Students will meet at ARTspot for a brief indoor overview before heading out on foot to explore Downtown Edmonds through sketching

“Brush Moves Water, Water Moves Pigment” is a mantra that I often repeat to myself when I’m painting. It helps me focus on the magic that can occur when the water, and not the brush, is the primary vehicle for applying color and value to a page – when the brush is simply used as the shepherd guiding the water. The workshop will apply this mantra to pursue sketches that are luminous, clear, fluid, and dramatic.

The major goals will be twofold – first, effective brush and water handling to achieve clarity, precision, and luminosity in the washes, and second, approaching watercolor as a process of subtraction that reserves specific areas of light intrinsic to the page. We will treat the blank page as the only light source in our watercolor sketches, and focus on brush-handling skills and appropriate pigment choices to create truly transparent, glowing lights alongside rich and saturated darks. Using watercolor in this way will infuse our sketches with the warmth, clarity, and crispness of bright, dazzling sunlight, and we’ll be more able to represent the volumes and cool, shady depths of architecture, urban space, and landscape.

We’ll do straightforward, highly useful exercises – clearly explained on-site and reinforced on a take-home handout – that can become part of the participants’ regular sketching practice, so that their learning process may continue long after the conclusion of the workshop. Overall, the workshop will be balanced between demonstration and guided participation, with the ultimate goals of having participants both learn new techniques and create sketches that will help solidify these techniques through practice.

Workshop starts at ARTspot at 10am. Matt will give a short overview before your group heads out to sketch! Workshop outdoor location will be within walking distance of ARTspot. Exact location TBD. Mattwill select where we draw based on Saturday’s weather, etc.

Matthew Brehm is teaching a second workshop, “The Fundamentals of Sketching” on Saturday, June 28 9am-12:30pm. Register for both for a full weekend of art for $30 off!

Discover the magic of watercolor by letting water lead the way. This workshop focuses on mastering brush and water control to create luminous, fluid, and dramatic sketches, using the white of the page as your light source. Through guided exercises and hands-on practice, you'll learn to achieve clarity, precision, and luminosity in your work. Learn more here.