Updates from Arena Shawn Watercolor Studio

This Blog contains updates on my new works as they are completed, information regarding exhibitions and art fairs I participate in, workshops and classes I teach, and occasionally, anecdotes from this studio by the lovely San Francisoco Bay. If you want to learn more about how each painting is created step by step, as well as technical tips for watercolor painting, please go to my other blog, "Ten Thousand Square Inches of Canvas". 





Crystal Springs Sunset, Watercolor on Aches #140 Cold Press Paper, 10"h x 6"w,

"Crystal Springs Sunset" started out as an exercise in Stan Miller's workshop. Using a black-and-white photograph as reference, Stan asked us to use any colors -- arbitrary colors even, like green for the clouds -- to paint each shape, mostly wet on dry, soften edges as we go. The only requirement is to get the shapes painted in color as close in value as the black-and-white reference photo. It was a very valuable exercise, teaching me the importance of value to create a believable illusion of three-dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. As long as the value relationships are right, almost any color [...]

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Water's Edge, Watercolor on Aches #140 Cold Press Paper, 5"h x 7"w

Leslie Saeta's "30 Paintings in 30 Days" Challenge for this September is officially closing, and I sort of fell off the wagon again in the past few days due to preparation for the start of my atelier's new semester. I will be starting to paint in oil this coming semester! I am so excited and terrified at the same time... Luckily, I have you guys -- my wonderful artist friends who are veteran oil painters! Well, be prepared... I will be bugging you guys with tons of questions (many of which very silly I'm sure... :-P) I experimented with this water lily [...]

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