Joseph Stoddard

About this Workshop:

Capturing Locations in Watercolor This four-day workshop will take place both in the studio and outside. It will be geared toward the intermediate student. (Beginners are of course welcome and I will be able to work with them as well. I want to avoid too much frustration however.) The goal will be to acquaint the students with the pleasures (and trials) of working out in the open, capturing the essential elements of what we see, and arranging/re-arranging those elements to say what we want to say. We will explore composition, color interpretation and design in order to put mood and emotion into our paintings. We will discuss materials and how to pack light with just the essentials. We will review the sketchbook and it’s function on location. In case of inclement weather, we will move our outdoor studio indoors, and work from sketches and photos. Typically, each day will begin with a brief discussion and a demonstration. Students can paint along with demo if desired. I will spend individual time with each student for the remainder of the morning. After lunch I will do another demonstration and provide more one-on-one instruction. The next morning, we will have a brief critique before the day’s demo. The following points will be covered: Painting Outside – Pack Light and Learn to Savor the Experience Learn how to enjoy the opportunities presented by painting outside. You can see in real life, what you have only painted before in pictures. We will discuss how to work quickly, how to make important notes for later use in the studio and how to make the study sketch the end product, an small masterpiece in and of itself. The selection of portable materials will be reviewed as we strive take only the necessities. The sketchbook As An End, Not Just A Means The sketchbook is traditionally thought of as a preparatory tool for the development of larger, more serious work. I suggest that the sketchbook in an art form in and of it self and can stand alone as legitimate art. We will explore the use of the sketchbook as a journaling device, a travel companion, and a way to increase your painting skill on a daily basis as well as giving you a way to explore new ways of creative expression. Color Interpretation (A Made-up Reality) I love color, especially in a watercolor painting. I am never bound by the color constraints of the subject, but rather feel the freedom to explore and interpret color in order to make a dramatic and emotional statement. If the composition and values are right, color is irrelevant. We will explore the creative application of color in order to make a subject say what we want. Working With Pen and Ink (and White Paint!) With Watercolor Pen and ink can add a beautiful clarity and energy to a painting. It can look loose and casual or crisp and tight. Used in combination with watercolor it can run and bleed and create pure raw emotion. Discover how to incorporate pen and ink into your sketches and paintings, both before and after you paint them. Learn how to add watercolor to a pen and ink sketch, and line work to a painting. Accidents Rule Why is it that my favorite part of all of my paintings is the part that I had no control over? This is a humbling truth. I call all my best watercolors “accidental art”. We will discuss and explore how to use composition and value studies to create areas within your painting where accidents can happen, freely and expressively. Your painting will have structure, balance, and a good value pattern, and be full of happy accidents. Dynamic composition makes exciting paintings We will explore the use of exaggerated composition and values to explore new interpretations of our subjects. Different compositions create different moods and feelings and show you how to look at subject from different points of view.

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