the painting a fairly waterproof finish and doesn’t require mounting under glass. It has become popular with watercolorists participating in Plein Air competitions because the varnish dries quickly, and the picture can be easily framed without needing a mat or glass, thus allowing it to be sold at the competition. Also, since a varnished watercolor painting resembles a finished oil or acrylic painting, it can potentially be marketed at a higher price. Oils have always outsold watercolors by a factor of 100% or more.

Supplies Needed: Bring your normal watercolor supplies. Three sheets of 8x10 or 11x14 quality watercolor paper (Arches 140lb Cold Pressed).

Robert will demonstrate skies and bring several examples of the varnishing process. Bring your energy and smile, because we will be painting along and actively learning!

Sarah Pick