Traveling and Documenting: Capturing Your Surroundings

Artist/Instructor: Carol Siracuse

$30 members/$40 not-yet members

Discover possibilities using watercolor in all of its amazing ways when traveling.   Sketching and plein air painting will be explored.  Participants will combine watercolor with ink and pencil, giving watercolorist more opportunities for success.  The skills practiced can be explored on your own in our beautiful Niagara Frontier or at home on your kitchen table. 

It has been said that art is a reflection of ourselves and how we see and live life. This means so much more to me today than it would have a few years back. Since retiring from the practice of architecture, I’m experiencing a new opportunity to grow, a new life as an artist. Expressing my observations in pen, pencil and watercolor, I can give form to my visions and my passions, the landscape of our surroundings. These creative urges will keep me occupied forever.  What a privilege. My reward is simply contentment.  —Carol Siracuse, Artist Statement

Supply List:

Minimally I recommend the following below. If you already have watercolor supplies, bring what you have remembering that what we will be exploring is how we can take our skills with drawing and painting on a trip or “en plein air”.

Watercolor Paper, minimum weight 140 lb, in a smallish sketchbook if possible, not a block. I recommend you invest in a sketchbook by Moleskine (I use a 5” x 8” Moleskine book of watercolor paper), by Stillman and Birn, or a sketchpad of 140 lb paper.

A palette that could be used for travel, i.e. small and closeable with a triad of warm and cool primary colors, 6 tubes of paint, or pans. Winsor and Newton is a reliable manufacturer.  Advice: Purchase or borrow professional grade paints, not student grade. You will be glad you did.

Colors: Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Winsor Newton Red,       Winsor Newton Yellow and New Gamboge. If you want to spread out,     purchase Winsor Newton Blue (Phthalo blue), Burnt Sienna, and Permanent      Rose.

Brushes: Synthetic brushes are fine. Tiny is not needed.
To start, try these:  Flats: 3/4” and 1”  and Rounds: No. 8 and No. 12

Other items:

If you have a refillable fountain pen, I will have some Noodlers Ink with me to fill it. Noodlers is an archival ink, which when dry, does not bleed into your watercolors.

There is no more satisfying process for me than drawing with a good fountain pen. I use a Lamy pen.

Pigma Micron pens or the equivalent; must be archival ink. Suggest a 01 and a 03.

Jelly Roll 08 white gel pen

Watercolor pencils: I started out with Derwent, and find that they are still ok today. If you are not sure if you will ever use them again, find a small assortment to start.

We will not be doing much drawing with pencil, but if you are so inclined, bring along an H and a 2B pencil. I like the pencils Lyra makes. Erasers are really necessary, but if you like I recommend the kneaded variety.

I will also demonstrate the possibilities that open up to you when you use Faber-Castell Graphite Aquarelle pencils with water. If you want to buy some, start with HB and 4B.

To register contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki at 716-878-3549 or email shirokkg@buffalostate.edu or download the registration form on the BPAC website.