“landscapes on new surfaces!”

Learn how to use aquabord & claybord!

Begins: Tuesdays -Sept. 8th, 2026 - oct. 13th, 2026

don’t miss out on this class!

-perfect for beginners and beyond- we’ll be learning and practicing all the solid foundations on these surfaces!

(i used to hate this stuff, now i love it!!! -what made the difference?)

- The next studio series runs Tuesdays,

6 weeks on zoom!

My current students & I love the “zoom Room”-

I do hope you’ll join us!

(If you already know you want to sign up, scroll to the bottom of this for registration!)

(and no problem if you’re working during these hours, or something unexpected comes up - these classes are recorded so you won’t miss a thing! We also have a private Facebook group to share our work in, find encouragement from your classmates, and receive feedback from me!). Once you’re in….you’re ALWAYS in!! Welcome to your new group of painter peers!!

I’d love for you to join us - Tuesday mornings

(scroll to the bottom if you already know you want to register!)

This series is for YOU, for any level of painter, new to more experienced. You’ve been making watercolor paintings on paper or in sketchbooks, but have you tried Ampersand’s products called aquabord? or claybord? Aquabord is a toothy surface like cold press paper. Claybord is a smooth surface like hot press paper. Both accept watercolor as well as other mediums (you can layer these on top). When I first tried aquabord years ago, I really was not fond of the stuff. I liked the IDEA of it, but it didn’t feel the same as paper, and I just didn’t have the patience to figure it out. So I never touched the stuff again…..until recently! This class is all about showing you why I’ve changed my mind about these two surfaces! Join me for some fun - we’ll practice with some landscapes of increasing complexity (I always start us out easy, and then move to take on more challenges week by week.

here’s the fun & helpful things we’ll cover in this class:

1. Values - Value does all the work, but color gets the credit! You’ll understand this concept better when you practice by making a landscape scene all in one color, but a varied value range.

2. Edges - What do we mean by ‘soft edges’ vs. ‘hard edges’, and how does this build depth to my painting? ‘distance to my landscape?

3. Technique - wet-on-wet, vs. wet on dry, dry. Learn to build some moody and dreamy skies with these varied techniques you’ll practice.

4. Simplifying shapes to strengthen your work - get a much larger sketchbook, and we’ll practice going bigger, and learn to see these big shapes. What can you leave out? Learn to edit the scene, be your own ‘art director’.

5. Working on other surfaces - we’ll be working on Aquabord and Claybord. These are panels made by the Ampersand company. How do you ‘practice’ on a surface that might be new to you? We’ll also bring in some other media to our watercolors, pastels, graphite pencils, ink pens, aquarellable crayons, etc - all for some added texture and fun!

6. Drawing - we’ll be practicing drawing skills so things don’t feel so daunting when you want to choose something more complicated.

7. Composition - We’ll also talk about working from several different photo references when planning our painting.

8. ‘Leaping to Larger’ - how do I make the move to bigger paintings when it can feel like such a leap? How do we use other sketchbook references in making our larger paintings?

“Landscapes on new surfaces!!” - it’s for you if:

-you love the idea of showing your finished work without framing under glass.

-you don’t love the process of mounting your paper painting onto another surface in order to frame it or display it without glass.

-you are ‘any level of painter’ - looking to grow your confidence and skills with new techniques and ideas and solidify and strengthen the foundational things you already know. You’re trying to ‘find your own way’ and become more expressive in your ideas and painting techniques. You want some deeper insights about why you love travel and landscapes the way you do!

-you want to strengthen your landscape paintings with a deeper understanding of good composition.

-you want to increase your capacity to make imaginative paintings that inspire and excite you (and others).

- you want to be confident in the decision making process in this watercolor medium.

-you want to move the level of your work to ‘confident, and not tentative’.

-you want to learn to incorporate other mediums into watercolor.

-you want to begin a daily practice of painting, so that this becomes ‘like breathing’ and ‘not so scary’ a thing to do.

-you are not afraid of ‘embracing the wonky’ as you grow your skills!!

-you want to learn how to make beautiful textures in watercolor and incorporate these into your paintings.

-you want to expand your color knowledge and make smart choices when ‘editing your palette’.

-you want to feel comfortable in knowing the colors you mix won’t turn into a muddy, murky mess.

-most of all, you want to let go of perfectionism and HAVE FUN!!!

“wish you were here” is not for you if:

• you lack a sense of exploration, adventure and fun.

• if you’re looking for perfectionism, high realism, architectural drafting skills, etc.

• you’re okay with being complacent and staying right where you are.

But it’s definitely for you if you’re looking for some insightful time, savoring your travel memories and photos of favorite places, and bringing more of that ‘feeling’ into your life again!

I’d love for you to join us on Tuesday mornings

9:30am - 12:00pm

Yes -it’s STILL only - $150 for 6 weeks (for the rest of this year).

Dates: “Landscapes on New Surfaces” - - current session, 2026 - Sept. 8th - Oct. 13th

I LOVE seeing the progress that every one makes in my classes. I created this curriculum ten years ago - and continue to update and develop it, and it really works. I’m so excited to keep you going on YOUR creative journey, and nurture YOU along your way!