WORKSHOPS
Before the Falls
30" x 18"
Paul Allen Taylor
Watercolor Workshops
Whether you are an experienced painter, or just beginning to investigate watercolor, you will benefit from this lively and informative instructor. Each day begins with a demonstration painting, which Paul has developed through a sketch. Planning a painting is just one of the topics discussed, among others. Paul will talk about basic design principles, using value and value patterns, gathering information or reference materials and using them to develop a painting. The morning demonstrations are intended for the students to learn by demonstration where they see all the methods of application put to use. This is the core of the workshop, Applications and Controlling Watercolor.
About the Instructor
Paul Allen Taylor is a self-taught painter who has gained recognition for his bold clean colors and impressionistic style. He utilizes “variation”, one design principle, along with shape, color, texture and line to enhance his paintings. Paul is a respected teacher and demonstrator who has numerous awards to his credit. His work has been collected widely in the U.S. and abroad.
In all his work, Paul attempts to take the mundane and make it more interesting. A majority of his paintings are original in concept, making use of parts of a scene or multiple scenes to create a one of a kind original painting. Paul takes what Mother Nature has given us to another level, adding what he feels should be there, or leaving out what shouldn’t.
Paul owns and works in his private studio and gallery in Honeoye Falls NY, along with teaching classes and workshops. You can learn more about Paul by visiting his web site at www.paulallentaylor.com.
About the Workshop
My workshops are far from sophisticated, in that I believe many painters want to pick up a few pointers, learn a new trick or two, and enjoy the group camaraderie of a workshop. I do not teach “basic” watercolor, but the information I provide is not anything that a beginning painter can’t handle with practice. I focus my attention on the application of the medium, how to control it and gain various effects in texture, color, etc. I firmly believe that some sort of design work must be done ahead of time, and have found that even experienced painters still lack this basic step. I discuss the collection of “information” or “reference materials” and how we can use this information to create a nice looking painting. However, I am in no way a disciple of “it has to be this way” approach. During the three days we will cover the planning of a painting, preparations of the paper, design and composition concepts along with some value patterns along with many other little bits of information.
Each morning I paint a full sheet demo (18 x 30) from a pre-planned sketch. During the demo I explain what I’m doing and discuss important facts that I consider during the painting process. I feel that we learn best from watching people work, and this is the real crux of my workshop. The demo begins at 9:00 and is about 3 hours long. I’ll begin the morning with a brief talk about what I will focus on in the way of painting, and the demo will include that particular topic. Afterwards, we break for lunch and then the class paints in the afternoon. I like to hold short critiques near the end of the day (usually around 4:00) so we can all see what others have been working on with respect to the material presented that day. We also critique my work. There’s no special treatment for the instructor.