Watercolor Painting Workshop with Mycologist & Artist Denis Benjamin

420 Kemp Street,Austin TX 78741

05 March, 2022

Description

This half-day workshop is designed for those who would like to learn how to capture the beauty of mushrooms in watercolor! Tickets: Must be purchased at CentralTexasMycology.org/workshops. Date & Time: Saturday, March 5, 2022, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. CST Location: The Myco Research Station at Circle Acres Nature Preserve- More details about how to get to the venue will be emailed to ticket holders when the event nears. . About the Workshop: This half-day workshop taught by mycologist and artist Denis Benjamin is designed for those who would like to learn how to capture the beauty of mushrooms in watercolor. It is especially intended for beginners, but more experienced artists are also encouraged to attend this community paint-in. We will cover all the basics of watercolor painting, including papers, paints, basic techniques, lighting, staging your subject etc. All will paint at least one mushroom from live material during the class. Those who have paints and brushes are encouraged to bring them. We will provide paper, palettes, a limited selection of paints and brushes and other materials (pencils, erasers etc). Watercolor painting will give you new ways to view and observe mushrooms. Even those who claim that they can't draw a stick-figure will be surprised at what they can really do. About the Instructor: Denis Benjamin, born in South Africa, emigrated to the USA in 1970. He practiced pediatric pathology at the children’s hospital in Seattle and later at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth. He became a hiker and mushroom enthusiast, spending much of his leisure time on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Now retired from medical practice he devotes his energy to natural history and documenting his travels, flowers and mushrooms with photography and watercolors. The latter was inspired by a workshop with the noted Russian botanical artist (Alexander - Sasha - Viazmensky). The delicate transparency and vibrancy of watercolors proved to be the ideal medium to capture the images of nature. He has attended botanical illustration at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. He is author of Mushrooms: Poisons and Panaceas (1995, WH Freeman and Co. NY, NY) and Musings of a Mushroom Hunter: A Natural History of Foraging (2019 Tembe Press, Fort Worth, TX). He now lives in Fort Worth and is a Research Associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. He is a member of the Southwestern Watercolor Society (Dallas), the American Society of Botanical Artists and a Signature member of the Society of Watercolor Artists (Fort Worth). Juried shows include Society for Watercolor Artists, Trinity Arts Guild, Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, Southwestern Watercolor Society, Irving Arts Association, CampFire TX. More Details: Mushroom refreshments served and mushroom grow blocks for everyone that attends. This is a family friendly. Kids under 12 are free and must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are limited and are $45 for members and $55 for non-member. Sign-up for a membership to get discounts on workshops, walks, and mycology related events. . Tickets: Must be purchased at CentralTexasMycology.org/workshops. Date & Time: Saturday, March 5, 2022, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. CST. Location: The Myco Research Station at Circle Acres Nature Preserve- More details about how to get to the venue will be emailed to ticket holders when the event nears.