This Saturday, a beginner’s watercolor painting class will be held at the Latah County Fairgrounds. The instructor is Bobbi Kelly, a long-time teacher of art classes and watercolor workshops.

The class is sponsored by Palouse Watercolor Socius, which works to create opportunities for people to get their work out and participate in workshops and seminars. Kelly hosts her class once or twice a year, depending on the demand.

“Their other goal is to get out in the community and do things that make people aware of the arts in the area and the possibilities they might be interested in,” Kelly said.

At the start of the class, Kelly talks about the basics such as the types of brushes and paper used for painting with watercolors. From there they do some experimenting, like mixing colors, so nobody is nervous starting out, Kelly said.

“I have them take a look at simple objects and talk about light and shadow and making things look three-dimensional,” Kelly said.

Gail Cochran will take the class this weekend, having previously taken it two other times. She said she takes the class because one can always learn something new, and watercolor is difficult for her.

Cochran’s experience with watercolor came from her role as a second grade art teacher, but she mostly taught herself and played around with the medium without formal lessons.

One of the things the class focuses on is using watercolors in landscape paintings. The Palouse especially is an ideal setting for watercolor use for its picturesque rolling hills and vistas.

The class time is also used by Kelly to explain different gimmicks and techniques like paint splattering. The way watercolor paints work makes it difficult to use in comparison to acrylic or oil paints. One of the biggest differences is watercolors are transparent. If the paint goes on dark, it can’t be covered up with something light like with an acrylic-based paint, Kelly said. Instead of white paint, the space on the canvas is left blank.

“It’s really the only medium where you get the surface wet and then you can let colors fade into each other,” Kelly said.

Kelly said one of the tricks is to not freak out about what the colors are doing. Sometimes it’s better to let it go and see what happens.

Cochran said the way the water runs and blends the paints changes the color, and there are a lot of strategies to learn to get the colors to blend the way they need to. That’s one of the factors that make watercolors so difficult.

Cochran described the class as having a non-threatening environment and perfect for anybody just starting out. It’s a time to get help if needed, or to just work alone. The studio setting is quiet and allows for tuning in to one’s creativity.

“People can always come up with a new way of doing something,” Cochran said. “It’s the ultimate creativity.”

The watercolor class will be held this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Latah County Fairgrounds in the 4-H Exhibit Building.

Admission is $10, and seating is limited. Visit www.palousewatercolorsocius.com for registration, or visit http://business.moscowchamber.com/events/details/watercolor-workshop-for-beginners-9445 for more information.

Reporting by Catherine Kruse