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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Dennis Shook... Shook Up MAG's Love For Watercolor

Dennis Shook with Demo Watercolor of Pot of Geraniums done vertically

Dennis Shook shared many of his secrets regarding color, brushes, paper, as well as, the frustrations of doing art... "don't let the bumps stop you."

He doesn't like cadmiums due to dullness. He prefers Rose Madder and Alizarin Crimson when it comes to red. He encourages experimentation when mixing colors. "Try tourquoise and orange together... cobalt violet with cobalt blue and rose madder... sap green with cobalt violet (nice fall green)... magnesium blue and new gamboge..." He raved about Daler-Rowney Trans Red Brown, Sennelier Sap Green and Grumbacher Cobalt Violet. Color is obviously an aspect of his art that he has tested and tried thoroughly.

As to brushes, his favorite are the hake brushes. "They're cheap too!" He also likes the heavier 300 lb. watercolor paper due to durability and you can skip the stretching step required for the lighter 140 lb.

Dennis had everyone psyched and ready to paint after his uplifting discussion. The provided palette consisted of phthalo green, sap green, alizarin crimson, poppy, new gamboge, ultra blue and burnt sienna for the simple yet lovely subject: a pot of geraniums. Most of the audience participated with palettes, paper and brushes provided by Nancy Kennedy. There were several who experienced watercolors for the first time swearing to continue with this medium. Exactly what MAG is all about. Thanks Dennis for a superior demo... and Nancy for arranging it all.

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