Watercolor Painting Workshop

I just finished up teaching a watercolor painting workshop with a great group of fellow artists. I love getting to know artists from many parts of the country and seeing the wide variety of styles they use. this class included: Dan Ludwig from New Mexico; Janice Jones from Heber, Utah; Stanley Cyr from Minnesota; John Iverson from St. George, Utah; Peggy Peterson, Joanne Johansen, Diane Taterka and Barb Worley all from Mesquite, Nevada.



Janice Jones purchased this painting of a Utah snowfall during the watercolor painting workshop. I used the painting as an example while demonstrating how to paint snow in watercolor as part of the watercolor workshop.

Green Shutters - Watercolor Painting of Switzerland

I zoomed in on a set of green shutters framing the windows of this large Swiss home. It seemed right to add the flowers since they are everywhere in Europe. I used the technique of softening the distance mountains and trees by creating hazy edges and less detail. This effect, called aerial perspective, enhances the sense of depth in a painting.

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Watercolor Painting of Swiss Chalet

On this little painting I just loosened up quite a bit on the sky and the hillside field, letting the brushstrokes tell the story. Examining the field you can see evidence of the backpainting or negative painting technique I use frequently in my landscapes.

Looking closely you can see the rough pencil sketch on Arches watercolor paper. I use very loose washes for the sky.

Now I begin tightening up the edges by using darker glazes over the light passages. Since the chalet is darker than the sky I can paint right over it. click to see painting of Swiss Chalet on my website

New Painting of a European Country Garden

I'm still working on a series of small painting of the European countryside from sketchbook drawings I did on previous visits. I came upon this scene while taking a walk in the countryside in Switzerland. The vegetable garden was lush and rich, while the flowers added just the touch of color and vibrancy the scene needed. Although the inspiration came from a trip to Switzerland, the scene could really be almost anywhere in the European countryside.

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The painting begins with a small thumbnail sketch to help me determine the overall composition and value relationships.

I am painting on Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper which is stapled to a board and trimmed with tape. After lightly sketching in the outlines with a 4H pencil, I begin by laying in loose washes of color wet in wet.

While preserving the whites in key areas I continue to layer on glazes to identify edges. As I use more drybrush techniques, the objects begin to come into focus.

Painting of an Autumn Farm in Vermont

I love painting the pastoral New England countryside, especially in the fall. We have visited Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire many times to paint the fall colors. This painting is based on a farm I found in upstate Vermont, although I have changed many elements of the scene to capture the warm glow and peaceful feeling I was looking for.

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Watercolor painting of European Mountain Village

Continuing the series of European Village scenes, I referred back to my sketchbooks from a trip to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to come up with this painting of a typical mountain village. I wanted to capture the feel of early morning light cresting the ridge and falling across the town, a scene I encountered in my early morning walks through the European countryside.

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Castle Purchased by a Prince

It sounds like a storybook ending. My good friends and art collectors Karianne and Jeff Prince stopped by the gallery over the weekend and added a "Castle" to their collection. Actually it was my newest painting of Schloss Rietberg, a Castle in Switzerland that they walked away with. Jeff had spent two years in Switzerland as an LDS missionary and has a great love for Switzerland, as I do. Thanks Jeff and Karianne.

My Watercolor Palette

I have had numerous requests from both websites about my watercolor palette. Since the term "palette" refers to both the surface you mix paint on, as well as the pigments used, I decided to post both here. I use Daniel Smith paints almost exclusively, with Windsor and Newton mixed in. You can see the paint layout on my palettes below. The palettes themselves are Eldajon palettes which I buy from Dick Blick and have used them for over 30 years. However it appears they are no longer available from the manufacturer, and are limited to only the supplies currently on hand in the supply houses. By the way if you are going to order anythng from Dick Blick do it from my website and I get a little kick-back from them (Buy something really expensive.)Click here for a catalog or to order online: Blick Art Materials

Mission Gallery Group Show

Jane Juber of Mission Gallery hosted a special appreciation dinner with gallery artists and collectors the last two evenings, followed by a public open house and exhibit tonight. Nearly all of the gallery artists were present and as always it was fun to visit with everyone. I shared the gallery space with prominent Utah landscape painter Robert Call, and amazing wood sculptor Darwin Dower.



Roland and sculptor Darwin Dower at the Mission Gallery show in St. George, Utah. Darwin purchased one of my paintings at the show.

Watercolor Painting of Market Day at Sedbergh

The past couple of weeks I have dipped into my sketchbooks to complete a few paintings from my trips to Europe and Great Britain. We have been to England several times and dearly love the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District areas of this wonderful country. On several occasions we have enjoyed staying with our friends the Hartleys at their lovely home in High Branthwaite. It is about a mile from the little town of Sedbergh in the Yorkshire Dales. In some respects the town appears as it has for hundreds of years. we especially like being there on market day in the little square next to St. Andrews church. On this particular day a morning rain had fallen bringing a fresh crispness to the air.

This is a travel sketchbook drawing of the St. Andrews Parish Church done on location in Sedbergh, Cumbria, England. This old church is the backdrop for the painting of market Day in Sedbergh above.

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