John Singer Sargent Gallery Presentation

Muddy Alligators by John Singer Sargent

You're Invited!
 

Art History lll, John Singer Sargent, an Artist's View | Gallery Presentation by Michele Cooper
Kirkland Arts Center
Thursday, October 4, 2012
6:30pm - 8:00 pm

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925) was an American painter by birth-right. He loved his country yet he spent most of his life in Europe.  He was the most celebrated portraitist of his time but left it at the very height of his fame to devote full time to landscape painting, water colors and public art. Why did he do it? What happened at the White House when he was preparing to paint a portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt? Michele gives an overview of Sargent's work from the viewpoint of a practicing artist.

Please call KAC for your reservation:  (425) 822-716
Fee: $10 per person

"To live with Sargent's watercolours is to live with sunshine captured and held, with the luster of a bright and legible world, ‘the refluent shade’ and ‘the Ambient ardours of the noon.’ (Evan Edward Charteris)

Watercolor Pea Pod

"Pea Pod"
Original Watercolor sold
7"x5"

More fun with "green".
It never ceases to amaze me how many more colors there are than green in objects that are supposed to be just green.

Note: Artwork purchased here is sold without mat and frame unless otherwise stated.

Green Onions

Playing around in watercolor with green. You would be surprised at the "bouquet" of greens we have here, in the "Emerald City" this year.

Strawberries in the Studio

Two Strawberries & Leaves   sold
5x7" Original watercolor

I love the beautiful weather we've been having. And the strawberries in our patio pots are still coming!

To get the shadow composition I wanted, I had the strawberries up on a stack of books in another part of the studio and moved back and forth from there to my easel to paint them.

Harvest time

Original Watercolor 5x7"
by Michele Cooper

Watercolor can be so expressive. From pale, sketchy, "English Style" washes, like yesterday's post to the bold expressionistic strokes of this one.

Spring sketch

From the Watercolor Sketchbook
Original Pen, Pencil & Wash  7"x9.5"
$50

"Is she still there?"
"Um hmm."

Monday at Pike Place, Pencil Sketch

Pike Place sketch, pencil
Original 7"x10" (two facing pages)

This is typical of my quick pencil sketches in preparation for a watercolor painting. It takes only about 10 minutes or less. I use this method to work out my composition, capture fleeting effects of light and shadow and eliminate unnecessary detail.

Watercolor Starter Kits for Beginners

 For those starting watercolor for the first time, it can be an expensive enterprise to buy all the supplies you need for your first class.

Maybe you're not even sure you will like watercolor and just want to try it out.

I've put together a Watercolor Starter Kit especially for those taking my classes and Art & Wine Workshops.

Cost: $25.00  (delivered in class or pick up at my studio)

What's Inside:
1 mechanical pencil with eraser
1 waterproof  support for watercolor paper
1 high quality 12-color watercolor paint set, semi-moist pans
2 watercolor brushes, 1 small detail and 1 large round
3 sheets of 140# professional quality watercolor paper (can be used on both sides)
Helpful pages on color mixing, technique and more,  to get you started.

Just enough to get you started the first day of class and keep you going for the rest of an eight week series. (It comes with enough paper to get started, but you will need to resupply as you use it up.)

New DVD Release--Homer's "Gloucester Boys"

Step by Step 20 minute lesson on DVD

Here's a first look at the cover of my new watercolor  instructional DVD, Homer's "Gloucester Boys."
Release date:
August 31, 2012

The cover art shows the demonstration painting in the lesson.  Discover watercolor secrets of simplifying figures as Michele Cooper demonstrates Winslow Homer's "Gloucester Boys", step by step.

Learn how to simplify the figure into two basic shapes, create strong contrasts of light and shadow, drop in color for skin tones and use specific brushwork for soft and rough edges. There is a bonus section of photo references so that you, too, can create dozens of your own simple but effective watercolor figures.

Price: $20.00 for one DVD plus $5.00 S&H

"Flooded Fields 3" - Corrective Measures

Here's the third of 3 installments of my new watercolor demonstration video, "Flooded Fields".

It's commonly thought that you can't make corrections in watercolor....once it's on the paper, it's there for good. In Part 3 of my new video, I show you two reasons to change the "finished" painting and the methods you might use to accomplish it. Get ready to use an X-Acto blade and paint over the entire foreground of a "finished" painting.

There are a few tips on color mixing and brushwork, too.

Please let me know what you think. Once you watch it, don't forget to give it a thumbs up if you "like" it. Thanks for watching Parts 1 and 2 and for your kind words and comments.