10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Th e fastest brush in the West shares her secrets
Macaulay’s quick-draw
technique allows anyone to
“journal” wherever they are
in the world
LONG BEACH, Wash. — She might
be the fastest brush in the West.
In the time it takes other plein air art-
ists to set up their easel and lay out their
paints, Kath Macaulay will have two new
scenes drying in her “journal.” Using only
the basic art supplies she can fi t into a
compact fanny pack, Macaulay will crank
out one stunning watercolor after another
— none taking more than 25 minutes.
Her workshop, Pocket Sketching for
Fun and Travel, is coming June 14-16 at
the Breakers in Long Beach, 210 26th
St. NW, sponsored by Wiegardt Gallery.
Phone Wiegardt Studio Gallery at 360-
665-5976, or go to info@ericwiegardt.com
for information and reservations.
Macaulay said the hours are 9:30 a.m.
to 4 p.m. each of three days. The tuition is
$225 per person. You can request a supply
list; however, supplies for each participant
will be available for $45 for the package.
Based in Tucson, Ariz., Macaulay’s
quick-draw technique allows anyone to
“journal” wherever they are in the world
using only a 4-by-6 art pad, a pen, a small
paint set, a brush and a fi lm canister of
water — all neatly stashed in her porta-
ble kit.
“Take it anywhere and you can whip
it out in a minute,” Macaulay said. “And
there’s no cleanup.”
Macaulay travels the country teaching
her technique. The workshops are attended
by both professional artists and those
who have had no experience since grade
school. The format is intensive and very
hands-on — almost like an art boot camp.
At a recent class in Whitefi sh, Mont.,
she required the class to paint their lunch
before eating, and every painting had to be
competed in 25 minutes or less.
“If you have more time, you’ll paint
every detail and you’ll hate it,” she
explained “You’ll ruin any energy the
painting has.”
She compared the technique to sketches
by renowned Western artist Charlie Rus-
sell.“They are fresh, it’s what you see
right now,” she said. “You don’t work it to
death.”“
In 20 minutes you know if the painting
is good or bad,” Macaulay said. “If it’s not
promising, it’s just delightful to say ‘I’m
outta here. I only spent 20
minutes out of my life.’”
Her technique was
born out of a trip to Gla-
cier National Park in
northwest Montana.
Macaulay had set up her
paints and easel and set
to work when a big rain-
storm moved in. She was
soaked by the time she
packed up her gear and
ran back to the car.
“There was paint
everywhere — even in
my hair.” she said. “With
this technique, if it rains
Kath Macaulay
or a grizzly bear shows
up, you just leave. It’s per-
fect for hiking.”
She’ll use her journals as a way to doc-
ument trips instead of using a camera.
“It’s a travel log,” she said. “If I see
something, I can quickly stop and paint.”
It’s also ideal for timid artists who want
to paint in public. An easel attracts atten-
tion, but pocket sketching
is done inside your per-
sonal space. “No one is
looking over your shoul-
der critiquing your work,”
she said.
Perhaps the biggest
benefi t is seeing the world
in a whole new light like
a little kid. It’s almost
like getting cataracts
removed: people com-
ment after the fi rst day,
“I see colors I’ve never
noticed before all around
me. My whole outlook
has changed in one day of
class!”
Macaulay was one of
the few artists invited to be on faculty at
the Plein Air Convention and Expo held
last April in San Diego. The photo of her
working, fully equipped, is in her newly
published book “Pocket Sketching, the
Portable Workshop.” Her motto is “Learn
enough to play for a lifetime.”
Santa Barbara by Kath Macaulay
Bouncing Kids by Kath Macaulay