Pareidolia is the ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness, like seeing animals in clouds, the supposed face on Mars, or images in Rorschach inkblots. Using Pareidolia as an approach, this watercolor workshop will focus on techniques for painting from our subconscious. It’s relaxing and fun to paint without a pre-conceived notion of the finished work. You will never know what you will end up painting!
Leonardo da Vinci wrote of pareidolia as an approach for painters: “If you look at any walls spotted with various stains or with a mixture of different kinds of stones, [or] if you are about to invent some scene, you will be able to see in it a resemblance to various different landscapes adorned with mountains, rivers, rocks, trees, plains, wide valleys, and various groups of hills. You will also be able to see… strange expressions of faces, and outlandish costumes, and an infinite number of things which you can then reduce into separate and well-conceived forms.”
We will focus on additive and subtractive techniques for working in watercolor, gain experience with pigments, and learn how to pull a recognizable face or object from seemingly abstract brushstrokes.
All skill levels welcome. No prior experience required.