Join Margaret Dwyer for a watercolor demo in the Kittery Art Association gallery on Thursday, May 2nd from 5-7pm!
Watercolor is an amazing medium that employs many varied techniques. It is inherently transparent, and creates luminous, mysterious effects when layered. It is also very responsive to experimental ways of mark-making that complement more traditional methods. Creating natural looking textures in watercolor can enhance landscapes, seascapes, florals, abstracts, and more. Adding texture can transform the character of simple specimens from the natural world, such as rocks, shells, and leaves. Working on a large format, this demonstration will focus on the variety of visual textures inspired by nature. With a blend of specific techniques and informed color choices, I will demonstrate how a painting develops and is brought to life through the layering process. Many people have expressed the opinion that watercolor is a difficult medium to master. While it has its challenges, I believe it to be a very misunderstood medium. As a longtime teaching artist, I have learned that it is much more accessible than one might think. Simply knowing techniques is not enough. You must understand the timing of when they will work. Also, being willing to respond to your painting during the process rather than forcing it to conform to a preconceived outcome makes a big difference with watercolor. Andrew Wyeth said it best when he stated that watercolor combines “mad freedom with truth.” Being surprised by this magical medium and then bringing an image to completion with one’s own artistic voice is what makes working with watercolors so gratifying.
Admission: $20/person, please RSVP here and pay at the reception desk via cash/credit/check upon arrival for the demo.
Margaret Dwyer is an accomplished New England artist and new resident of the Maine seacoast. With more than forty years of experience in painting and teaching different themes in watercolor, she has taught students of all levels. As an artist in residence, she has developed and led multiple public art programs for Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, VT. Other teaching venues include museum programs, galleries, schools, art centers, and her own private studios. Her watercolors have been included in the “Splash-America’s Best Watercolors” series of fine art books published by North Light, and “How did you Paint That?”, by International Artist books. She has been a featured watercolorist in fine art magazines such as “American Artist”, “Artist Magazine”, “Manhattan Arts”, and as a showcase award winner in “Southwest Art”. Her watercolors have been included in many national and international exhibitions. She holds an MFA and BFA in visual art. A committed studio artist, she is constantly exploring new themes with traditional and experimental techniques.
“I love being a studio artist, but I also have a real passion for teaching. I learn so much from others and being in a group dynamic. Opening the world of watercolor to people has been and continues to be a purposeful mission for me. Ideas and artistic methods are always in motion in my studio, and it is a joy to share that with others through teaching.”