In Full Bloom with Watercolor Master Brenda Swenson
Brenda Swenson at Willow Pond SLO, May 2nd-5th, 2025
More than mastery, painting is transformative.
As the wildflowers spray the fields of the Central Coast in all their super bloom glory, and the lush, emerald hillsides become their own study of green, we look we look forward to welcoming the masterful watercolor artist Brenda Swenson to Willow Pond.
In this intermediate level workshop (currently full but please inquire) Swenson brings her expertise to a lucky gaggle of artists seeking guidance in the realm of the watercolor technique. Brenda who has instructed for many years describes the watercolor medium as alive and a dance between you, paint and the surface moisture on the paper. She believes it requires poise, alertness, she demonstrates how each decision is a stepping into or a pulling back.
“Watercolor requires you stay awake and respond to what’s happening on the surface. Never turn your back while the paper is wet…stay awake! I once heard someone say, that painting in oil is like a dog, it wants to obey but watercolor is like a cat, it does as it pleases. I couldn’t agree more!” (2020)
Color is complicated but Swenson’s expert teaching advice is not, she follows a simple progression of steps when beginning a painting starting with inspiration then layering the design in pencil and mapping the values and shadows and followed by knowing when to stop.
Negative painting is a unique approach of painting around an object to define it in a composition, a challenge that many other mediums do not have and a skill to focus on in this workshop.
Brenda will assist students with building confidence in negative painting, handling glazes, painting wet into wet, under-paintings and painting into wet passages. Brenda will instruct artists how to strengthen a painting with overlapping, interlocking shapes and linkage. With Swenson’s demonstration and through friendly critiques students will deepen their understanding of pigments and how they directly relate to the complex medium of watercolor.
“The task of understanding pigment as it relates to watercolor is compounded by understanding paint characteristics: granulating, staining, transparent, opaque and semi-opaque. Once someone wraps their head around these characteristics the possibilities of watercolor opens in new and exciting ways.” (2020)
About the Artist
Brenda Swenson is the artist author of two books, Keeping a Watercolor Sketchbook (Finalist, Award of Excellence) and Steps to Success in Watercolor. An active participant in the arts community she has served on the board of directors for the California Art Club, National Watercolor Society and Watercolor West. She’s a Signature Artist in AWA, WWM, NWWS, SDWS and CWA. Her artwork has been featured in several volumes of Splash: Best of Watercolor, An Illustrated Journey, Creative Freedom, Complete Guide to Watercolor, Watercolor Artist, Watercolor Magazine, Watercolor Highlights, Plein Air Magazine and numerous other publications. She participates as an arts juror and demonstrator, and offers workshops both nationally and abroad.
Quotes from interview with American Watercolor, June 9th, 2020 by Kelly Kane
