JOHN KEELING – Watercolor Immersion in Umbria
“I’m drawn to the transparency of watercolor. It’s elusive and unpredictable nature makes it both a challenge and a delight for me. With watercolor, I am able to capture the essence of my subject… the fragility of a flower or the devoted gaze of a beloved pet.
I am a painter, but I begin each piece by drawing, using pencil or ink, I learn to see each subject before I begin to paint. Once I have a likeness established through drawing, I am set free to paint with spontaneity and joy. When painting with watercolor, I seek out both lost and found edges. I intentionally balance controlled definition to help you see with blurred edges to let you enter. In this way, I invite you the viewer to join me… to bring something of yourself to the work… to touch the paper with your experience, your memories, your story.”
John’s award-winning work has been recognized throughout the United States and internationally. He is a signature member of the Watercolor Honor Society, with work featured in the permanent collection of the Italian International Museum of Fly Fishing in Castel di Sangro, Abruzzo, and in the City Hall of Kurashiki, Japan.
Originally from Salina, Kansas, John earned his BFA-Design from The University of Kansas in 1983. Since college, he has lived and worked in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to his freelance illustration and fine art work, he enjoys sharing his love of watercolor through teaching, both at home and abroad.
John has led sketchbook workshops in Sweden and Provence, and he finds that being immersed in the locale is unparalleled in providing inspiration. While studio time will not be neglected, the focus of his La Romita workshop will be on getting outside, exploring the towns, experiencing that beauty, and bringing it into your works.
John meets each student where they are and helps everyone move forward to reaching their full potential, and so his workshops are able to offer a bit to everyone regardless of their experience. Beginners often need to build their confidence with the medium; John will demonstrate a number of basic watercolor techniques to get you started, including washes, wet-on-wet, and dry brush. If you are more experienced, John can help you to explore the looser style at the edges of the medium. The techniques he teaches can help you give your paintings new life and more compelling results.
He will help you capture a sense of place, either in a plein air watercolor painting or in a travel sketchbook, using ink and watercolor together. Both provide an immersive experience that goes beyond what taking photos can do, and you will have a personal, lasting keepsake of the memories made while in Italy.
As La Romita School caters to multiple levels of instruction and various forms of the arts, prices will vary by session, season, instructor, and offerings.