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Too Sensitive? Yes, That's A Good Thing!

1/24/2017 11:53:10 PM

Dear artists, have you ever been told that you are too sensitive? How about "Lighten up," "Don't take it too seriously," or "Oh, you're overreacting"? When this happens in a daily conversation, how do you feel? If you feel hurt, you're not alone. I have been told all these on a number of occasions. Even a seemingly innocent, lighthearted remark such as "Just kidding" is not really innocent because whoever said it knows that they said something not so kind, rude or hurtful to you. That's why they have to say it to try to make you believe what they said [...]

The Truth in Us Artists

8/13/2015 3:44:56 PM

"I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration." - Frida Kahlo Have you ever found yourself deep in thought, wondering why in the world you paint? There are millions of other things to choose from but yet we painters choose to pick up a brush and paint. Each artist may have his own answer to this question but I think the single truth in the core of it is this: because we need to. As an international watercolor workshop instructor, [...]

Portugal - Quiet Beauty

6/29/2015 9:09:50 PM

Back roads in the region of Mafra meander through rolling hills and valleys that are dotted with lovely rural villages and forests. Landscape in this region is so beautiful and the overall atmosphere so peaceful and quiet. Less than an hour from Lisbon, Portugal's largest city, it doesn't feel like a big city is so close. But I have found people in Portugal to be very gentle and mild-mannered and even in Lisbon, a more relaxed mood prevails compared to other big cities I know. I was very fortunate to be invited to do a workshop there last month. In just 4 days we had opportunities to paint a farm, a seaside resort, [...]

Springtime in Kyoto, Japanese Landscape Paintings

4/19/2015 7:36:51 PM

I travel around the world to conduct workshops, and no matter where I teach, I always enjoy painting the place where I happen to be at. But when it's in Kyoto, Japan (my favorite city and my hometown) and in the springtime (my favorite time), I was thrilled even before I got there. I just finished a 10-day plein-air watercolor course in Kyoto for a group of 18 people who came from many different cities and countries. When we all arrived there at the beginning of the month, cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the weather mild and pleasant. We couldn't [...]

Dinard, French Landscape Paintings

11/17/2014 3:30:21 AM

Years ago when I visited Dinard in the height of summer, I gave up going to this beach simply because it was so crowded with holiday makers and I couldn't find a parking spot. But last month when my workshop students and I went there, there was no one except a few locals enjoying a quiet stroll by the water. I thought I came to a different beach. In front of us was a vast stretch of sandy beach, the calm blue ocean, the town of Dinard on the left, the skyline of Saint-Malo in the far right. It was almost too [...]

Il fait toujours beau en Bretagne! no. I

11/2/2014 8:13:45 AM

Il fait toujours beau en Bretagne: I was in Brittany last month and my Breton host taught me this expression. When people say "il fait toujours beau" (the weather is always fine), it may be true in certain parts of the world. But "en Bretagne" (in Brittany) in northwest of France? The area is known for variable weather patterns even in a day. Recently I taught a plein-air workshop near the small town of Ploubalay of Brittany for 5 days. Each morning around the dining table where we all ate, our conversation started with "what's the weather like today?" and ended at [...]

Festival International de l'Aquarelle in Aiguillon, France

10/24/2014 2:12:02 AM

A few days ago a friend who lives in Aiguillon took me to the top of a hill behind a small village of Nicole. Just before the sunset on an unseasonably balmy day, the view from there was stunning. I could see the town of Aiguillon far down below, the vast valley where it lies and the two rivers, Lot and Garonne, which meet near the town. I felt blessed to be able to spend a marvelous week in Aiguillon, in southwestern France, to participate in the 7th International Festival of Watercolor as invited guests of honor with French artists, David Chauvin and [...]

Huntington Beach Art League Demonstration

9/4/2014 11:14:09 AM

I had the pleasure of spending some time yesterday together with members and guests of the Huntington Beach Art League (HBAL) who invited me to do a demonstration for their September meeting. It was quite an honor for me, as a watercolorist, to do a watercolor painting demo to an all-media art group such as the HBAL as they kick-start their fall season. I did a demo, showing my process from the beginning to the end, of a street scene with corner cafés in Paris. I painted this subject from my previous plein-air sketch, and I did so in response to the [...]

World Watermedia Exposition & Workshop in Thailand

6/17/2014 3:13:12 AM

The World Watermedia Exposition in Thailand (WWET) is truly a world-class watercolor event. In recognition of the importance and popularity of watermedia, the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (Ministry of Culture of Thailand) organized the first international exhibition in Bangkok where 289 watermedia works are currently on view. 116 international artists and 30 Thai artists have been selected to participate in the show which runs until July 20 at the Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center in Bangkok. I was deeply honored to be invited by the Director-General of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture to participate both in the exhibition and [...]

A Week Under the Tuscan Sun, Italian Landscape Paintings

6/3/2014 11:05:51 AM

Whenever you mix friendly, adventurous artists, good food and wine, beautiful landscapes and the sun, you can be sure the good times will be had. These artists may not necessarily know each other at first, but usually it doesn't take long before they start talking to each other as if they were close friends. My recent workshop experience in the Northern Tuscany was just like that. I was at the Watermill at Posara, a lovely painting holiday venue run by Bill and Lois Breckon, together with 12 artists who came from all over the world to attend my course there. In the secluded corner of Tuscany, [...]

Springtime in North Carolina, American Landscape Painting

4/4/2014 9:56:39 PM

Warm weather and springtime flowers welcomed me in Western North Carolina last week. Hills and streets around the Asheville/Hendersonville area are dotted with fruit trees like cherry, pear, peach with fast-blooming flowers. And lovely tulips, daffodills and many other flowers add delightful colors to the landscape. Blessed with the gorgeous weather each day, my plein-air workshop students and I were happy campers and we enjoyed a wonderful week painting at Kanuga, a beautiful lake-side conference center near Hendersonville. Here's one of my demos of a very tall weeping cherry tree that was just in front of my workshop room. Pinkish white flowers hanging [...]

Mexico City Workshop

3/12/2014 1:00:59 AM

So I was going to do an outdoor workshop in Mexico City, one of the world's biggest cities. I have to confess, though, prior to my arrival, I had no idea at all what I could find to paint there. But I was more excited than worried and I was pleasantly suprised to discover serene beauty inside this megalopolis. Following my demos, my workshop attendees painted varied sights - beautiful lakes, a panoramic view from the hilltop castle, and a street vendor in a park, etc. The focus throughout the week, however, was on how to paint water and everyone worked very [...]

From Plein-Air Sketch to Studio Painting

3/2/2014 10:16:52 PM

About nine years ago, I started out both as a plein-air painter and as a studio artist. As a watercolorist who paints in both environments, I have come to realize that there are unique qualities in each type of work. A painting done on location is my direct response to the landscape. I attempt to capture the whole experience of being there. For that purpose, I need to concentrate intensely to work fast. I so enjoy getting absorbed in the environment when the inspiration cannot be any fresher. As a result, the painting may look looser, more simplified or sketchy, and perhaps [...]

Workshop: Painting Light and Atmosphere of California Landscape

2/24/2014 11:16:53 PM

I love being with other artists. I love sharing my creative passion. I love painting California landscape. In the workshop I just finished in Orange County, California, I got to do all these things for three days. For a full house of 18 students, I did 2 demos each day in a room filled with enthusiasm. Painting light and atmosphere of California landscape being the theme of the workshop, we did a harbor scene, a downtown street , an outdoor café, a mission and a desertscape. Everyone worked so hard and we felt like we had just finished a whirlwind tour of [...]

Plein-Air Demo at the Bernardo Winery, California Landscape Painting

1/25/2014 11:16:47 PM

For plein-air painters, especially those who work in watercolor, the weather is the most crucial factor for a pleasant experience. Too often, it is too hot, too cold, too windy, too dry, too wet, etc... well, we had none of those complaints on the day of the Saturday paint-out because the weather was perfect in every sense. I was happy to be invited as a demonstrator for a plein-air painters' group from the San Diego Watercolor Society. The location chosen for their January get-together was Bernardo Winery. I really liked the rustic feel of the [...]

Northen Guangxi Province, Chinese Landscape Paintings

12/6/2013 4:51:03 AM

In Sanjiang County in the northern part of Guangxi Province, I spent some time learning about culture and traditions of some of China's minority groups. Predominantly inhabited by the Dong minority people, this region seems a bit different from the other parts of China. Perhaps because the Dong speak their own language or perhaps because of their traditional wooden architecture that still exists such as drum towers and wind and rain bridges. Most people in small villages are farmers and they were friendly to a foreigner like me. Today's painting is some of my small studies done in this region. Studies, Sanjiang [...]

Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong I, Interior Painting

12/5/2013 8:34:55 AM

Life in Hong Kong is fast-paced. In the downtown financial district it is even more so. Not far from this busiest part of Hong Kong, Man Mo Temple stands among high-rises. But the inside is a world apart from the outside. It is a quiet place of worship for people who come here to pray to the Gods of literature and of war. Large cone-shaped coils of incense are hung everywhere with people's wishes written inside. Smoke from these coils slowly escapes from the opening on the ceiling as the light filtered through smoke comes in to add mystical ambiance. Man Mo Temple, [...]

On the Road (4) - France, Interior Paintings

11/28/2013 5:26:21 PM

Recently I wrote a blog post about my workshop experience in southern Spain - how a lunchtime is taken rather seriously over there. Another country where lunch is enjoyed with vigor is France. I have taught quite a number of workshops in this country. I have found the time they take for lunch may not as long as in Spain but on many occasions lunch is a sit-down ritual, starting with a serious look at the menu and ending with a plate of various kinds of cheeses and/or incredible sweets. Bottles of wine are also a common sight on the table. Even if we don't [...]

On the Road (3) - Spain, Interior Paintings

11/27/2013 3:31:13 AM

It is interesting to note how we spend a lunchtime differs from culture to culture. In the workshops I do in the U.S. and Japan, for instance, we take a fairly quick lunch. And it is not unusual to see some students painting, while nibbling a sandwich, throughout a lunch break, which lasts one hour or less. I went to Seville in southern Spain earlier this year to teach 2 workshops for local watercolor artists. Over there a lunchtime seemed to be taken a bit more seriously. In the morning, we worked from 10am to 1pm. Then, we had lunch. For one hour? No. [...]

On the Road (1) - U.S., Interior Paintings

11/21/2013 10:35:58 PM

I spend a considerable amount of time on the road as I travel to different locations to teach a workshop. This means I always have a new group of people to work with and, most of the time, I meet them for the first time in class. For me, it amounts to at least a couple of hundreds of them a year. It is expected to speak out in America. Perhaps because of that reason, sometimes I hear from a student beforehand, telling me he's nervous. Sometimes, on my arrival, a student comes up to me and says she's worried if she's [...]

Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy

11/21/2013 3:56:53 AM

One of my favorite paintings is John Singer Sargent's piece that depicted the façade of the Salute. Rather, this painting is much more than just "favorite." Early on in my career as a watercolor painter, I was simply in awe when I saw it for the first time. I would even call that a life-changing experience. Almost anything my eyes see in Venice can be a painting. At least that's how I feel. But scenes involving Santa Maria della Salute are especially magnificent... "Santa Maria della Salute, Venice III" (10"x29") - available "Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy IV" (19"x13") - sold "Venetian Sunset VII" [...]

Barns of Michigan, American Landscape Paintings

11/9/2013 4:03:07 PM

I teach both indoors and outdoors when I do a workshop. Obviously, both have certain advantages and challenges, and I may focus on slightly different aspects of painting, depending on where we work. During my recent workshop in Michigan, we were all painting inside, warm and cozy, in downtown Ann Arbor. The chilly November wind and occasional rain was a bit too much even for the courageous plein-air painter. So one day, I gave everyone one of my photos of a typical Michigan farm with a barn. What the photo showed was a no-brainer to paint, in fact, but we took it [...]

My Workshop in Michigan

11/8/2013 2:08:30 PM

Even though they told me that it was past peak for fall foliage, colors were stilll amazing to me this past week in southern Michigan. I felt so lucky that my workshop was scheduled to be in time for me to see it. Needless to say, I didn't waste time to make as many paintings as possible while I was there. It was wonderful. I had an equally wonderful group of artists in my workshop, who traveled from different parts of Michigan and neighboring states, to paint with me. A big thank-you to Debra Zamperla for organizing a sold-out workshop for me [...]

Al Ponte di Rialto, Venice I, Italian Landscape Painting

10/29/2013 10:09:39 PM

No matter how touristy, Venice never ceases to amaze and inspire us artists. I have been to many places in the world to paint, but honestly, there is only a few where I can truly feel like a kid in a candy store. Almost everything is overpriced in Venice and some things look too tacky even to attempt to paint, but knowing that it can be a big tourist trap is never enough to keep us - or at least me - from going there. There's no denying this canal city has the magical power to mesmerize us. In fact, when I'm [...]

12th Edition of the Rencontres Artisques du Val d'Anglin Closed

10/21/2013 9:16:33 PM

The 12th Rencontres Artisques du Val d'Anglin, an all-media international exhibition that I participated in in Bélâbre, France, came to a close on the 13th. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizers and the entire committee who put together such a wonderful show and made my stay there during the show such a special one. I also want to thank all my students who worked with me for a week in a workshop I did over there, and all the visitors who took the time to watch my live demonstrations. I was very pleased to have been given [...]

Colors and Values

9/13/2013 3:10:29 AM

"It is wonderful how much depends upon the relations of black and white. A black and white, if properly balanced, suggests colour." -- Winslow HomerIn my workshops, one of the things my students may get tired of hearging from me is how important it is to be able to see the correct values. I do not dwell too much on colors. I show them my palette but I also tell them that they can use whatever colors they like. That is not to say that I take colors lightly. On the contrary. What I mean is simply that colors, or hues [...]

Mission San Juan Capistrano I, California Landscape Painting

9/8/2013 2:34:15 PM

You don't have to be a fourth grader in California, but just walk around inside one of these missions: you can feel and learn, first-hand, a legacy from the past (the mission study is part of the 4th grade curriculum). Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1775 as the seventh of 21 missions in California. It served as a religious outpost for Spanish padres to spread Christianity among native Americans in what is now southern Orange County. Out of many structures in the town of San Juan Capistano that have the Spanish/Mexican flavor, the mission stands out and looks strikingly beautiful [...]

Demo and Workshop in Mission Viejo, California

9/6/2013 9:36:50 PM

I am honored to have been invited to do a demo and a workshop for the Saddleback Art League located in Mission Viejo, California. My demo and talk will take place on September 10, and my 2-day workshop will be on the weekend of September 28 and 29. It is the inspirational light that I look for to capture a certain atmosphere in a painting. In my workshop, I will also do 2 demos a day and work with you to create watercolor paintings filled with the kind of light and mood that you desire. For more details and a sign-up form [...]

Onuma (Hakodate), Hokkaido II, Japanese Landscape Painting

8/23/2013 11:10:22 PM

My recent 5-day workshop in Hakodate, Japan involved a day out with nature with stops at a couple of picturesque spots near Hakodate. We, 20 of us, all prayed for good weather the day before, and next morning we woke up to a cool day with cloudy sky (so I think most of us had been good!). We were all excited that we could paint beautiful landscapes of southern Hokkaido directly from nature. The lady who organized my workshop had chartered a bus for the day's trip. Everyone felt like school kids on a field trip to an amusement park or something, [...]

Workshops in Kyoto & Osaka, Japan

8/22/2013 2:27:15 AM

I just finished two workshops in Kyoto and Osaka, Japan. I was told, in both locations, classes were filled months ahead of time and there was still dozens on the wait list. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who braved this summer's record-breaking heat to participate in my workshops. This was my second workshop in Kyoto. While sign-ups were taken on a first-come, first-served basis, I saw several familiar faces in the classroom. It was nice to see them again after my first one back in February. This time we practiced painting a street scene involving a café [...]

Fish Market, Hakodate, Japanese Landscape Paintings

8/10/2013 8:56:21 PM

Recently I was in the city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Early in the morning, there's a neighborhood in the heart of the city that is already bustling with life. Every morning narrow streets there become one big outdoor market where all kinds of sounds and smells tickle your senses. But what dominates the air is the smell of the ocean: sweet, tender squid the city is particularly known for, crabs, sea urchin, several different kinds of fish and shellfish... all looking as fresh as they can possibly be. I got up early and went out without breakfast to set [...]

Workshop in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan

8/5/2013 5:15:30 PM

I am not a fortune teller but this time perhaps I was. From the breathtaking natural beauty to local delicacies to cooler weather, everything I predicted for my stay in Hakodate, Japan did happen (click to read my related blog post). I spent the last week teaching a workshop in Hakodate, a port city in southern Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, for a group of about 20 watercolor painters who traveled there from all over Japan. With mountains, slopes with ocean views, historical buildings, city streets with vibrant markets, the city offers all kinds of subjects (and they are all beautiful!) and we painted in and around Hakodate to our hearts' content. [...]

Port of Yokohama I, Japanese Landscape Painting

7/27/2013 2:15:51 PM

A walk in the area surrounding the Port of Yokohama is an experience that gives us an opportunity to think of a long way Japan has come in terms of modernization. Once a small fishing village, the area was developed by the Japanese government as one of the five ports open to the outside Japan back in 1858. Since then it has grown to be one of the biggest and busiest commercial and industrial ports in Japan. These red-brick warehouses in this painting used to be customs houses built by the port. They were renovated now to serve for cultural and commercial [...]

Goryokaku, Hakodate, Japanese Landscape Painting

7/24/2013 8:28:56 AM

Imagine how chaotic things must have been when the 200-year-old rule of the shogunate ended in Japan in 1868: The power was to be given back to the imperial court and thousands of samurai's were to lose their status in the society, all in the name of reforms for a new era. Then a civil war occurred. The city of Hakodate took center stage when those who resisted the new government held out inside the massive Goryokaku Fort. They even established a republic in Hakodate even though they were not successful and surrendered in a short time. Today the historic site [...]

Hakodate Fish Market I, Japanese Landscape Painting

7/22/2013 11:05:31 AM

Within a week I will be in Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. To take in their natural beauty? To savor their fresh sea food? Or to escape the summer heat? I will be sure to do all of these and more, but the main reason is that I will be teaching a 5-day workshop for a group of about 20 Japanese watercolorists who will travel there to paint with me. I learned that in Japan painting workshops are quite popular but it usually lasts a half a day or a full day at most and it usually takes place indoors [...]

Summer in Kyoto II, Japanese Landscape Painting

7/21/2013 10:29:52 AM

Old temples and houses, traditional gardens, centuries-old craftsmanship, finest authentic haute cuisine... Many first-time visitors arrive in Kyoto, with hopes of seeing and enjoying the image connecting to old Japan. Yes, it's there, and if you're lucky, you may even spot a geisha walking on a narrow alley in the old tea-house district. But what visitors (who arrive by train and most do) see first is the opposite of that image: ultramodern Kyoto train station and Kyoto Tower that resembles somewhat Seattle's Space Needle. As with any major landmark in other cities, Kyoto Tower was a controversial addition to the city's skyline [...]

Fish Market, Venice, Italy I, Interior Painting

7/17/2013 9:11:21 AM

Being an artist, by and large, is a solitary profession but it is good to get together with other like-minded artist friends from time to time. When I do, I may paint with them, visit an exhibition, attend an opening, exchange information and ideas or share a meal. Whatever that may be, the experience can be really inspiring and uplifting. Last year, I spent some time in Venice, Italy, painting together with my artist friend, Eugen Chisnicean. We did a lot of painting en plein-air in many spots in the city, and made a book VENICE AND VERONA with those paintings, including [...]

Plein-Air Painting: Love It or Hate It?

7/11/2013 10:44:59 PM

Just before my workshop students arrived in the morning, I scouted the surrounding area of a classroom to choose a good location for all of us to go to paint. That had to be close enough and have shades for us to be working in at least for 3 hours. I found a spot with a view of a hilltop village that I thought really represents a typical landscape of the area, and it met the criteria: it was just a few minutes walk from a classroom (some of the students had so much stuff they needed to make a few [...]

San Giorgio, Venice II, Italian Landscape Painting

7/3/2013 10:44:13 PM

The church of San Giorgio Maggiore (the same name as the island where it stands) looks strikingly beautiful with its bell tower soaring into the sky. It looks as if it stands right on the water of the Venetian lagoon when seen from across the lagoon. The view, especially from the waterfront promenade by Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark's Square), is one of the most photographed of Venice. Curious what the view might be like from the other side, I hopped on a boat and went over to San Giorgio Maggiore. It was breathtaking as I imagined. We could see the similar-looking bell tower of San Marco, [...]

Fish Market, Venice, Italy II, Interior Painting

6/29/2013 6:18:39 AM

One thing watercolorists should never forget when painting outdoors is a bottle of water. Water to paint with, that is. I always pack a bottle for painting and another for drinking. But when we are outdoors, we often face a situation where we need more clean water than we brought. Sometimes it's readily available but sometimes we have to look really hard. I have used water from a kitchen of a nearby restaurant, somebody's backyard, a sprinkler head in a public park, a canal, a mountain stream, etc. Sometimes a friend who's painting with me spared some. Here at Mercato del Pesce, [...]