Working in Gouache Workshop, RAG, Stamford, NY 3/9-10, 2024

“Woman with Child, “, 22″ x 26”, gouache, 2023

March 9 + 10
9:30am-4pm
Price: $75 per day, $125 for both
Class size is limited to 12

Painting Workshop working in Gouache

with Lisbeth Firmin @ The Headwaters Gallery, 66 Main St., Stamford, NY

Register online on the Roxbury Arts Center website.

You may also contact the Roxbury Arts Center by calling 607-326-7908 or the Headwaters Arts Center at 607-214-6040 or by email: jenny@roxburyartsgroup.org

In this weekend workshop, students will be working with one of painter Lisbeth Firmin’s favorite mediums, gouache. “Gouache or opaque watercolor, is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin). Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache has a considerable history, having been used for at least twelve centuries.

Gouache is similar to watercolor in that it can be re-wetted and dries to a matte finish, and the paint can become infused into its paper support. It is similar to acrylic or oil paints\ in that it is normally used in an opaque painting style and it can form a superficial layer. Many manufacturers of watercolor paints also produce gouache, and the two can easily be used together.” — Wikipedia

Students will be working from still lives on day one. For the second day, students will be working from source materials that they bring from home, photos, drawings, famous paintings, anything they want to turn into a painting. Hopefully on day two in the afternoon, we will have a live model (with clothes!) to work from.

Firmin will demonstrate at the beginning of each class, and there will be a critique at the end of each session. And as some of you already know, there will be NO drawing allowed. We will be working with big brushes right out of the gate. Please bring a lunch or prepare to go out for lunch. We are right on Main St. in Stamford. There will be a 45 minute lunch break each day.

Materials List:

Students will need to bring a good-sized watercolor pad (at least 9” x 12”) to work on along with big jars (big plastic yogurt containers are great) for water. Also they will need to bring some water based brushes, from big (!) to small, synthetic and inexpensive is fine. Bring some rags too. Firmin will be ordering decent sets of gouaches https://www.dickblick.com/items/savoir-faire-opaque-watercolor-gouache-set-of-10-colors-10-ml-tubes/. These sets cost around $15 and will be available for students to buy, or they can bring their own.