1607 19th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301 - (661) 869-2320
Traditional and Exploratory Watercolor with Norma Neil
"BAA debut show “Watercolor Challenge"
Traditional and exploratory watercolor with Norma Neil, Jeff Carney, Laura Mizrahi , Micki Schulz, Becky Stokes and Barbara Mattick will be Featured through the month of June.
In 2018 Norma Neil invited a few fellow artists , former art students and passionate beginners, to join a watercolor class for mutual support and inspiration . For Norma Neil, who holds a degree in art education, this was a chance to structure a watercolor class that embodied her vision of the best class structure for artistic growth. Every class featured a review of a basic watercolor painting concept along with exploring the wide spectrum of possibilities inherent to water media. All agreed the most helpful aspects are the mutual support and the critiques.
Neil explains, “Watercolor Challenge” was designed to lift both beginning and experienced artists above a YouTube tutorial or an art lecture.” Each class has time for sharing individual art work with a give and take that encourages growth of the artist. Art students often confess how painting is a therapy and a window to their soul, a sentiment echoed in Watercolor Challenge. In such an environmental deep attachment has grown for the class.
Watercolor, generally considered by artists to be a medium offering great beauty and a long learning curve , requires the control of the water while being able to react to the spontaneity inherent in the medium. Neil , who has worked in different mediums, maintains the fluid medium continually offers challenges and rewards to the artist and endless possibilities for artistic expression.
Watercolor Challenge, which had been meeting twice a month prior to Covid-19 bringing in-person classes to a halt, has stayed together with frequent emails, phone calls and one on one visits. The June BAA show is the first as a group though several members are experienced with previous group and solo shows.
Watercolor Challenge members come from different backgrounds, where they have shown leadership i.e. medicine, education, landscape design, and law enforcement plus being accomplished in other creative mediums i.e. creative writing, photography ,and music.
Besides the classes, the group has attended workshops and art retreats together and looks forward to more as COVID-19 loosens its grip on our world.
