Premier Workshops
The San Diego Watercolor Society Workshops are held in our beautiful, light-filled education center in the SDWS Gallery in The ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station, 2825 Dewey Road, Bldg #202, San Diego, CA 92106.
Prices are discounted for SDWS Members. To receive the discounted price, please log in, then choose Workshops to find the desired workshop, register and receive the automatic discount.
If you are not a member or your membership has expired and would like to receive the discounted price, renew your membership or join SDWS prior to signing up.
Questions? Please contact our workshops registrar at workshops@sdws.org.
Watercolor Secrets Revealed
Instructor Tom Lynch
Tom has a uniquely styled landscape painting style, strives for a level of excitement and drama that seems to push somewhere beyond what the environment naturally provides. Tom will assist in considering subjects searching for something striking, like sky color, light direction, shadow patterns, or sunlight glint on water. He embellishes those striking features to impact the viewer.
Recommended experience level: All levels
Non Members Fee: $590.00 Members Fee: $550.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, November 4th, 2019 - Thursday, November 7th, 2019 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Abstract Acrylic Painting and Collage
Instructor: Robert Burridge
Creative tearing and paint splashing starts off this all new “Loosen Up Workshop.” Also you will learn how to begin a new fresh body of work with your own artistic voice and point of view. Think “artist retreat,” producing a body of work, a series of paintings or your conceptual solo show.
Robert Burridge, along with his famous daily handouts, demos and lectures, helps and guides you to paint the way you have always wanted to paint.
Daily, you can expect warmup paint sketching, brief painting and lecture demos, constructive critiques and plenty of time to work on personal projects. Come prepared to paint your stuff!
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $640.00 Members Fee: $600.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, January 13th, 2020 - Thursday, January 16th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Plein Air - From Sketchbook to Studio- how to keep spontaneity alive.
Instructor: Iain Stewart
Together we will cover all aspects of how I work to keep my paintings lively and gestural. It’s quite easy to get bogged down in detail and for me the perfect tool is the sketchbook. We will work both in our books and on traditional watercolor paper covering a range of subject matter and scenes. I believe that a workshop without the worry of success typically leads just there. Learn how to let go of the fear of ruining a painting and work with new found freedom. Iain will share the secrets of drawing with confidence, painting quickly, and breaking a painting down into understandable steps that you can repeat on you own. There are no gimmicks, no tricks, just dive in and let the water go where it may.
Sketchbook to Studio- a roadmap for finding you in your work.
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $540.00 Members Fee: $500.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, February 10th, 2020 - Thursday, February 13th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Bridges/Urban Landscapes
Instructor: Antonio Masi
Antonio Masi is the president of the American Watercolor Society and International renowned painter. The goal of this workshop is to show the untapped power of watercolor. The focus will be on how to approach this medium from a contemporary point of view, powerful, emotional and delicate, not the traditional transparent way it is looked upon. Antonio applies watercolor in a thick and juicy manner, giving his subjects a startling boldness. Learn how attention to details and unusual perspective make for poetic, moody works with strong textural qualities.
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $490.00 Members Fee: $450.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, March 9th, 2020 - Thursday, March 12th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Figurative impressionist
Instructor: Ted Nuttall
Learn about drawing, the value and essentials of a good drawing, with the focus being on painting. His goal is to create, in an atmosphere that’s both creative and supportive providing specific and memorable information you can take home and use in your work.
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $640.00 Members Fee: $600.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, April 6th, 2020 - Thursday, April 9th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Landscapes/ Light
Instructor: Don Andrews
Learning to paint with watercolor should be fun! Don’s Landscape Workshop is geared specifically for artists eager to paint and study in a no-stress studio environment.
Each day, Don will address a major visual concern; light, color, granulation, organizing nature and utilizing negative space are just a few subjects to be covered.
Don’s class isn’t geared to any specific level of achievement; rather artists at all levels will benefit from a more personal understanding of the painting possibilities available in the exciting world of landscape painting. This workshop will be packed with demonstrations, discussions, individual help and personal and group critiques.
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $490.00 Members Fee: $450.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, May 11th, 2020 - Thursday, May 14th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Beyond Technique: Finding Individual Expression
Instructor: Frank Eber
The workshop will:
- Continue in the tradition of the 20th Century California Barbizon movement (“intimate works, painted with a limited palette; softly expressive, suggestive rather than detailed”)
- Focus on emotional responses to nature
- Encourage the individual artist’s expression while balancing the forces at play in creation of a painting.
- Topics will include design and composition, color and lighting, positives and negatives, simplification of shape, and atmospheric effects. The techniques you will learn in Frank’s workshop transcend the watercolor medium.
Small class settings only. Please sign up early!
All Levels Welcome
Non Members Fee: $490.00 Members Fee: $450.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 8th, 2020 - Thursday, June 11th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Experimental/Aggressive Textures/Unusual Mediums
Instructor: Jan Sitts
By combining aggressive textures and unusual mediums with various “Raw” materials the end result in mixed media abstraction painting is the creative accomplishment. This method presents the magnetism that is abstraction in mixed media painting. Many techniques, materials, compositions and above all, emotions play off of each other when creating the piece. The adventure is not knowing where you are going with it until you get there! You will become enlightened as you journey through this process.
The workshop is loaded with information that can be useful applied to any painting.
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $490.00 Members Fee: $450.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, July 13th, 2020 - Thursday, July 16th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Impressions of Built, Natural, & Imagined Worlds
Instructor: Michael Reardon
In this 4-day workshop we will emphasize fundamental techniques in order to strengthen your skills in watercolor landscape painting. Fundamentals covered will include: creating a strong composition, evoking a sense of light through the use of values, and manipulating color for its full expressive effect. While Michael will demonstrate his painting style and the use of colors in his palette, he will encourage people to develop their personal style and approach to watercolor.
A demonstration will start each day, followed by individual painting with careful guidance. A review of the day’s work concludes each day. We will also explore ways to work with photo references so that they help, not dictate, your final painting.
Recommended experience level: all levels with watercolor recommended
Non Members Fee: $490.00 Members Fee: $450.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, August 10th, 2020 - Thursday, August 13th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Portriature/ Figurative & Still Life
Instructor: Matthew Bird
With a focus on strong light and deep value to create intense and dramatic paintings, this four-day workshop will include daily watercolor demonstrations illustrating Matthew's technique and giving insight into his methods and philosophies. Students will follow along with daily demonstrations on the same subject moving toward a complete or near-complete painting. Painters with more experience can work from their own photographs with individual guidance, or work from the material provided.
Whether you are a beginning student looking for an introduction to figure work,or a more advanced painter looking to refine your understanding of light, colorand value, this class will be a great opportunity to take your understanding to a higher level.
Topics include:
- The importance of design, value and composition
- Painting the translucency of skin
- Properties of color and the physics of light
- Handling complex textures such as hair and fabric
- Special attention will be given to the unique properties of light and shadow, edges and color
- Plus tips on working with your model, avoiding mistakes and marketing your work
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $490.00 Members Fee: $450.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 7th, 2020 - Thursday, September 10th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
Landscapes/Flowers/ Foliage
Instructor: Carol Carpenter
Class will include daily exercises and demonstrations on initial drawing, composition and placement, as well as examples of related techniques.
Demonstrations of edges, layering, and methods to retain the white of the paper will be given. And a display of steps to arrive at a finish will be provided to follow.
We will also focus on how to pick which details to include or exclude, how to add that bit of mystery into your work. There will be individual instruction for each student throughout the class. Please bring the materials you have and if you need suggestions about additional materials please refer to the supply list posted online. Carol will provide a watercolor paper workbook.Be sure to bring any references or photos you may want to use.
Recommended experience level: all levels
Non Members Fee: $390.00 Members Fee: $300.00
This workshop takes place on:
| Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, November 9th, 2020 - Wednesday, November 11th, 2020 | 9:00 AM-3:30 PM | Login and sign up |
