$400.00
Learn the joys of capturing the moment, color and mood in watercolor. This workshop will
cover the basic watercolor handling techniques that can speed up your process, loosen you up,
and increase your success in capturing outdoor scenes. Beginning and intermediate topics will
be covered in the studio and outdoors in plein air.
There will be daily skill building exercises focusing on controlling paper moisture, mixtures, and
timing. Geoff’s demonstrations will review materials, and illustrate how all these techniques
flow together and show students how to “keep it fresh”.
Geoff’s daily demos will cover how to take your inspiration through a process of simplification
while enhancing design dynamics, expression, and creating atmosphere. It all starts with
practicing watercolor’s quartet of skills; values, shapes, color, and mark making. Geoff will be
following up individually with students to reinforce concepts and skills at their easel.
Day One: In the classroom beginning with the basics of watercolor handling with learning how
to read moisture in the paper in order to respond with a brush mixture. The class will focus on
understanding a three value approach to applying watercolor layers and how drawing a
preliminary sketch can loosen up your watercolors. There will be a total of three
demonstrations on this day.
Day Two: Geoff will demonstrate in the morning outdoors near our venue, followed by a
student paint session. There will be a shorter demonstration in the afternoon of capturing
figures in the landscape.
Day Three: The class will meet at a location TBD for a morning demo by Geoff that will focus on
atmosphere and trees, followed by a student painting session. There will be a brief demo on
painting clouds if time allows. The class will meet for a quick sharing of students’ work at the
workshop venue.
8 in stock
Description
Geoff Allen is an award-winning Plein Air watercolor artist, whose painting “Color for
Nothing” was recently on the cover of Plein Air Magazine (June/July 2024 issue).
He
finds that watercolor is both the medium and metaphor for “going with the flow.” This is
what inspires Geoff. He loves the process of inserting himself into an environment with
the goal of capturing its elusive essence in a quick fresh watercolor style. The mystery of not knowing the expressive outcome and allowing for discovery along the way makes
plein air painting Geoff’s preferred art making process.
Recent Awards and Exhibitions Highlights
2025
– Best of Show, Palm Desert Plein Air Festival
– Faculty for Eric Rhodes Plein Air Convention and Exhibit Reno/Tahoe
– Ninth Annual Plein Air Exhibition Juror. San Diego Watercolor Society
2024
– The Hilbert Museum Award, Laguna Plein Air Invitational
Frank Bette Award, Frank Bette Plein Air Paint Out, juror Barbra Tapp
Quick Draw Artists Choice Award, Frank Bette Plein Air paint Out
Second Place, San Diego Watercolor Society, “Plein Air Show”, juror Shuang Li
Plein Air Magazine, Cover and Contributing Writer, July 2024 Issue, Article “A Deep
Dive Into a Favorite Subject”, by Kelly Kane
Third Place, Carmel Art Festival, Plein Air Event
– Second Place Borrego Plein Air Invitational
– First Place, Quick Draw, Borrego Plein Air Invitational
2023
-First Place Artist’s Choice Award at Sonoma Plein Air Invitational 2023
-First Place, Oceanside Museum of Art Plein Air Festival
-First Place Artist’s Choice Quick Draw Award, Frank Bette Center of the Arts Paint out
-First Place, Huntington Harbour Art Association Plein Air Competition
-Best of Show, 2023 7th Annual Waterworks Exhibition, Laguna Plein Air Painters
Association
-First Place, 19th Annual Best of Plein Air, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association
Instagram
@geoffallenart
