Class 1
Syllabus

"Ocean Park" Richard Diebenkorn [click to enlarge dbl-click to close]
Gesture, Contour, Weighted Line, Value, Detail
"Mahoning" Franz Kline [click to enlarge dbl-click to close]

sketchbook page by JRJ [click to enlarge dbl-click to close]

As this class will demonstrate, 'Landscape' is a wide ranging comprehensive concept. Many subsets of 'landscape still qualify: seascapes, skyscapes, mountain-scapes and city-scapes are just a few. To this you may add the micro-landscapes of a table top or a garden. Even a reclining figure has been referred to as a figure-landscape in part due to the similar forms involved and the fact that drawing the figure is appropriate preparation for dealing with landscape forms. Landscape may be defined by what it is not. It is not a portrait, not a conventional still life and not generally considered to be a purely abstract painting form, although there are specific exceptions to that rule as well. Richard Diebenkorn's Ocean Park series was a set of abstract paintings based on landscape design elements derived from the California Ocean Park region. A 'Landscape' then can be almost any painting derived from or referring to landscape elements. Were the paintings of Franz Kline abstract, landscapes or both, or were they something inbetween?

We begin with a discussion of watercolor (which is different from any other painting medium). It begins as the most transparent of media, yet it can be made to be as opaque as you desire. It is perhaps the most fluid of media, but with a great versatile range of textures & techniques. Yet the real beginning of the process must be sketches & preliminary drawings, done to solve composition problems before committing the image to paint. Thumbnail sketches can provide large graphic form concepts and provide a variety of choices with a minimum of work. The next step is to create larger thumbnails drawings to modify the composition. Once the gross graphic image is selected, the layout drawing may progress.

An overview of the class would be that we work to learn accuracy and control and then move on to expression. But, as with drawing, the way we go about that journey is to use the tools in reverse. We begin with gesture, which is an inherently expressive form. We refine the painting with contour and weighted line, establish a range of grays with value painting and finish with fine detail.

Stretching paper *, materials choices, making your own, punching up color. English technique, American or contemporary, pure watercolor, mixed media, playing with color, palettes, boards and storage. Marking your materials and equipment. Flattening a warped or buckled paper.

I would like you to produce two kinds of homework: a painting outside of class, and color sketches in the sketchbook. Try to do the paintings and sketches every two or three days to develop your eye-hand coordination – rather than doing them all at once. Someone who draws and paints every day or two will accrue twice the benefit of the person who does them at the last minute before class.

As your first homework, I want you to produce a painting to act as a reference, or starting point – a base line of comparison: a still-life/landscape - an object and a landscape that acts as a background - for examples:an apple on a window sill, or a bowl on a deck rail. We may show them later in class if you wish but they are for your reference.

Art Material suppliers in the Seattle area:

Artist and Craftsman Supply, 4350 8th AV NE, 545-0091, reasonable price, carries M.Graham watercolor paints (inexpensive). Gives a 10% discount to students who show their supply list
Dakota Art Store, Roosevelt Way NE 523-4830. After you spend $50, you get a discount or rebate.
Daniel Smith, 4150 1st Ave. S, 223-9599, manufactures their own paints, good quality, gives good discount (10%) to registered students
University Bookstore, 4326 University WY NE, 634-3400
Utrecht, corner of Pike and Minor, Capitol Hill, 382-9696, reasonable prices, good price on Arches watercolor blocks and sketchbooks
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ONLINE SUPPLIERS:
http://www.dickblick.com/
http://www.cheapjoes.com/
http://www.misterart.com/index.cfm
http://www.danielsmith.com/
http://www.utrechtart.com/

[I have used each of these suppliers recently and all have attributes worth recommending. JRJ]

"Creative Discoveries in Watermedia" by Pat Dews
"Splash" series
"Master Class in Watermedia: Techniques in Traditional and Experimental Painting" by Edward Betts