Fall Watercolour Classes at Arts on Adrian – Week Two!

I tried something a little different at Arts on Adrian this week. The still-life is based on the paintings of Luis Egidio Meléndez (Spanish 1716-80). A few weeks ago, I was showing some of his work to the students on my iPad. It was well-received so I formed a plan.

First of all, I didn’t do a demonstration for either the Sustained Saturday or Tuesday afternoon class. Instead, I prepared a short presentation using my projector. We looked at several of Meléndez’ paintings and discussed them.

Luis Egidio Meléndez Spanish (1716-80)

Luis Egidio Meléndez Spanish 1716-80

The students were very inspired by these striking still-life paintings and it shows in their watercolours. Several of them suggested that I do more classes with an art historical emphasis! More work for me, I guess. Fortunately, I’m a lifelong student of art history and enjoy the research.

Make sure you click on a critique image to view a larger version. You’ll definitely want to study these more closely. Also, take a second to think about Luis Egidio Meléndez. He died in poverty.

Sustained Saturday Critique

Tuesday Afternoon Critique

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Fall Wednesday Watercolour Class at DVSA – Week Two!

I was back at the Dundas Valley School of Art on Wednesday evening for our second class of the fall term. Last week, my demonstration/lesson focused on light and shadow and value. This time, I discussed basic soft-edge techniques and compared the results to a crisp-edge look. Many watercolourists combine soft and crisp edges. It’s the soft edges that require the most practice in order to gain fluency and control.

During the class, I showed the group some work by the great Spanish still-life painter, Luis Egidio Meléndez. Meléndez did many things well but it was his command of light and shadow that I drew to the attention of the students. His wonderful textures and rich colours are held together with a consistent light source, which lends a three-dimensional quality to the objects portrayed and creates a dramatic pattern of light and shadow throughout each image.

Luis Egidio Meléndez Spanish (1716-80)

Luis Egidio Meléndez Spanish (1716-80)

Only one of the students chose to adopt the very dark background favoured by Meléndez. Red was a popular option and why not? It complements green. See you next week!

Wednesday Critique