Here’s the Mermaid painting finished.  This is the one I started for the Art Nouveau class.

The Color scheme is transparent watercolors:

French Ultramarine Blue, Winsor Blue Green Shade, Quinacridone Gold, Permanent Rose, Cobalt Violet.

I used a brown sharpie for the outlines.  Fine point and extra fine point.

My friend, Sandy Delehanty, will be teaching a workshop in Mendocino this July.  Sandy is an excellent instructor who will be focusing on the use of Aquaboard with watercolor. Wish I could attend! Sandy’s paintings are bright and luminous and her workshops are so much fun.

Since I was just in Mendocino, I know what a marvelous facility the Mendocino Art Center is.   And, of course, you can’t go by wrong soaking up the cool ocean air this time of year.

Here’s the info on the workshop

“Painting Luminous Floral Watercolors on Aquabord”
Instructor: Sandy Delehanty
July 26 – 30, 2010 a 5 day workshop
Mendocino Art Center
45200 Little Lake Street, Mendocino, CA 95460
Tuition $385.00 To enroll contact Mendocino Art Center www.mendocinoartcenter.org or call them at 800-653-3328. Be sure to ask for their “Housing List”.

Check out Sandy’s website at:  http://www.sandydelehanty.com

Here’s the design I’m working on for my class in the Art Nouveau Design (Ink on 300 lb. cold press Arches watercolor paper).

Now I’m working on the color scheme and values that I will be using.  It’s relatively easy for me to get a nice drawing… not so easy to figure out how to add color and where.  But fun and thought provoking!

One of the things I will keep in mind as I paint is to keep my values lighter than the pen line.

Just a reminder…  My workshops in Mendocino are coming up.  June 7 & 8 and June 9 – 11, 2010.

The first workshop is a methods class where I will teach my techniques.  The second is a portrait workshop, with a bit of magic included.   Hurry hurry…   It’s not too late to sign up!

In June I’ll be teaching a four week class at University Art in Sacramento on the Art Nouveau Style.  My primary focus  will be the artwork of Alfonse Mucha, http://www.muchafoundation.org, though I will also show students other work in the style, or deriving from the style.

Described as an art composed of charm and grace, delicacy and love, Mucha’s art is full of intoxicating rhythm and line.   It is simple and at the same time complex with intricate details woven in.  The work usually combines the idealized form of women (complete with long flowing hair and drapery) with natural elements (flowers, leaves and creatures) and amazing borders and curvilinear line-work.

With this combination of form, line and subject matter, Mucha created a unique style that bears study and can be used as a starting point for artwork of your own.

In one of my reference books, The Art Nouveau Style Book of Alfonse Mucha, it says:  ”Let that man always be made welcome who is able to produce the mirage of a lovely dream in the midst of the sorrows and platitudes of our existence.”

To find out more about my class, go to my class and events page.

Here are a couple of pieces I painted that have come from my studies.