A Sarah-less Tuesday

So, it's Tuesday, and I'm not driving to Crow Hollow Studio today as I have done for the past six Tuesdays. So sad it's over. Partly because I learned a lot about the medium of Chroma's Interactive Acrylic Paints, especially working "wet-in-wet" (which was the focus of the class). Also part of my sadness stems from my missing the drive. Although it was a long drive for me, it was always enjoyable, even on the many mornings that were damp. cloudy, rainy and/or cold. Driving through Pennsylvania's Chester county, the Chadds Ford area (Andrew Wyeth's world) and into northern Delaware was always such a treat for me. I got to watch the forsythia bushes change from bare branch stems to fiery yellow explosions of color. Large pastures went from brown to bright green, and the bare trees gradually woke up from their winter sleep to produce multiple varieties of pinks, purples and white blossoms, then displayed leafy spring greens.

So, although it's a little sad that the classes are over for me, my creative muse is abundantly recharged! I have been scrambling around, finding tidbits of time in my busy life to continue to explore these paints. So many possibilities! They are "endless" as Sarah comments in her description of the classes. If you are an artist who wants to feel like I do, I urge you to sign up for the next session of classes. You will need to check with Sarah to find out when they will be.
Her website is http://www.Sarahyeoman.com
She also holds watercolor classes also, AND, there is a special event coming up soon. She is partnering with artist Madeleine Kelly for a weekend workshop in mid-May. Details are on the workshop page of Sarah's website:
http://www.sarahyeoman.com/Asset.asp?AssetID=6022&AKey=MPEGM7X3
(Hurry! Last I checked it was filling up fast.)

*Ed. Note: I just learned Sarah will be doing the class again in the Fall! And May workshop has ONE SPACE LEFT!

Second Class of Wet-on-Wet

Wow. Wonderful Wet-on-Wet Watercolor painter. http://sarahyeoman.com. Take a peek!

Yesterday I had another mind-blowing time at Sarah Yeoman's Crow Hollow Studio. I attended my second of six classes on learning Sarah's distinct wet-on-wet style of painting with Chroma Interactive Acrylic paints. Can you spell "fun"? I can. It goes like this: 'S-a-r-a-h-'-s-C-l-a-s-s!"

Yesterday we learned techniques for using collage in conjunction with these paints. I had such a blast creating some new works The possibilities are endless with this paint.

Her "Crow Hollow Studio" is located in an absolutely beautiful part of the world! It is located in Delaware, not far from the Pennsylvania state line. To get there, I travel south, down Route 1,  through scenic Chadds Ford, in Chester County. At Route 52, I leave PA and enter the state of Delaware, and very soon after, I arrive. Chester County is so beautiful to drive through! (And it's barely showing a hint of Spring colors right now.)

Here's what my Tuesday mornings are like now:
I wake up around 6:45AM, shake the night's dreams from my eyes, drag my sleepy legs around to the two appropriate bedrooms and wake up the 11th and 12th graders in my family. Then, forcing my eyes open, I make two PB+J sandwiches, (one grape, one strawberry).

Around 7:40 we three leave the house. I drop them off at school. Then I head south! Down Route 1, then onto nice little country roads for the rest of the way. My route includes a beautiful brick-red colored  covered bridge across which I drive. I also pass by fields of rolled haystacks, and acres of treeeeeeees.......

When I arrive at the studio, I bring in my materials, and start soaking up the artful experience. I learn new things, play with paint, get inspired by the views... What a super way to spend my morning!

I am so, so very lucky to be in this set of Sarah's classes. If you are an artist, or just want to become one,  I would highly recommend that you contact her and try and get into one of her classes. Details are on her website: http://sarahyeoman.com

Here are three good reasons to sign up before they fill up:
1-Sarah Yeoman is an inspiring teacher/mentor and an accomplished artist
2-The studio where she holds her classes is a simply lovely setting, full of artistic fodder for one's imagination.
3-Simply the ride TO and FROM the studio is worth it!

I can't wait to combine these new paints with some of my blue-and-white cyanotype images! Stay tuned for more next week...

Sarah Yeoman's acrylic class

It's (almost) Springtime! Time for bright colors!

I am so very lucky to currently be a student of Sarah Yeoman. She is an accomplished watercolor artist who has been exploring possibilities and techniques of Interactive acrylic paint made by a company called Chroma. Pictured here is a sample of my experimenting with her wet-on-wet technique from my first class. I am oh-so excited about the next class.

My pastels are resting for now.
It's time to play with wet paint again!
Stay tuned...
IMAGE: Copyright 2010 Jeanne Guerin-Daley

Sarah Yeoman, Watercolorist

I am re-publishing this post after I realized I made a mistake with Sarah Yeoman's name. So sorry, Sarah! Below is the amended post.

This past Friday I attended the monthly meeting of the Delaware Valley Art League. This organization has over 200 members who are artists living and working in the Delaware Valley area. There are several juried group exhibits throughout the year. I’ve been a member for less than a year now, and enjoy learning new things at the monthly meeting.

There is always an artist who makes a presentation of some sort. This one was Sarah Yeoman, a watercolorist. She brought some samples of her work, some blank paper, brushes and paints and proceeded to create a watercolor painting, describing her process as she worked. It was fascinating, seeing how her interpretation of lights and darks, shapes and forms, evolved into a work of art. The subject she chose was (a photograph she had taken of ) a cluster of colored glass bottles, setting on a windowsill. There were lots of reflections and interesting shapes and values throughout the image. I was glad that, having arrived early, I was able to sit right up front and see the process up close. By the time I got home, I couldn’t wait to pick up a brush and try out some of the neat tricks that I learned. I had been playing around with some little watercolor projects. The artist's road is paved with experimentation!

If you're an artist who wants to check it out, you can attend a meeting of the Delaware Valley Art League before you decide to join. They are open to the public. You can find the meeting schedule and more info on their website: http://www.the-art-league.org/