Painting workshops
‘Tidal Morning’ by Eric Wiegardt.
Eric Wiegardt’s online mentoring, Satur-
days at 8:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., remote
Watercolor Landscape Paint Along, April
13, 9 a.m. to noon, remote
Watercolor Floral Paint Along, May 4,
9 a.m. to noon, remote
DEPICTING THE REGION
IN BRIGHT COLORS AND
BOLD BRUSHSTROKES,
ERIC WIEGARDT’S
EXPRESSIONISTIC
WORK REFLECTS AN
EMBEDDED SENSE
OF PLACE, AN INNER
LANDSCAPE WHICH IS
SECOND NATURE.
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Depicting the region in bright colors
and bold brushstrokes, his expressionistic
work reflects an embedded sense of place,
an inner landscape which is second nature.
“Painting is independent of what we see in
reality, and we can use any subject as an
artist to express ourselves. We don’t have
to stick to the colors that we see,” he said.
Working from a landscape that many asso-
ciate with coastal fog and muted tones, Wie-
gardt often adds a touch of rose or cerulean,
an emotion on the canvas. “If I see some-
thing that gives me a lot of joy, and I want
to express that joy, I can use the colors to
express that,” he added.
One of Wiegardt’s greatest joys is paint-
ing outdoors. It is also one he shares with
students, some on the Long Beach Peninsula
and others in distant outposts. Teaching in
both acrylic and watercolor, he encourages
bold, loose painting techniques. “Most peo-
ple consider watercolors as a delicate, light
medium, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be
very aggressive, and a lot of it takes rich
color and bold brushwork, and I show them
how they can achieve those results,” he said.
Students come away from the workshops,
offered both outdoors and in, with a new
take on expressing what they see, on mixing
paints and working in a more free, expres-
sionistic style, even if it’s learned remotely.
“The subject matter varies widely, from
landscapes to florals to cityscapes to street
scenes, but a lot of the subject matter more
recently has been around here,” Wiegardt
said. The artist has begun to once again offer
workshops in-person, but will offer both
an ongoing mentorship program and “paint
along” sessions remotely in April.
He looks forward to a return of plein air
classes in the summer, hosting two desti-
nation workshops, one on San Juan Island,
Washington, in June and another on Ghost
Ranch in New Mexico in September.
A typical workshop day outdoors starts
with a demonstration. “Then I’ll cut them
loose,” Wiegardt said. “Let them paint for a
while, then we’ll come back together in the
afternoon for another demonstration or cri-
tique of their work,” he added.
In the meantime, the Ocean Park
artist will continue to paint in the
studio, collecting an impressive set of
exhibitions and shows over the past sea-
son. One of his favorite recent works is a
landscape from Willapa Bay, featured in
the Vintage Watercolorists of Washington
Art Show on Camano Island, Washington.
“It was a sunset just right after the open-
ing season of clam digging this last fall,”
he said.
Other recent shows have included the
Watercolor West International Juried Exhi-
bition, where he took home the Recipro-
cal Award for a painting of Beards Hollow,
and the California Watercolor Associ-
ation 52nd National Exhibition, where
he showed a Willapa Bay sunrise piece
titled “Moment of Brilliance.” Next year’s
lineup is already in the works, with an
exhibition scheduled in summer 2023 on
behalf of the National Watercolor Society.
The painting up for display is one from last
year’s unusual snow, one of those moments
that brings joy, and Wiegardt plans on
many more of those to come.