Stella Canfield from the USA shared her favorite watercolor tips and techniques:

Here’s a Q&A with Stella:

If you could only take three colors with you to paint on a deserted island, which three would you take?
Oh, such a difficult question! I love color and choosing only three is a challenge for me. Yet I love mixing colors and using a triad is a great discipline I enjoy. An important characteristic of the colors to consider would be transparency. At least two should be transparent, in order to produce clean mixes. I would also prefer single pigment colors for better mixing. Which three I would choose would also depend on the season. But if you say an island…then I hope it would be an exotic one. Here is the triad I would choose:  Aureolin, Quinacridone Gold and Phthalo Blue Green Shade. With these colors, I would be able to have a wonderful variety of cool and warm yellows and greens, plus a wonderful blue for the water of my exotic island. I’d better not stranded there for long though, as I will need my other 263 colors please. 

Describe a recent art show you attended that was particularly inspiring.
Every show or meeting of artists that I visit or participate in excites and inspires me, usually for different reasons. It might be some art piece, a certain artist, a conversation, or even just the energy floating around. I participated in many art events in recent years, mostly in Europe as I spent more than half of the year there. What stands out in my mind lately was the exhibit of John Singer Sargent in Spain. Seeing my favorite artist and seeing so much of his work in one place, much of which I had not seen before, made my head spin. I was mesmerized. Why? I just feel deeply. Do I need to know why Pavarotti’s voice makes me feel butterflies in my spine or why Italian music melts my knees, or why I paint what I paint? When my soul sings, I experience heaven – and I do not ask questions. 

 Where were the last few photos you took that might inspire you to paint?
I was driving to Placerville, CA to spend Christmas with my children. It was around 3:00pm and the sun was going down, giving a beautiful warm light. I took some photos from the car. The softly angular land with its golden color lit up by the warmth of the setting sun touched my soul. 

 What is the best piece of advice another artist has given you?
I was very fortunate to study with many outstanding artists – each one of them gave me wonderful advice that I will remember forever. We learn something from everyone and still do it every day. My Facebook feed is full of art and artists communications and every day there is something that resonates with me.  

I will never forget a letter that Robert Wade wrote to an artist with a question about how to make it as a professional artist. Robert’s answer was to become a painter (or an artist in any field) is not so much about choosing a profession as it is about following a way of life. One may have to be a business professional in order to work successfully and survive – but to be an artist, one must be a person first. Do not be afraid to make a bad painting, but never make a bad painting with the intention to make it salesworthy. Do not use your paintings; rather use yourself for your paintings. 

What are you excited about working on next?
My inspiration from the last few years came mostly from the beautiful home we had in Bulgaria, where we spent more than half of the year. Now that I am back permanently in northern California, I am excited to find out where my inspiration will take me. The golden hills, the beautiful Yuba River with its historic covered bridge, the exciting shapes and colors of the rocks, the clouds on a windy day, the glowing sunsets, the historic old mining towns of Grass Valley and Nevada City, the mountains, the turquoise in the water of Lake Tahoe, the reflected light on a snow scene…I do not need to look far. I have hundreds of exciting subjects just in my back yard. Looking forward to being able to paint full time without too many distractions.  

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Join us online each week via Zoom or Facebook for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with John Cogley (Daniel Smith Owner and CEO) along with guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays (2:00pm Pacific), John highlights various features of our products and answers your questions. On Fridays (10:30am Pacific), a guest artist shares a demo with their favorite tips and techniques. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

If you prefer, you can visit our Facebook page at showtime to watch live. Replays can be watched on Facebook or YouTube. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.