By EUGENIA L. JOHNSON
The next Art League of the Smokies meeting will be held on Thursday, July 7, at 6:15 pm at Swain County Center for the Arts. The DVD “Secrets of Painting on Watercolor Canvas,” with Tom Lynch will be shown. On this 50 minute DVD Tom Lynch will show you various tips and techniques for working on watercolor canvas with any water media. Sponsored by Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools, anyone interested is invited to attend free of charge.
What is watercolor canvas? It’s an authentic 100% woven cotton artist canvas with a special coating that performs somewhat like cold press or rough watercolor paper. Yet, watercolor canvas provides a distinctive look that can only be achieved on canvas. The finished painting is permanent and doesn’t need to be framed under glass if properly fixed.
Watercolor canvas will accept all water-media and mixed-media techniques, such as transparent and opaque watercolors, acrylic and watercolor inks, fluid acrylics, and watercolor pencils. It also works well with acrylic paints of different consistencies from thin to thick. It comes in a variety of styles and sizes that include rolls, pads, archival boards, pre-stretched and gallery style pre-stretched.
Some of the tips and techniques that will be demonstrated in the DVD include: preparation of the watercolor canvas, wet on wet, bright over dark, favorite texturing techniques, variety of edges, dry brush, pure color highlights, use of natural hair brushes, dry lifting, tape resist, liquid frisket resist, gallery wrap edges and spray fixative finish. To learn more about watercolor canvas, visit www.FredrixArtistCanvas.com.
Anyone interested in learning more about various art media and techniques or in networking with other artists is invited to attend Art League of the Smokies meetings. Many of the demonstrations, programs and workshops are made possible by the NC Arts Council Grassroots Arts Program grant. All of the programs and demonstrations are offered free of charge. Prior registration and a small supply fee are required for half-day workshops.
If you would like more information about Art League of the Smokies or to view the exhibits at Swain County Center for the Arts, call Jenny Johnson at 828-488-7843. Go to www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta to view the current calendar of events or to get directions.
Eugenia is the director of Swain County Center for the Arts.
