Mel Stabin Watercolor Workshop ~ Watercolor Figure ~ Art Journal Page

15" x 13" Watercolor figure "San Miguel Market"
I painted this on Monday from one of Mel Stabin's photographs and I consider it a more successful effort than some landscapes later in the week. The project of the day was landscape but I like a figure better than a tree but I watched and listened to Mel and his "tree talk" and I may attempt one yet. I've posted a slide show below of student's work from the Artists' Showplace workshop (in the previous post I have a slide show of Mel's paintings). Remember each one is at a different place in their watercolor journey. We had one student present for her very first workshop and with Mel's guidance she had several real success stories. Apologies to class members that I didn't put your name under your work and this is a partial list and I will include more work in the next post. The paintings in the slide show cover the full 5 days.

Mel has written two books, Watercolor: Simple, Fast and Focused and The Figure in Watercolor: Simple, Fast and Focused. He said he has another book in the works about "dancing brushes" and he knows his way around his Raphael mop brush.

8" x 10 Watercolor on gessoed paper "San Miguel Lady with Calla Lilies"
I didn't use a photograph but just painted a portrait from my head and looked at some photos of calla lilies taken when I was in the San Miguel workshop. His comment "A lively painting painted by a lively person." I enjoy working on the gessoed paper as redo's are easier. When we'd be hesitant about starting on a half sheet and putting down that first mark, he'd give us the sage advice "Screw it. Just do it".

Art Journal Page 68
A small sketch of a workshop painting, fun to find new bags for supplies deeply discounted, a quick hamburger, two of my acrylic entries for PCPC and more about that in a future post, lunch at Potager and a new experience of no checks but you place money in an envelope for what you thought the meal was worth, then a dining experience at Sevy's before the SWS meeting.

Now for some of the student's paintings from the workshop and more to come in a later post.