"Arabesque"
22" x 15" Watercolor using Holbein paint on Fabriano Artistico paper.
April, 2019 Newsletter
*Click on the images for a larger view.
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Saving the white paper
What? Save the white paper?! What he heck does that mean?!
As someone who was originally trained to paint with oils I was accustomed to using either Zinc or Titanium white for the brightest areas of my paintings. That's what I had been doing for over twenty years and I did it instinctively. Who would ever think that not painting parts of your painting would be accepted as a sound and recommended technique? That's just plain ridiculous. Or so I thought. Needless to say, when you are accustomed to thinking a certain way or doing something a certain way for that long a time it is difficult to change your routine. But sometimes you just have to.
When I started learning to paint with watercolors I was immediately attracted to the the look and luminosity of transparent watercolors as opposed to opaque watercolors. It's about as far away from oil painting as one can get but I was determined to learn how to do it. What threw me off right from the get go was that I could not use any white paint because of it's opacity. I was taught that if I wanted something to be white I needed to cover that area with a making fluid that is similar to rubber cement to protect the area from getting painted. This was a whole new concept for me. I bought masking fluid by the gallon it seemed and spent half of my painting time applying the mask. In addition to consuming a lot of my time I was also ruining a lot of my nice watercolor brushes because I would sometimes forget to rinse them off immediately after using the masking fluid. Back then I wasn't aware of a way to get the dried masking fluid off of my brushes. I've been told that now they have solvents that will work although I do not know what they are. Another characteristic that I did not like when using masking fluid is the hard edge that it leaves around the object or area of your painting that was masked. It seemed to stand out like a sore thumb, whatever that means. What does that mean?
It wasn't until I learned how to do negative painting that I was able to ween myself off of masking fluid. In fact, I haven't owned any masking fluid in the last ten years and I can see a big improvement in my paintings. All of the paintings in this newsletter have areas of white paper that were painted around as negative shapes. The white unpainted paper gives the paintings a bright and fresh look because it serves as a complement to the darker mid- values and strong dark's. Without the white areas the paintings would look rather dull and lifeless. Another thing that is very noticeable are the areas of white that have soft edges. You simply cannot get that when using masking fluid.
I am always amazed just how many students I see in my watercolor workshops that have never been educated about the importance of saving some white paper. Some of them even tell me that they have been taking watercolor classes for years and have never heard of this. They even go so far as to challenge me about the areas of white that I am leaving in my paintings. When the painting is finished, however; they are usually surprised with the results and agree that the white unpainted paper definitely enhanced the overall appearance of the painting causing it to look fresher and brighter. Give it a try, it works.
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"Bergs II"
This is an 22"x 15"
transparent watercolor abstract expressionist painting that I painted at a recent workshop. The white paper is what makes the composition strong and dramatic.
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15" x 22" Transparent Watercolor
This was painted on Fabriano Artistico 300 lb cold pressed paper using Holbein paint. About 90% of the painting was completed using large brushes. The areas of white paper were planned ahead of time and saved to brighten the painting and help pull the eye to the center of interest.
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Are you an Interior Designer or Decorator?
If so, or if you know someone who is, we would like to talk with you. We extend a professional discount to licensed businesses on our original artwork. We offer a wide variety of sizes, styles and subjects. It doesn't matter if you are working on a commercial job or residential, you might be interested in hearing what we have to offer. If you would like more information, email; sterling@sterlingedwards.com
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Do you need an artist's website?
If so, go to
www.faso.com
(Fine Art Studio Online). This company will help you design your own custom website to your specifications. They have numerous templates that you can choose from and a great support system. I designed and built my website even though I am very computer challenged. The best part is the price. I'm only paying $28.00 a month for my website even though it is very lengthy. There are less expensive programs if you don't need a huge website. If you haven't already seen my website go to
www.sterlingedwards.com
and check it out. They can also assist you with registering your domain name. Once again, when I find something good, I pass it on.
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Wholesale pricing on original watercolors
A few months ago we announced a way for current and former students to purchase original watercolor paintings from my website at the same price that they would pay if they purchased the painting at the student wholesale price in one of my workshops. This has proven to be a very popular concept and we have sold quite a few paintings through this special offer. Here's how it works:
If you are a former student of mine and have taken a workshop you are entitled to the same special wholesale price on my original watercolor paintings on my website that you would pay in a workshop. The prices on the website are my retail price and do not apply to my students. If you see a painting on the website that you are interested in possibly purchasing, DO NOT click on the "BUY NOW" tab. If you do it will take you to PayPal and charge you the full retail price of the painting as seen on the website.
Instead, go to the "CONTACT" page and send us an email requesting the student wholesale price of the painting. Please tell us the title of the piece, what workshop you attended, and whether or not you are a U.S. resident. You will receive an email with the student wholesale price plus ordering instructions. All of the paintings are unframed and unmatted and shipped in a heavy duty mailing tube for protection. Each will be accompanied with an Artist's Biography. As a special bonus, we offer
FREE SHIPPING
on watercolors that are shipped to a U.S. address.
This offer does NOT include Whiskey Paintings.
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Sterling's 2019 Workshop Schedule
***Please Read***
Beginning in 2021 Sterling will be doing fewer workshops. Currently our 2019 and 2020 workshop schedules are full and we are booking the 2021 and 2022 workshops. If you would like to schedule a workshop for your group in 2021 or 2022 please contact us soon so we can send you the information that you will need to make a decision. Email;
sterling@sterlingedwards.com
and request a workshop information packet. All spots are filled on a first come, first served basis.
Note:
When you write be sure and tell us the name of the group that you represent and where you are located.
- January 7-11, 2019, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
WAIT LIST
- January 21-24, 2019, Mission,TX
This is a four day watercolor workshop for the
Hidalgo Watercolor Society.
This workshop is for All Skill levels and will focus
on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. The Contact person is : Joyce Capen,
capen1jl@cmich.edu
WAIT LIST
- February 4 – 8, 2019, The Villages, FL.
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. Two of the days will cover floral and landscape watercolors and three days will be devoted to creative and expressive deign with watercolors (abstract and stylized).
- February 20 -24, 2019, Grifton, NC
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
WAIT LIST
- March 18-22, 2019, Santa Fe, NM
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. Contact: Heather Atherton,
misa@madelineschool.com
715-747-2054.
- April 8 -12, 2019, Hummelstown, PA
This is a five day watercolor workshop for the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society. This workshop is for all skill levels that will focus on Creative and expressive deign with watercolor (abstract and stylized). Contact: Linda Young,
pwswrkshops@gmail.com
.
- April 29-May 3, 2019, Calabash, NC
This is a five day acrylic abstract workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of acrylic techniques on paper and canvas.
- May 20-23, 2019, Folsom, CA
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects using mostly big brushes. Contact: Barbara Otey, cawatercolorworkshops.com, 916-608-9153
WAIT LIST
- June 10-14, 2019, Boone, NC, Cheap Joe’s
T
his is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on painting floral and landscape watercolors primarily with large brushes. Contact:
Edwina@cheapjoes.com
1-800-227-2788
WAIT LIST
- June 24 -27, 2019, Petoskey, MI, Crooked Tree Arts Center
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. Contact: Megan DeWindt,
megan@crookedtree.org
, 231-347-4337
WAIT LIST
- July 15 -19, 2019, Belfast ME, Coastal Maine Art Workshops
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
207-594-4813
- July 29 – August 1, 2019, Evergreen, CO
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
- August 12-16, Grand Marais, MN; Grand Marais Art Colony
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on
Stylized Interpretations
of a wide variety of subjects. Contact: Ruth Pszwaro,
programs@grandmaraisartcolony.org
- September 9 -13, 2019, Hendersonville, NC
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
- October 7-10, 2019, Morgantown, WV
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
- October 22-26, 2019, Reno, NV, Sierra Watercolor Society
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. The contact person is : Linda Parisi,
parisiart@outlook.com
, 360-589-9330
- November 14 -16, 2019, Raleigh, NC Art of the Carolinas Trade Show
This is the annual trade show in Raleigh, NC sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama
- December 9-13, 2019 Palm Beach, FL, Palm Beach Watercolor Society
This will be a two day watercolor workshop on the 9th and 10th covering floral and landscape painting followed by a three day workshop on the 11th thru the 13th focusing on creative and expressive design with watercolor (stylized and abstract). Both workshops are for all skill levels. Contact;
Steve Philbrook,
561-471-8588, Philbrookstudio52@gmail.com
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This is another 4"x 5" Whiskey Painting that I did at my Myrtle Beach workshop in January. I used Iceberg Vodka from Newfoundland to paint this piece on Fabriano 140 lb cold pressed paper. The reason that the image looks grainy is because it's a close up photo of a very small painting. The closer the image, the more grain. The somewhat unusual texture is the result of the alcohol being used as a medium instead of water. The alcohol has a lot of sugar in it and dries quickly on the paper creating various textures.
If you click on
"Paintings"
on my website;
www.sterlingedwards.com
you can scroll down to
Whiskey Paintings
and read a brief history of the
Whiskey Painters of America.
You can also click and see other examples of my
Whiskey Paintings
. It's a fantastic group of artists with a very unique and proud history. I am honored to be part of this group.
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"Memories"
22"x 15" Transparent Watercolor
Representational Abstract
This is a piece that I painted at my watercolor workshop in Santa Fe, NM last month. I chose to use only three colors , Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, and Brilliant Violet.
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Diane and I on the waterfront in Reykjavik, Iceland.
As always, we appreciate your support.
Art; it chooses us
Food for thought
"It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all to prudent"
Vincent Van Gogh
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Sterling Edwards / Artist, LLC
230 Sunny Acres Drive
Lewisville, NC 27023
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