Classes from 2024
When looking back on last year’s classes, I noticed that many of the classes could be put into these themes. These six themes were consistent for kid, teen, and adult classes. (Titles highlighted below to showcase which age the class was focused on.)
Classes Focused on Natural Pigments
I have a deep passion for plants whether it’s: identifying and appreciating the diverse plant life during a hike, cultivating a garden that nourishes my family, or creating a space that supports local wildlife through a flower and dye garden. This connection to nature has enriched my artistic practice, where I transform plants into pigments and create with them. In this spirit, I offer several art classes focused on natural pigments.
Watercolor Paint: Let’s Create and Use is a 10-week course in which students explore the process of creating watercolor paint from plants, earth, and insects. This is one of the only classes where I offer optional homework. Students have the opportunity to create their own pigments outside of class. Many students brought in 2-3 watercolor paints they’d made by themselves!
I also taught a Creating and Drawing with Historical Inks class over five weeks, where students crafted four different historical inks and, inspired by the tradition of illuminated manuscripts, created artwork using the same visual language.
Additionally, I led numerous 10-day Natural Ink Making workshops for middle and high school students, delving into the techniques and history behind natural ink production. A more in depth review of the course is here.
In the Drawing with Natural Inks workshop, students explored a variety of inks from my personal collection, practiced using dip pens to develop a line library, and created botanical drawings.
Classes Exploring the Natural Landscape
The natural environment is a constant source of inspiration for my classes, and it is something I deeply value. I find great joy in exploring and incorporating nature as a central theme in my work.
Seattle's Arboretum served as the backdrop for a one-day Plein Air Plants class, where students learned various approaches to nature journaling and techniques for creating successful outdoor studies. I often emphasize that my time spent creating outside is not focused on producing aesthetically pleasing images, but rather an opportunity to observe the environment deeply and translate those observations into artwork. During one class, a Barred Owl perched above the students, offering a rare and delightful moment of connection with nature.
Watercolor Washington, was a six-week course in which students explored various environments around Washington state. In Watercolor Watery Landscapes, students spent six weeks learning techniques to depict fluid, still, and moving water.
Additionally, I led Fantastical Forests, a five-day summer camp for children, where they explored diverse forests from around the world and the trees, animals, insects, and plants that inhabit them.
Exploring Botanical Matter
Pansy Practice was a one-day class where students learned fundamental watercolor techniques while painting pansies and violas. This class holds a special place in my heart, as painted pansies every day for a month when I first began watercoloring. Teaching this class allows me to revisit those cherished memories.
In Watercoloring Fruits and Veggies, students spent the initial weeks practicing various fruit and vegetable subjects, which I like to consider practice for their final project. The culmination of the course involved creating a piece inspired by vintage fruit crate labels and seed catalog illustrations. One student added "brussel sprouts - not gross" to their artwork, and I couldn’t have agreed more.
Watercoloring Fall Fungi was a six-week course in which students painted a new mushroom each week. They had the option to create a cohesive composition by painting all the mushrooms on a single sheet of paper, which added a fun, unified aspect to their work.
Watercoloring Spring Florals was also a six-week class focused on plants that were actively blooming during the season. As students honed their skills, they worked towards a final piece—a bouquet of flowers that showcased their growth in technique and artistic expression.
Artwork that Moves
I have had the pleasure of teaching both one-day and four-week adult classes focused on creating Watercolor Pop-up Cards. During the multi week long class, students learned a new pop-up each week. I also gave thematic themes for each week. It was truly inspiring to witness how each student interpreted and expanded upon the theme in their own creative way.
For youth classes, I taught Magical Pop-up Books (both a kid and teen class), a course that ranged from five to ten sessions. In this class, students collaboratively wrote a story and then individually illustrated and constructed their own pop-up books. The stories were incredibly imaginative, ranging from mythical creatures who ran a sushi shop and sought to recover a missing golden sushi, to garden creatures who were seemingly captured, only to discover that their friends had orchestrated a surprise party in their honor. In each of the collaborative stories, the conclusion always involved a celebration, which made me reflect on the importance of celebrating even the small moments in life.
Creative Maps
Pirate Maps was a short course designed for young students, where they created imaginative maps incorporating elements of traditional cartography. One aspect that particularly captured their interest was designing monsters, often inspired by combining two Pacific Northwest animals.
Creative Cartography was a dynamic five-week course in which students explored various map elements, design techniques, and ultimately created their own unique maps. One of my favorite highlights of the class was the first day, when I presented several examples of maps and asked the students whether they thought the maps were "good." This sparked a thought-provoking discussion, and it was fascinating to observe their creative perspectives and interpretations.
Fuana
Migratory Birds was a five week class in which students watercolor-painted birds migrating through the Seattle area during the course's duration. They explored various techniques for creating the textures of both small and large feathers, enhancing their understanding of bird anatomy and movement.
Collaged Creatures was a children's art class where students learned to create textures using colored pencils and watercolors. They then used cutting and pasting techniques to assemble vibrant, dynamic animals, fostering both their technical and creative skills.
In Watercoloring the Puget Sound, students delved into the local ecosystem, learning about the unique animals that inhabit the Puget Sound. Each week, they focused on painting a different animal, enhancing their watercolor techniques while gaining a deeper understanding of the region's biodiversity.
