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At Water’s Edge: Landscape Watercolor Workshop MOLLY HASHIMOTO July 11–13 (Fri-Sun) Learning Center
“The Learning Center provides a landscape of astonishing beauty,” says Molly Hashimoto, our popular watercolor instructor. “On Diablo Lake where Pyramid and Colonial peaks tower overhead, we wet the paper and stroke in grays for the edgeless mists. The cloud cover gives way to blue sky, and we note how the glacial milky green of Diablo Lake breaks all the rules of water in landscape and is unrelated to any color in the sky. For that rare green hue, we mix opaque cerulean blue with phthalo green.” At the height of summer’s color, enjoy a leisurely weekend with one of the Northwest’s most talented artists and teachers. Learn to paint landscapes big and small, { 16 }
Ross Lake by Boat and Boot: People and Places of the Upper Skagit 1C/18 T $225, D $335, S $545
from glacier-scraped peaks and forested ridges to the lichen-spotted trunks of leaning alders. Each day, we’ll examine one or more of these natural elements and do careful studies of them. Techniques will include working wet-into-wet, creating glazes and layering one landscape zone onto another, paying special attention to atmospheric perspective. Basic knowledge of watercolor materials and drawing experience is helpful, though all skill levels are welcome. Molly Hashimoto has taught her craft at the Institute, North Seattle Community College, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and elsewhere for more than a decade: www.mollyhashimoto.com.
GERRY COOK AND BOB MIERENDORF July 17–20 (Thu eve–Sun) Learning Center/Ross Lake
1C/21 $ 225
Experience Ross Lake, a fjord-like jewel winding down the Skagit River some 25 miles from Canada into North Cascades National Park. With more than 60 years of National Park Service employment between them, Gerry Cook and Bob Mierendorf share a treasure trove of local knowledge and intimacy with the North Cascades. The generosity with which they hand down their stories will make this a backcountry adventure you’ll never forget. Friday morning, we’ll board the 30-foot Mule, an open-decked boat long helmed by Captain Cook. Camping at Lightning Creek at the foot of storied Desolation Peak, we’ll share meals, campfires and starry night skies unmarred by city lights. We’ll spend our days exploring fern-draped canyons and spirited waterfalls and take time for plant forays and a dip in the lake. Sunday will include an eight-mile hike over gentle terrain to witness the immense, centuries-old cedars along Big Beaver Creek.