Rachel Collins, Watercolor Artist

Beyond the Basics:

Growing Your Watercolor Vocabulary 

​Wednesday mornings 9:30 am - 12:30 pm (Fall term class is full)

Wednesday evenings 7:00 - 9:30 pm (A few spaces available)

9 classes - first class is September 24, 2025

This class will be taught in winter term at both times. Please see below.

Students with a solid grounding in watercolor fundamentals will expand their expressive potential through different approaches to the medium, honing their craft, developing a stronger sense of design and composition, and thereby gaining greater confidence in working with their paints, brushes and paper.  Classes will include exposure to work by a wide variety of contemporary watercolorists, instructor demonstration, and a lot of opportunity to paint and be inspired by the experience of everyone in the class! During the class term, students will have access to the variety of visual resources used in each class which they can review as needed. 

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Students will probably already own many of the supplies needed, so should bring them to the first class. A supply list is available here for anyone wanting to be sure to have at least a basic minimum. Students should plan to work on professional quality 100% cotton watercolor paper, preferably Arches or Saunders Waterford. If you have questions about any aspect of the class, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com. Both morning and evening classes will be taught in the winter term as well. 

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​December 2025 Workshop

Know Your Watercolor Palette

A 2-Day Workshop

Tuesday-Wednesday, December 2-3, 2025

10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day

The “color” part of “watercolor” offers both excitement and challenge to the painter in this transparent medium.  A series of paint-handling and color-mixing exercises will enable you to use the paints on your palette with more confidence and understanding of why pigments and color interact the way they do. The focus is on acquiring knowledge and skills that you will apply every time you paint, no matter what your style.  Some prior experience in watercolor will enable you to profit from this workshop.

 

Students will probably already have many of the supplies needed, but should contact Rachel Collins at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com for a complete list. 

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January 2026 Workshop

Jumpstart in Watercolor

A 2-Day Workshop

Saturday-Sunday, January 3-4, 2026

10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day

This “total immersion” in watercolor will give students a chance to explore some of the many possibilities of the medium.  It can serve as a basic introduction to watercolor, a refresher for someone who hasn’t painted for a while, and as a preparation and confidence-builder for students intending a longer-term study of the medium.  No previous experience in watercolor is assumed, although very basic drawing skills are helpful.  (This workshop will also be offered on September 19-20, 2026) 

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Students will need to acquire supplies for this workshop; a supply list can be found here. If you have questions about the workshop, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com. 

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2026  Winter Term Classes 

Watercolor for the Joy of It

Tuesday evenings, 7:00 - 9:30 pm

9 classes - first class is January 6, 2026

Brush in hand, paper and paint at the ready, you will begin an exploration of the techniques and tools of expression in this ever-surprising medium. This class starts with the basics of the interaction of water and pigment and uses this as the foundation for a variety of painting projects, which build from the simple to the more complex. We will cover techniques specific to watercolor, like wet-in-wet painting, using the white of the paper and taking advantage of the medium’s transparency, as well as some of the many aspects of making a successful painting, no matter what the medium. Total beginners are welcome to join, as are students who perhaps have had a class or two but don't yet feel well-grounded in the basics. In addition, people returning to the medium after a hiatus of months or years find that the careful structure of the class give them a solid review that gets them back up to speed.

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Class sessions will include demos and explanations, but painting by students is emphasized. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Painting outside class is encouraged, with recognition that sometimes this is not possible!   During the class term, students will have access to the variety of visual resources used in each class which they can review as needed.

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Students will need to acquire supplies for this class; a supply list can be found here. If you have questions about any aspect of the class, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com. This class will be taught in the winter and spring terms as well. 

 

Beyond the Basics:

Growing Your Watercolor Vocabulary 

​Wednesday mornings 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Wednesday evenings 7:00 - 9:30 pm

9 classes - first class is January 7, 2026

Students with a solid grounding in watercolor fundamentals will expand their expressive potential through different approaches to the medium, honing their craft, developing a stronger sense of design and composition, and thereby gaining greater confidence in working with their paints, brushes and paper.  Classes will include exposure to work by a wide variety of contemporary watercolorists, instructor demonstration, and a lot of opportunity to paint and be inspired by the experience of everyone in the class! During the class term, students will have access to the variety of visual resources used in each class which they can review as needed. 

​

Students will probably already own many of the supplies needed, so should bring them to the first class. A supply list is available here for anyone wanting to be sure to have at least a basic minimum. Students should plan to work on professional quality 100% cotton watercolor paper, preferably Arches or Saunders Waterford. If you have questions about any aspect of the class, please contact Rachel at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com. 

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​Intermediate/Advanced Workshops planned for 2026:

For further information about the workshops listed below, please contact Rachel  at rbcollinsart@yahoo.com or visit https://www.theartleague.org/classes/search/ 

 

Painting Shadows That Work

June 13-14, 2026

 

Intimate Landscapes 

August 29-30, 2026​​​​

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