Hello tree lovers!

I’m so happy to be your teacher for Wild Coast Trees. Here on wild and beautiful Vancouver Island, I’m surrounded by a coastal temperate rainforest. There are stunning cedars, sitka spruce, douglas firs and shore pines in the forests that meet the edges of the sea. Whether is a rainy day or the sunshine is sparkling off of the waves, I take pleasure in gazing at the windswept trees when I’m out walking or meditating at the beach. For me, trees represent strength, interconnectedness, resilience, and grace.

In this mixed media class, we will focus on the beautiful and unique characteristics of coastal trees. Working with the image of a tree, in different projects, using a variety of media, gives us the opportunity to play, iterate and evolve. You will learn how to create with watercolour, pearlescent colours, Neocolor II water-soluble pastels, technical pens, and collage on paper and wood panel in these lessons.

Join me for a creative adventure on the wild coast!

WARMUP LESSON : DISCOVER THE WILD COAST

Let’s capture the unique character and qualities of wild, west coast trees. In these drawing exercises, we will balance what we observe - from real life or reference imagery - with intuitive, playful expression. I will introduce you to a variety of my favourite technical pens, paint pens and pencils, teaching you how each drawing tool can be used to express trees with character and feeling. Working in our sketchbook, we will loosen up, explore and discover our mark-making style through tree imagery. We will also prepare the pages of an old book to use as a sketchbook for our ongoing drawing practice.