Robert Masla, January 14 – 21, 2023

Painting Your Intention in Watercolor – with Casa Founder Robert Masla

Limited enrollment

Masla, Nocturne at Saranac Lake,
Rembrandt watercolor on 9"x12" Fredrix watercolor canvas

Join me, Artist, Instructor, Casa Founder/Director, Robert Masla for a very exclusive workshop where the focus is on you. Understanding, discovering, exploring your artistic intention and how to achieve it. Take your work to the next level. What is between you and achieving your goals as an artist. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned professional, we will explore together intention and how it effects every artistic choice from materials, subject, composition, values, execution of various techniques, etc. A week of deep exploration -And Fun! Painting in a very unique and supportive environment, I will offer you insights from over 40 years of professional painting and teaching experience.

Masla, Plein Air from the Casa Patio, watercolor,1/4 sheet cold press

Masla, At the Staircase, watercolor on 1/4 sheet cold press

This workshop in January will have a specific focus on watercolor. How to simplify the process for success. The process will be broken down into easy to follow stages of the painting process from preparation and composition to water and paint application, with various methods and techniques revealed. Come, explore, learn and have fun doing it!

Masla, Mist on the Farm
watercolor on 9"x12" Rembrandt cold press

Masla, Arrangement in Warm and Cool Grays, Plein air demo at   the P.V. Botanical Gardens, 
watercolor on 1/4 sheet Fabriano cold press
Masla, “Casa Blanca, Boca“
– Rembrandt watercolor on 1/2 sheet, (15″x22″), Gemini cold press

Read Masla’s article in PleinAir Today/OutDoor Painter:

Painting Waves and Waterfalls – With Intention and Improv

SEMINAR IS LIMITED ! REGISTER NOW TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE! BOOK YOUR FLIGHT EARLY

Robert Masla, January 14 – 21, 2023 You can reserve your place with a $500. credit card deposit, (no surcharge) or pay in full (surcharge applies). Please indicate which workshop you are signing up for

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Masla, Crashing Light,
watercolor demo in the Casa studio on 18″ x 24″ Fredrix watercolor canvas

Suggested Materials List:

Though this course focus is on watercolor, this is your workshop and your intention is what is important. You may choose which ever medium you wish to work in. I have been painting in watercolor, oil and acrylic for approximately 50 years and being fluid in all of them, am able to demo in any of them as well as give technical information – it’s all paint to me.

Colors: There is a limited amount of paint available for you to experiment with at the Casa. That said, bring with you your favorite colors and below is a suggestion of ones I like to have on my palette lately. Any brand of professional quality paint will do, I use Rembrandt, using sub-grade – student-grade materials, particularly with watercolor, will lead to frustration, there are only a few exceptions. If you have questions or wish advice, please contact me: (413) 335-4295 or email: bob@MaslaFineArt.com

I like to have at least a warm and cool of each primary color + black and white and grey and a few earth tones:

A Warm Yellow:
Cadmium Yellow Medium, or Hansa Yellow Medium
A Cool Yellow:
Cadmium Yellow Light, or Cad. Lemon or Hansa yellow Light

A Warm Red:
Cadmium Red (medium), or Napthol Red
A Cool Red:
Quinacridone Red and or Permanent Alizarin or Magenta or Quinacridone Magenta
I have also recently added the occasional use of Holbein Opera, nothing quite matches the brilliant color of the Bougainvilleas as this color. Though they claim it is permanent, (nothing really is), likely it is not, it is light refulgent, (will fade in the sunlight). It is a mixture of PR122 Quinacridone Magenta and BV10 Rhodamine B, a fluorescent dye.

The definition of warm and cool, particularly in relation to blues, is debatable, we will talk about this, but for the sake of argument here:
A Warm Blue: Ultramarine Blue (red shade) :PB 29
A Neutral Blue: Cobalt Blue :Make sure this is a pure Cobalt pigment :PB28, not a Hue (mixture often derived from Ultramarine (PB29)
A Cool Blue: Cyan Blue or other green blue, (Prussian or Thalo)

Black, I like Oxide Black (PBlk 11) for its granulating qualities.
White (watercolor whites are typically Zinc, (Chinese White or gouache) or Zinc/Titanium mix, (preferable).
Neutrals: Payne’s Grey, (cool), Neutral Grey, (warm
Convenience colors:
Earth Colors:Raw Sienna, Transparent Red Oxide or Burnt Siena, Yellow Ochre or Gold Ochre
Greens: these are often best mixed, but sometimes it is nice to have a jumping of point: Viridian or Thalo Green, (blueish), Sap Green (yellowish), Olive Green (reddish)

Paper: Sheets or blocks. In watercolor, having good quality paper (100% cotton as opposed to cellulose), is perhaps the most important factor. I often like to compare that using poor quality materials, particularly poor quality paper, with watercolor is like trying to run a marathon, uphill, with two badly sprained ankles – you are at a great disadvantage. I often like a cold press paper to take advantage of the texture. My papers of choice, Gemini, Fabriano, Saunders Waterford and occasionally Arches. Paper becomes a personal choice of feel Typically weight being 140lb, smaller than a 9″ x 12″ I’ll use 90lb., for a full sheet painting (22″ x 30), or larger, I’ll use 300lb.

I also use Fredrix watercolor canvas and will demo this and have some samples for anyone that wants to try it.

If you are using acrylic, oil or water mixable oil, you will want to coat your paper with 1 or 2 thin layers of acrylic gesso or use panels.

Brushes:Quality Brushes, again, even though you can paint with a stick and get remarkable results, having good quality brushes makes things a lot easier. Poor quality brushes like cheap paint and paper, don’t perform well. They will not hold enough water, retain their shape, (no spring), etc. and will only frustrate you): Natural hair brushes are the best for holding volume of water and pigment and retaining shape. Have at least 1 large natural hair brush, (#12 round or mop or 1/2 inch or larger flat). Kolinsky are the best, (but are very expensive), as well as sables, (not as but also very expensive), there are however some very high quality, less expensive synthetic blends, (Princeton Elite are very nice).There will be some brushes for you to experiment with at the Casa.

Large, 1.5” or 2” flat wash brush, in expensive Hake will work
1/2″ or 3/4” flat, #4 flat
#12 and # 8 Round
#2 or 4 rigger or script liner
Large (12 or larger) Flat, short hair stiff bristle brush, (known as a Bright), -type used for oil or acrylic painting, must be stiff
# 4 Flat, short hair stiff bristle brush, (known as a Bright), -type used for oil or acrylic painting, must be stiff

Acrylic and water mixable oil painter should use synthetic bristle brushes, not natural hair. I like the Aspen by Princeton.

Oil painters mixture of stiff hogs bristle to sables too synthetics.

Miscellaneous Materials Needed:
Large Palette for mixing colors with at least 10 or 12 wells for colors & large area for mixing colors
masking tape
sponge,
roll of good paper towels, (Viva is nice) and tissues and a plastic bag for garbage
Small Water Spray Bottles, (plant mister)
#2 pencil and kneadable eraser.
-Water container for plein air painting that holds enough water for 2 or 3 paintings.
Easel. I use the one made by EnPleinAirPro.com. I often stand when I paint, but if you like to sit that’s fine, there is usually a place to find a seat.
A hat and sunblock is a good idea, as well as bug spray.

Optional: Umbrella that attaches to your easel is optional, but be prepared for sun or rain.

Most everything should fit in a large backpack. It’s important to be mobile’ as we may be walking a few blocks every so often.

If you have questions or wish advice, please contact me:
(413) 335-4295 or email: bob@MaslaFineArt.com

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