Art Making l Watercolors: How Can I Control My Watercolors?

The Art Museum and the Arts Council of Princeton have partnered to provide a series of watercolor-painting classes taught by artist-instructor Barbara DiLorenzo. Participants can join from their home computers, tablets, or phones. With an emphasis on color mixing and brushwork, each week’s lesson will be inspired by works in the Museum’s collections.

Many artists who experiment with watercolor painting feel that the paint is unwieldy, flowing into already wet areas and creating a muddy mess. In this session we will explore the properties of the paint, and how to get watercolors to do what you want. Unlike other paints, watercolor is a bit playful and wants to engage and make its own mark, too. We will talk about ways to preplan elements of your painting so that when you place the paint on the paper it can flow freely and create spontaneous moments—but also leave other areas of your painting alone.