Julie N. led the meeting with announcements.

Welcome guests and new members! 😁 👏

Update members about Ken and Glen. Chauncey wants to sell his furniture and painting so he can downsize, best way to contact him is snail mail.

Susan G. – pick a workshop instructor. Passed around a list of artists for us to vote.

Sandi – Julie stepping down so Sandi is stepping up to President!. Thank you and congratulations! However, Julie is staying around, yea!

Mary Ellen shows off our new CFWS mugs with logos, for sale for $10!

Volunteers who got cups for their work for our society: Stewart J., Cindy S., Diane D., Mary D., Roberta L., Marcela M., Debbie M., Susan G., Mike M., Ann W., Rene t., Terri C., Lois H., Mary Kathryn V., Susie M., Susie G.M., Mary Ellen C., Pam C., Chelsea C., Sandi B., David W.

Demonstration by Donna Morrison, who was Voted top 10 watercolor artists to watch! She is a representational painter. Roseate Spoonbill. She usually focuses on natural Florida, land, water, lifestyles, nature. (Her Daughter works for Fla Wildlife Corridor) Roseate Spoonbill – paint background in quickly, leave light around bird. Incorporate colors from the bird into the background. Whole picture comes together with colors. 

Start with a good photo.
She masked in the highlights, with Incredible White Mask, Liquid frisket. 
She uses lots of different paints and brushes.

She is using a Quill mop brush, it holds lots of water. The paper is Fabriano Artistico 300# cold press. Big wet wash stays flat on 300#. It’s a spongy paper and keeps things softer… It holds the paint where you want it, like a sunset. Kilimanjaro is the same thing but cheaper. Cheap Joes is liquidating so stock up. Arches holds hard edges.

She started with yellow ochre. Bring up the salmon colors in the bird with Opera (a fugitive color) which turns it into a salmon shade. 
She uses a lot of different greens, blues  and teal colors. 
The body of the bird-purple and reds painted in dry brush. 
Teal goes into the beak and head of the bird, mixed in with Cobalt and Ultramarine. Cobalt and Ultramarine in upper right, tail shadow, under beak.

The 300# paper really soaks up the paint … so be bold! Put in the shadows and then soften edges.

She is using a laptop so she can enlarge the details if she needs to. For instance, the eye detail. Need to keep transparency in the yes and highlights. 

Composition tip: She likes to paint the corners darker to push you up into the painting. 

Tip on painting grass: Start the grass with soft edges… don’t do all hard edges.

To frame the finished painting…. her framer presses out the buckles and uses 2-sided tape to adhere to the board. What a beautiful bird that we enjoy here in Florida!

Thank you Donna for a wonderful demonstration and here is a link to more of Donna Morrisons’ beautiful bird watercolor paintings:

https://www.donnamorrison.net/birds.html

See you all next month at our final meeting of the season!