A lucky second chance! Our August watercolor workshop sold out, so we’ve added another one.
Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience, come spend a relaxed day exploring the joy of watercolor. You’ll learn practical techniques while having fun painting a variety of subjects — from skies and water to rocks, trees, and fruit.
We’ll explore both the foundations and the playful possibilities of watercolor, giving you the skills and confidence to continue painting on your own.
- Learn the basics of watercolor, including essential washes, brushwork, layering, and how to control water and pigment.
• Explore color theory and learn how to mix beautiful, varied colors.
• Learn the basic steps of an alla prima approach and simple layering techniques, and when each approach can be useful.
Space is limited.
Teaching Artist – JoElle Gragilla
Landscapes are my passion, with waves being the subject that continues to fascinate and mesmerize me. Working from life and en plein air is my preferred process—hearing and feeling are as important as seeing; it all gets channeled into the work.
I love to work in watercolor. It’s like having a conversation: you make a statement, and the medium responds—but not always in the way you expect. That’s both the attraction and the challenge. You are never alone when painting in watercolor; it’s alive and full of surprises.
As an artist, I can’t help but get excited about different media, and I’m a lifelong learner—happily addicted to discovery. I often find myself exploring new techniques and, when I come across something that excites me, I bring it into my classes.
I run my own studio in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand—South Coast Studio—where I teach drawing, life drawing, painting, watercolors, art history, and an ever-changing mix of crafty, clever specialties that spark my interest.
Born in Pennsylvania, I studied Fine Art and earned a Bachelor of Fine Art and a Teaching Qualification, with minors in Ceramics, Art History, and Psychology. I taught art for three years in the US and eleven years in London before emigrating to New Zealand in 2005, where I’ve also taught at The Learning Connexion, a private tertiary school.
