"Birds and flowers" is our theme for May. I was in the Ozarks last week. It was a treat to see many birds that we do not see in the west. One was a Carolina Chickadee. He posed for a great reference shot. In this video (just released on www.showcaseartcenter.com) I paint the loose background first and the bird second. This is opposite of the way we painted the Nuthatch. Can you believe we wrap up the month of May next week? Class times are: 10:00 AM-noon Tuesday and W

Happy spring! Classes at Showcase will have a change over the next couple weeks. I am going to the Plein Air Convention in the Ozarks. It is exciting that I get to demo on the exposition hall stage Sunday. While I am gone, you should have something special to look forward to as well. New Greeley Art Association member, Donna Clement, will substitute teach for me. She is planning a lesson on spontaneous landscape. I am taking a break from making new videos this week or

Ready for birds and flowers? A resounding "YES" from the art group. The watercolor lesson of "Nuthatch" is ready on video now at www.ShowcaseArtCenter.com. (subscription $10/month for unlimited views of 401 choices) Everybody got a Birds and Blooms magazine to peruse in class. Pick a bird and a blossom of your choice for show and tell in class next week. We will paint more next week. Classes (details on class page) are: Tuesday and Wednesday 10:00 to noon for independe

Never throw away a "lost" watercolor again! I will show you how to salvage watercolor paper with gesso. After applying gesso (a plaster/water mixture used to cover canvas before painting) to watercolor paper, you will have a pristene white surface that is absorbant and liftable. The video is up now at www.showcaseartcenter.com showing how I got this petroglyphs detail by lifting the abstract background paint. If you come to class for the afternoon step-by-step next week,

Using acrylic paint can add dimension to your art. This introduction to the medium uses fluid and heavy body acrylic paint with additives of gel, medium and fiber paste. The video is up now at www.ShowcaseArtCenter.com . Next week in class I will let you test drive all the acrylic products used in the video. I will also give you the substrate to paint on. Leave all the baggage at home and just come have fun trying out another water based medium: acrylic. Classes (clas

Make up your mind! Is it Acrylic or Gouache? It's a hybrid! Acrylic gouache. It is permanent, not rehydratable, dries with a velvet matte finish and opaque or transparent depending on how much water is added. We will try it out next class at Showcase. I will provide the paint. The video is up now at www.showcaseartcenter.com . (subscription is $10/month for nearly 400 choices). We meet next week for classes ($25/month): Tuesday and Wednesday 10:00 to noon for independ

Gouache (Ga-wash) is opaque watercolor. This video is up now at www.showcaseartcenter.com . I paint the rocks and water and use white paint to make the white water. Usually white is left as the white of the paper and white paint is not allowed in a transparent watercolor painting. I painted on gray paper for a quick undertone. Next week we will try gouache (provided) in class at Showcase. Classes: 10:00-noon Tuesday for independent painting 10:00-noon Wednesday for Gra

A great way to get recharged is to try a new medium. For our last week in March, we will paint a favorite topic: rocks and a small waterfall. The reference photo is from Eldorado Canyon. This week we will paint it using watercolor. Each week thereafter, we will try it in a different water media: Gouache, Acrylic Gouache, and Acrylic. It will be fun to compare the finished paintings in different media. I used a masking fluid pen in this one. The video is up now at...

When you get this email, I will be driving to St. George Utah to retrieve an on-loan sculpture. So instead of a video this week, it is a free pick of one of the previous nearly 400 videos, or another spring flower of your choice. I will find something blooming for class next week. The Quince is blooming outside - it is one of my favorites. Or you can try another 5 petaled flower as shown - cosmos. Good news: I found my iPad. See you next week in class: 10:00 AM to noon

What surrounds the flower is almost as important as the flower itself - the humble leaf! Flowers get all the credit, but leaves do all the work. Anyway, exchange the words flower for positive shape and leaf for negative shape. This video picks up where the "Pansy Petals" video left off. "Pansy Leaves" is up now on www.ShowcaseArtCenter.com . Next week we will address painting leaves in class. Classes are as follows: 10:00 AM to noon Tuesday and Wednesday for independent