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Three-day Workshops


Three-day Workshops

This webpage details the Three-day Workshops offered by Southwestern Watercolor Society.  In addition to Three-day Workshops, SWS also offers several One-day Classes.  Details can be found here: Classes

Stephen Zhang

Three-day Workshop:
Lively Watercolor Portraits

July 28-30, 2026
Location:  Dallas, TBA
Members:  $395
Non-members:  $425

 

[We hate to disappoint, but this workshop and its waitlist are full.]


In this workshop, Stephen Zhang will work with participants on the process for creating lively, expressive watercolor portraits. Participants will explore the foundations, steps, and tools of his approach, alongside the unique thought process that brings a portrait to life. This session is designed for mid-level artists with experience in drawing, portrait, or watercolor who are looking to grow their painting skills in watercolor portraiture.

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Ruth Armitage

Three-day Workshop:

Echo and Iteration:
Building Rhythm, Pattern and Meaning

October 14-16, 2026
Location:  Dallas, TBA
Members: $395
Non-members:$425

Discover the beauty and power of repetition as an artistic principle in this 3-day workshop with Ruth Armitage. Through open-ended exercises and exploratory studies, we’ll investigate how repeated marks and variations on a theme can build pattern, surface, and depth of ideas. Repetition can create unity, reveal subtle variation, suggest movement, and bring emphasis and emotion into a painting. By returning to the mark again and again, you’ll uncover new possibilities and richer meaning in your work. Explore how repeating marks, shapes, and lines can create rhythm, pattern, and depth - revealing unexpected pathways into richer, more expressive paintings.


Register Here!





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Matthew Bird

Three-day Workshop:

Lessons in Realistic Watercolor: Still Life

November 10-12, 2026
Location:  Dallas, TBA
Members: $395
Non-members: $425

In this workshop, we will paint a modest still life from start to finish, and you will learn my entire painting process as I work through a fully rendered painting. Participants will learn the various techniques I use in painting realism, including creating rich darks, underpainting, wet into wet washes vs. wet on dry, dry brushing, masking, glazing, and more. The focus will be on understanding value and color, establishing form, and creating texture. Students will have access to my full materials list, reference material, and sample drawing. The goal is to learn a lot and enjoy the journey. If you love detail and methodical painting, but have struggled to paint realism with watercolor, this class is for you!


Register Here!



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Andy Evansen

Three-day Workshop:

A Valued Approach to Watercolor

February 9-11, 2027
Location:  Dallas, TBA
Members: $395
Non-members: $425


There seems to be a never-endinq quest to loosen up in watercolor and it’s probably the most common goal of students. It’s easy to fall into the trap of putting too much into your paintings, and editing out the non-essential whether working from photo reference or painting on location is vital. As I tell my students, what you leave out of a painting is as important as what you put in. Painting loosely doesn't just 'happen', it comes from gaining a comfort level with your skills and materials over time. However, there are techniques that can speed up this process. My workshop will focus on using value studies from the outset to identify the large shapes in a scene. These large shapes provide the artist with opportunities for lost edges when painting in watercolor, which is essential if we are to take full advantage of the medium. Too often the 'found edges', or details, take over the painter's thinking process, and the result is a tight watercolor. We will move on toward color paintings using value studies as our guide, and complete color painting lessons together. Demonstration paintings will be done by Andy to reinforce the lessons. In order to loosen up it is imperative to have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish with your painting and then execute it quickly. This class will give you the tools and confidence to do just that.

Register Here!


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Carla Gauthier

Three-day Workshop:

Get Your Glow On!

March 9-11, 2027
Location:  Dallas, TBA
Members: $395
Non-members: $425

Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, William Turner – the masters of watercolor – could all make color GLOW, as if the light was coming from the paper itself. They did it with just a few basic colors, because they understood that illusion of glowing light comes from the particular temperature, value and intensity of colors. In this workshop we will do a group project that breaks down steps to isolate and prioritize the light in our photo reference, and then learn to paint it accurately, adjusting to your color preferences and key along the way. Join us to learn key points to painting light whether you work in the studio or en plein air!


Register Here!


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Iain Stewart

Three-day Workshop:

Fearless Watercolor

April 13-15, 2027
Location:  Dallas, TBA
Members: $395
Non-members: $425



In all my workshops I like to try and cover subject matter you will find useful as you move through your painting journey. Dramatic skies, water in different forms, landscape, and the urban environment including entourage, people, cars, boats, etc. For me at least, I teach the way I would enjoy being instructed.  I want my students to understand my decision making process and why I make certain choices when working. I demonstrate wet on dry, wet in wet, dry brush, basic and complex washes, as well as how to break down complex forms into their most basic geometry and build from there...My thought process is to give the students a well rounded understanding of how I approach as many different subjects as possible which will allow them to try these techniques on their own long after the workshop is over...I believe creating an environment where the students feel relaxed and comfortable is key to letting them find what they have to say. We all have a unique inner voice. I try to demonstrate the importance of that and how valuable it is in creating artwork that speaks to others.


Register Here!

 

A $100 deposit is required to reserve a place in our Multi-Day Workshops. The balance is due 30 days prior to day 1 of the workshop.

WORKSHOPS POLICY:


Workshop enrollment is typically limited to a maximum of 20 participants. Reservations are accepted in the order in which they are received. Wait lists are also formed in the order that requests are received.

A $100 deposit per workshop must accompany the signup to reserve a space. Confirmation of enrollment will be sent upon receipt of the deposit (or full payment). The deposit is non-transferable to any other person or workshop.

Balance of payment is due one month before the workshop start date and if not received by that date, the student may lose his/her place.

*(If you are a member and accidentally register as a nonmember, you will not be able to obtain a refund. Please be aware when you register.)

If you have questions or wish to cancel your registration in a workshop, please contact workshops@swswatercolor.org.

Cancellation/Refund Policy for Multi-Day Workshops

The cancelling member shall contact the Workshop Coordinator as soon as possible to facilitate replacement.  The SWS wait list has first priority over other students who are not on the wait list.

Upon a student’s cancellation of a workshop at least one month prior to the start date of the workshop, the workshop fee is 100% refundable.

Upon a student’s cancellation of a workshop less than one month prior to the start date of the workshop, the entire fee is refundable only if the space is filled and paid for.  If the space is not filled and paid for, the workshop fees are refundable, less the $100 deposit.

Once the workshop begins, there are no refunds for no-shows or withdrawals.

SWS reserves the right to cancel workshops due to insufficient enrollment or other reasons.  If SWS cancels a workshop, applicants will receive a full refund.

If you have questions or wish to cancel your registration in a workshop, please contact workshops@swswatercolor.org.