One of the biggest hurdles for new watercolor painters isn't learning how to use a brush—it's learning how to mix colors. In my beginner watercolor classes, we recently explored the traditional color wheel using our warm and cool primary colors. While the color wheel is a wonderful tool, I noticed that for some students it felt a little overwhelming. They were so focused on understanding the wheel that it became harder to simply observe what their paints were doing. That's when I introduced...

"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." — Simone Weil My husband doesn’t let me drive on road trips. When we were first together, a million years ago, we would share the driving. Not anymore. Let me explain. My husband is a typical Virgo. He wants to have things organized and lined up. If the map says it should take x amount of time to get to a location, that is the target. To be honest, he likes to beat that time. He drives straight ahead and doesn’t stop unless absolutely...

What if watercolor isn’t supposed to be controlled perfectly? What if some of the most beautiful parts of painting happen when we loosen our grip, let go of perfection, and allow watercolor to do what it naturally wants to do? That’s the heart behind Wild & Loose, an upcoming watercolor workshop with artist DeElla Hoberg at the Cumming Arts Center. This playful, experimental workshop is designed for artists who want to loosen up, quiet the inner critic, and rediscover the joy of watercolor...