I just returned from my weeklong workshop with Tony Couch. All I can say is WOW! If you have the opportunity to take one of his workshops, I would encourage it. I traveled to Middletown Ohio to attend the workshop. And being the frugal traveler (read as cheap) I took my camper trailer to stay in. I found a trailer park 3 miles from the workshop to drop my camper. All the ammenities, water, electric and sewer. It cost me a whopping $50.00 to stay the entire week. One of the other workshop attendees who stayed in a hotel was nice enough to give me his complimentary USA Today every morning.
Tony has a great way of teaching watercolor. He is also a former student of Ed Whitney, who in his own right was one of the best watercolor instructors. Tony would start out every morning with a demo painting. He would verbalize everything he was thinking while painting. The afternoon was our time to paint. Around 3:30, we would have a critique. Tony would critique his painting that he completed in the morning, then critique ours. I would critique my painting and jot down what I would have changed. I would then compare these with what Tony would say. This is a great way to improve your skills.
The above two paintings are from the workshop. The barn is a vignette which was completed in 1 hour. I tried to use a minimal amount of brush stokes to complete the painting. I was also employeing the vignette techniques we learned that morning. The second painting was completed in 1 1/2 hours. I employed the use of a dark forground a light mid ground and a mid value background. We were learning about the various value patterns, so I thought I would take a shot at one. The paintings are not the best, but they remind me of the valuable lessons that I learned.
In the upcoming weeks I will be posting more paintings. I an energized to paint and draw after attending the workshop. In order to maximize what I have learned, I need to practice! This is one of the best learning tools.
