Demo 9/20/23 - Workshop: Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday, September 20-22, 2023 Kathleen Scoggin is a contemporary abstract artist working in watercolor, acrylic and mixed media. Her work is inspired by nature and expresses organic subjects inviting the viewer to see and be aware of the beauty around them. The work is based on unique texture techniques to describe the varied earth forms that are all around us. Her art is created to help the viewer see and be aware of the electrifying beauty of nature but still create mystery. At the June meeting, Roderick Smith will sent us off into summer with a video of his watercolors from a 2000-mile Alaskan trek to Fox Island. In his richly illustrated memoir artist Roderick Smith describes in watercolor and word his voyage to a far away island in northern Alaska. He is on a pilgrimage inspired by the writing of Rockwell Kent’s 1920 publication, “Wilderness: A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska” Traveling over two thousand miles by ferry, he told the tale of searching for a spiritual solace against a vast wilderness . Inspiring and poetic, Roderick’s journal takes you on a voyage to the heart of creative adventure.
Click here to explore his journey on Instagram. Artist Fatemeh Kian paints classical floral still life using radiant watercolors. Growing up in Tehran, Iran, she learned calligraphy at a young age. Fatemeh developed a passion for the art form and earned the highest national certificate from the Society of Iranian Calligraphists. Then, at the age of 23, a chance encounter led to her first watercolor class. She immediately fell in love with the medium and it turned into her life pursuit. In her 30s, she started taking on her own students. “There is only one thing that brings me joy more than watercolor painting, and that is teaching watercolor to others who don’t know it,” says Fatemeh. “A lot of my students have told me that their lives have changed since they started doing watercolor and that it brings inner peace to them.” In 2015, Fatemeh’s only son moved to the United States to complete his masters degree. She decided to come with him to Oklahoma, where she again started teaching watercolor while pursuing her own painting. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her son and attending classes to improve her English. A “plein air” artist since college, Carolyn Lord was influenced by the 20th Century California Watercolor Style of Millard Sheets and his peers which often features bold color and strong design. She presented about her artist journey and the influences/ She is inspired by the California’s vernacular architecture, landscape, and garden paintings. Aspects of Tonalism and Impressionism have been integrated into her watercolor, and oil paintings. Lord’s paintings can be seen in galleries, invitational, and juried shows. Magazine articles and podcasts highlight her working methods and career. Southern California native, Carolyn Lord (1956- ) was introduced to the California Regionalist Watercolor Tradition by James Green while attending Principia College in Elsah, IL. A Studio Arts Major, her Liberal Arts studies also included botany and architectural history, which became favorite painting motifs. VALYA HRISTOVA Artist Statement The inspiration for my work as an artist comes from all areas of my life. I try to capture and transform any subject into expressive visual language. I have been fascinated by the human figure – especially unique gestures, moods, facial expressions, light and relationship with the surrounding color. All of these evoke an impulse to make a painting. However, to create is not just to copy surroundings. I strive to lay down my emotion and passion through composition and harmonious color. I have tried to capture people revealing their hidden beauty. When I paint I like to be spontaneous…to stop thinking, just trust my intuition. Sometimes I just leave something out or give little hints, this way I awaken my viewer to use their imagination to (mentally) complete my piece in a personal way and engage them deeper into my work. Bio Valya Hristova, was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria She has a Masters degree in Conservation and restoration at N. Pavlovich University, following a Bachelors of Art, in addition to intensive 4yr Art High School. She received a “Best of show“ award 1978 at Contemporary National Gallery at Sofia while still a student. She worked at Archeological museum for 12 years, giving her the opportunity to work on pieces from great masters of the past from prehistoric age to 20th century. These allowed her to learn about different art techniques and their evolution. She came to USA 1991. She worked as a restorer, professional artist and art instructor. She taught oil and pastel painting at Monrovia College, watercolor at Brand Art studio at Brand library in Glendale, Burbank Creative Art Center and Arcadia. Her work has been juried in many national and international exhibitions: Brand National, WW, Annual Signature American Watermedia International Exhibition, CWA. PSME(pastel) International, PSSC international online Gary Friedman works mostly in watercolors but has experience in oils, pastels, pen and ink and gouache. His landscapes and street scenes, done in impressionistic style, use negative and positive shapes, a warm color palette and techniques that push the limits of traditional watercolor. He received a B.A. degree in instrumental music from Cal. Univ. of Northridge and a Master’s degree in Education from LaVerne Univ. He’s taught art, ceramics, band and orchestral music for 36 years in public schools. His summers found him traveling to painting workshops all over the world. He’s a member of several art organizations including Santa Clarita Artist’s Association (program chair), Valley Watercolor Society, Westlake Village Art Guild, Simi Valley Art Association, Mid Val Art Association, Thousand Oaks Art Association, Watercolor Society of West Texas, California Art Club, National Watercolor Society, North West Watercolor Association and American Art Association. His YouTube channel “Crazy Brushstrokes”, features short tutorials on painting, design and composition. In his demo, he painted another version of his friend Tony the crepe maker from his recent trip to France. Gary also teaches a weekly art class via Zoom. His website is garyfriedmanart.com and Instagram account is prolific_gary. e has created several “movie-ettes’ of his painting process and have geared these demos specifically for MVAL. He discussed composition techniques and the principles of design as he workedand included tips I’ve used from my many years studying with watercolor masters. Shown here are pure gouache, one on cardboard and one on watercolor paper. H |