Our Watercolor Mastery theme for 2027 is Painting WithSimple Compositions And Limited Palettes. We kick off the year and the theme by studying a masterwork by Andrew Winter titled “Old Fish House Monhegan”. This work is a masterpiece of simplicity and limits.

We’ll spend most of the first hour of class viewing and discussing this work in terms of its composition and the artists color choices. There’ll be an emphasis on the effect of both on depiction of the scene, season, light and mood.

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

For this and all Master Work Study classes, you’ll want to have the In addition to your regular watercolor supplies, there are several other materials that will make the evaluation process and Master Studies much easier.

• Tracing paper

• Black marker or sharpie

• White gouache

• Many small - postcard sized - pieces of watercolor paper. These can be ‘scraps’; the backs of not so successful paintings or other explorations.

• Value scale - nine or ten steps with holes in the middle. Use a commercial version or make one of your own. Video tutorials for making your own 5 as well as 9 step scale can be found in the Mastery Basic Composition course.

The Master Studies can be done in either watercolor or gouache. I recommend gouache. You’ll find controlling hue, value and chroma a little easier in this water-based media.

In this session we’ll study a masterwork by Edward Hopper titled “Manhattan Bridge Entrance”. This work is was likely done ‘en plein air’ using an understated, low-intensity color palette. The composition relies on a solid value arrangement that provides both structure and sense of light.

We’ll spend most of the first hour of class viewing and discussing this work in terms of its composition, the color choice and the sense of light. .

The second hour of class will be spent developing master studies of the value arrangement and color composition.

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

For this and all Master Work Study classes, you’ll want to have the In addition to your regular watercolor supplies, there are several other materials that will make the evaluation process and Master Studies much easier.

• Tracing paper

• Black marker or sharpie

• White gouache

• Many small - postcard sized - pieces of watercolor paper. These can be ‘scraps’; the backs of not so successful paintings or other explorations.

• Value scale - nine or ten steps with holes in the middle. Use a commercial version or make one of your own. Video tutorials for making your own 5 as well as 9 step scale can be found in the Mastery Basic Composition course.

The Master Studies can be done in either watercolor or gouache. I recommend gouache. You’ll find controlling hue, value and chroma a little easier in this water-based media.