The South Arkansas Arts Center has announced a four-part Zoom Watercolor Workshop: “Wet on Wet Painting.”
The workshop will be taught by well-known local artist Maria Botti Villegas. The Zoom classes will be held on Tuesday nights, with the first class scheduled for Feb. 2 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and following up on the next three Tuesday nights.
“I’m very excited to start this year 2021 with a new watercolor workshop to experience a different approach to an old technique,” said Villegas.
Wet on wet technique opens a new dimension of watercolor painting and frees artists from inhibitions. The technique is more loose and forgiving, and it helps artists discover a new world of improvisation. By using different color palettes, from bright contrasting colors to more subdued and muted ones, students can experiment with an array of techniques to stimulate their imaginations.
In this workshop, students will learn how to use brushes to apply wet on wet watercolor techniques with confidence, and how to layer with a few brushstrokes after the paper has dried. Villegas will review basic color palettes through the mixing and experimenting with two designs simultaneously.
“We all learn from practicing time after time. That is the reason I love to work on more than one piece,” she said.
Intended for beginners as well as more experienced watercolor painters, this is a workshop where artists can be like children again and take advantage of the infinite possibilities a water media can bring. The class cost is $125.
“Wet watercolor on wet paper teaches us to expect the unexpected,” said Villegas. “Free brush strokes, and of course some unforeseen accidents! Those mishaps show us how to revert situations and create a new avenue for the solution of sudden problems, like a sudden unwanted line, or a dark spot on a blue sky! It is so good to learn how to fix mistakes and also have an Eureka moment on the side!”
Villegas, a muralist, illustrator and multidisciplinary artist, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a five-year degree from Pueyrredón School of Fine Arts in her native country. In 1992, she moved to El Dorado and became an Arkansas Arts Council Artist-in-Education (AIE artist).
As a working artist, she has participated in numerous exhibits and competitions in Arkansas, Louisiana and other states, winning many awards, including the 2001 scholarship from the Committee of The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. She has also painted 30 public murals in Arkansas and Louisiana.
Villegas has been a teaching artist at the South Arkansas Arts Center Arts Academy and an AIE artist in the school system in levels K-12 for more than 25 years. This spring, Maria will be teaching after school art classes for children of all ages on Zoom.
For more information about the watercolor workshop for adults or the Arts Academy classes, or to register for either, call the SAAC office at 870-862-5474, or visit saac-arts.org. SAAC is located at 110 E. 5th St. in El Dorado.