LAUGHLIN — Laughlin Library hosted the third class in its six-session series on watercolor painting last Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Instructor Tammy Flanagan ramped up the process by expanding the number of pictures produced by each student from one to two, to now four completely different scenes at one time over the first three classes. If that sounds crazy, it was. It was a total blast, and we learned a lot, too.

Tammy entitled this class “Fun with Miniatures.” We divided our standard 8.5- by 12-inch mats into four quarters with masking tape. The final result was four separate and unique postcard-sized paintings, each work simultaneously going from one to another so forth and back to the other. Keeping up with Tammy is following instructions as best you can with the speed of operation and not knowing the final result brings out the unconscious creativity of the students.

Instantaneous choice, especially of color selection, can be the trigger for ingeniousness. When I gaze at a spontaneous and illogical streak of red I added to a shoreline I say to myself, “That was my best stroke.” It made the picture come to life.

Tammy started the class naming and describing the levels of quality of the base medium, which is the mat or paper on which the paint is applied. Texture and material vary widely. The mats we used have a woven-style surface which allows the paint to absorb beautifully and permanently. The library has spoiled us by providing only the best art supplies.

Paint selection for this class was exquisite — exotic colors I’ve never seen or heard of. Phthalo blue, sap green and the richest red, which I didn’t want to slow down the class to ask to repeat the name of. Three different size brushes, sketching pencils, blotting towels. And here we go. Just try to follow Tammy from brush to brush choice, color to color, color mix, postcard to postcard, stroke to stroke, not knowing at all what was being produced. Quick question once in a while, otherwise focused silence. The class was absorbed.

We employed techniques we had learned in previous sessions — blotting for clouds and obfuscation, straight lines with the edge of the big brush and arm-steadying aide, tipping page to allow paint flow, edging (at this time we applied a dot of yellow just outside the vined flowers to accentuate the brilliant red). It wasn’t easy to keep up but that was OK — the mind and aesthetic sensibilities were in high gear.

I looked around after class at the work of my classmates and was astonished. One woman created the most gorgeous green forest — elaboratively realistic — you could breathe and smell its oxygen. Another made an intricate home-hearted clothesline scene. What a trip!

There were unexpectedly a couple vacant paint stations. I highly recommend checking the February library calendar for the next class. Don’t worry about not being able to catch up — you’ll surprise yourself, and the process is just as important as the product.

Credits: Tom Oxley