Celebrate the Sitka Spruce

Discover the many forms of the noble Sitka spruce, native to the Pacific Northwest. You will learn how to paint and draw young specimens as well as the mighty giants that grow on the grounds of Sitka Center. We will draw and paint both in the studio and outdoors, using many different media. You'll come away with beautiful drawings and paintings and learn which medium works best on various paper supports. We will work both large and small, on white and toned papers, moving between subtle and delicate and big and bold. This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience.

Molly teaches regularly for outdoor institutes like Yellowstone Forever and the North Cascades Institute. She has worked with students of all ages. Her mission is to connect them to nature and cultural history through hands-on art experiences. She has been working in watercolor for over 35 years, and has studied printmaking and etching for the last 13 years. Her teaching approach is to help students discover their own style; and she does this by offering many demonstrations and skill-building exercises where they can try out methods and then tailor them to their own work. She is the author of Colors of the West and Birds of the West.

• HB and 6B drawing pencils

• Mars plastic eraser

• Water containers

• Paper towels and rags

• Palette with paints plus San Francisco or other large palette for mixing with multiple wells

• #4 and #6 round sable brush, 3/4" flat brush, 1/2" flat brush (other sizes optional)

• Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper, hot and cold press (bring both)

• Toned (tinted) paper for drawing or heavier weight washes (for mixed media)

• Watercolors as follows:

o alizarin crimson, pyrrol scarlet, phthalo blue-red shade or ultramarine blue, phthalo blue green shade, hansa yellow light, hansa yellow medium, carbazole violet, quinacridone burnt orange, perylene green and permanent white gouache

• Watercolor crayons

• Toned markers

• Acrylic inks and pens

• Walnut ink