We’re proud to announce two new workshops on ArtistsNetwork.TV featuring watercolor artist Jean Grastorf. As many of you know, Grastorf uses fresh approaches with watercolor.

In her first workshop, she demonstrates her signature pouring technique: Without a brush, she masks areas that are to remain white, and then pours transparent watercolors on the surface. In the second workshop, she creates an abstract watercolor painting, demonstrating techniques such as creating texture, using wax resist, masking, and scraping paint with the edge of a credit card.

Click below to see a preview of the videos.



You can also watch previews of the 10 other 40-plus minute videos to help you decide if you’d like to subscribe to an individual workshop ($14.99) for a six-month period with unlimited, 24/7 viewing access, or subscribe to all of them for a six-month period ($69.99) with unlimited, 24/7 viewing access. There’s no downloading required, and you can watch any time of the day as long as you have a high-speed Internet connection.

Kathleen Maling challenges artists to paint their local environments in the October issue of Watercolor Artist:

Research your local environment and decide what makes it unique. Then consider methods of intimately exploring it in ways you might not normally attempt: by trail, by water, or even by air. Always be aware of your surroundings and pack appropriate equipment. If you're spending time on the water, be sure to carry your camera or other electronics in an airtight, waterproof container.

Maling is pictured at right, using her canoe to search for subjects in their natural environments. Read the full online article by clicking here.

Try It!
Get together with your painting group, or complete the Creativity Workshop Activity on your own; then tell us about it. Send a JPEG image (with a resolution of 72 dpi) of your painting to wcamag@fwpubs.com. We’ll publish a selection of the entries on our website and choose a favorite. One winner will receive a $100 gift certificate from Jerry’s Artarama. The deadline for entry is October 20, 2008. To see more Creativity Workshop Activities and a gallery of reader responses, click here.

A show our Manhattan readers won’t want to miss is Romare Bearden: City Lights at DC Moore Gallery—and if they don’t see it by tomorrow, they will miss it (it closes Sept. 27). The artist is fresh in our minds as well; he was featured in our “Meet the Masters” column in the August issue of the magazine. Here’s what that gallery has to say about the exhibition:

Having just finished our December issue, which announces our 2008 Ones to Watch, we’re currently working on our February issue special report: the annual Society Winners Showcase. As the watercolor society exhibition catalogs roll in, I’m noticing a delightful trend: the reappearance of works by this year’s Ones to Watch! So who are these art stars? You’ll have to wait for the December issue, on sale Oct. 28.

Speaking of watercolor societies, three shows you might be interested in are currently on display:

National Watercolor Society 88th Annual Exhibition: through November 1 at the Riverside Art Museum (Riverside, California)
The Alaska Watercolor Society 34th Annual Juried Exhibition: through September 22 at the Stephan Fine Art Gallery (Anchorage, Alaska)
California Watercolor Association Member Fall Show: September 27 through December 30 at Gallery Concord (Concord, California)

(Pictured: Feeding Time (30x22), winner of the National Watercolor Society Purchase Award, with Silver Star, by Soon Y. Warren)

One nice way to ease out of your Labor Day weekend: Take in a few video, audio and music podcasts at the National Gallery of Art's fine website. The J.M.W Turner video, for example, is stellar. (It's narrated by Jeremey Irons!) Check out Alexander Nemerov on Edward Hopper too.

Sure, you’re online. But how much time do you waste finding useful sites for artists? We trolled the web—so you wouldn’t have to—and came up with 73 sites we found most useful. The results can be found in the October issue of the magazine, but you can also download the document by clicking here to have the document right on your desktop and, with the click of your mouse, go directly to the sites.

Obviously, you’ve found the Watercolor Artist blog, so there’s a start.