Post Office Box 4631
Walnut Creek, CA 94596  USA

CWA Workshops

CWA strives to provide our students some of the best workshops with the top professional artists of our time. Please join in the fun. We look forward to meeting you.

CWA conducts both In-Person and Virtual Workshops. Check the workshop listings to see the type of workshop that you are interested in.

Below is the address for the In-Person workshops.

Danville Ranch House
1895 Ridgeland Circle
Danville, CA 94526

  • When taking a CWA virtual workshop we will provide students with a limited-time link to view a recording of the workshop.
  • CWA will provide a link to a facebook page where students will be able to post their work for the artist and workshop participants to view. 
  • Discounts for CWA Members:  To receive the Member discount, you must log in, choose Workshops, then click the blue Sign Up Now button. If you are not a CWA member, you may click the Sign Up Now button at any time.
  • Sign up for more than one workshop at the same time and receive an automatic 10% discount off the total 
  • Waitlists: To get on our waiting list contact our registrar at registrar@californiawatercolor.org
  • Pay online: Pay through your PayPal account or Visa/Master Card (which will be accepted by PayPal)
  • Pay by check: Alternatively, you may print out the Registration Form, fill it out and mail it with your check to the name and address printed on the form.
  • Terms and Conditions and Cancellation Policy: Registering for a workshop means you are accepting our terms and conditions and cancellation policy.
  • For more information, contact your Workshop Team at registrar@californiawatercolor.org

2024 Registration Form

2024 Virtual Workshop Instructions

Search Current Workshops
 

Watercolor Workshops 2024

California Watercolor Association Workshop Series 2024

Michael Holter 2024 Virtual ZOOM Workshop

Michael Holter – Watercolor Impressionism, Landscapes and Cityscapes
April 23-25, 2024 (3 Days), 9 AM – 4 PM PST
*Recording of the entire workshop will be available for 30 days
All Skill Levels

ZoomMy work is impressionistic. I like to represent people or places and allow the painting to evolve from the structure of what is recognizable. The challenge is to balance the care needed to make the representation interesting… and perhaps believable, with the freedom, looseness and painterly quality that makes painting so unique and expressive.

Workshop Dates: April 23-25, 2024 (3 days),  Tursday  through Thursday, 9 AM - 4 PM PST

Recording Available: Yes

Skill Level:  All Levels

Registration Fees:  Non-Members $310, Members $250

Watercolor Workshop Supply List

Virtual Workshop Instructions

Contact Workshops Team





Michael Holter is an award-winning artist who works in watercolor and oil who's paintings can be found in private and corporate collections in the US and several foreign countries. Although Michael has been painting most of his life, his work experience spans a wide range of creative challenges. He has been an art teacher, creative director and businessman in both fine art and commercial art. Michael has owned and operated galleries and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education and an MA in Visual Communication.

Michael is a member of the Salmagundi Club, a signature member of The American Watercolor Society, The National Watercolor Society, The American Impressionist Society, The Watercolor Honor Society, The Transparent Watercolor Society of America, The Outdoor Painter Society, the Southwestern Watercolor Society, The Missouri Watercolor, The Society of Watercolor Artists and more.

Social Media Sites:

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/michael.holter/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/michaelholterfineart/

DateTime
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - Thursday, April 25, 2024
Full
9:00 AM-4:00 PM

WAIT LIST ONLY

Please click here to be added to the waitlist.


To receive the Member Price, please log in, choose Workshops, then click the blue Sign Up Now button above.  If you are not a CWA member, you may click the Sign Up Now button at any time.  

Alternatively, you may download and print out the Registration Form, fill it out and mail it with your check to the name and address printed on the form.


Carolyn Lord 2024 In Person Workshop

Carolyn Lord – Plein Air Watercolor at the EBRP Botanical Garden
May 17-19, 2024 (3 Days), 9 AM – 4 PM PST
All Skill Levels

The portability and vibrancy of watercolor makes it ideal for plein air painting! This three-day workshop will be held outdoors in Tilden Regional Park Botanic Garden in the hills east of Berkeley, CA.

Workshop Description: First day: how to organize the watercolor palette; pigment selection; color perspective; plein air painting equipment. Afternoon painting demonstration: selecting motif; equipment and set-up; discussion of drawing, composition, strategies, light and shadow. Second day: students paint and receive individual instruction throughout the day. Third day: students paint in the morning and continue to receive individual instruction. Afternoon painting demonstration. Each day: bring lunch, beverages, snacks, etc. because there are no easily accessible food establishments nearby.


 

Workshop Dates: May 17-19, 2024 (3 days),  Friday through Sunday, 9 AM - 4 PM PST

Recording Available: No

Skill Level:  All Levels

Registration Fees:  Non-Members $435, Members $375

Watercolor Workshop Supply List

Contact Workshops Team



Carolyn Lord was introduced to the bold color and strong design of the California Watercolor Style while in college, and now has integrated aspects of Tonalism and Impressionism into her current work.

Lord is a Signature member of the National Watercolor Society; California Watercolor Association, California Art Club; and American Women Artists. Her paintings are represented in California, Utah, and Colorado galleries, and she has exhibited in regional and national shows, and plein air events, including Crest Butte Plein Air Invitational, Frank Bette Plein Air Paint Out, Sonoma Plein Air, and Mendocino Open Paint Out.

In the greater San Francisco Bay Area, Lord has perennially exhibited in the Triton Museum’s Salon; Firehouse Art Center’s Freshworks; Santa Cruz Art League’s Statewide Landscape Exhibition, winning Best of Show in 2009, and served as Judge in 2021; California Watercolor Association’s annual National Exhibition, serving as Juror for the 54th National. 

Social Media Sites:    
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Carolyn-Lord-California-Artist/100046536255132/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolynlordca/?hl=en

Artist Web Site: https://www.carolynlord.com/
Artist Videos: https://www.carolynlord.com/video

 

DateTime
Friday, May 17, 2024 - Sunday, May 19, 2024
1 places available.
9:00 AM-4:00 PM

To receive the Member Price, please log in, choose Workshops, then click the blue Sign Up Now button above.  If you are not a CWA member, you may click the Sign Up Now button at any time.  

Alternatively, you may download and print out the Registration Form, fill it out and mail it with your check to the name and address printed on the form.


Bethanie Murguia 2024 In Person Workshop

Bethanie Murguia – Two Days of Play: Drawing and Painting with a Children’s Book Illustrator
September 28-29, 2024 (2 Days), 9 AM – 4 PM PST
All Skill Levels

We’ll explore the world of children’s book illustration by learning how words and images work together, creating characters, and focusing on conveying emotion with drawings and paintings. We’ll experiment with different tools for creating lines and pair those with paint. The workshop will culminate in students creating sequential art to tell a short story.

Workshop Dates: September 28-29, 2024 (2 days), Saturday and Sunday, 9 AM - 4 PM PST

Recording Available: No

Skill Level: All Levels

Registration Fees:  Non-Members $285, Members $225

Watercolor Workshop Supply List

Contact Workshops Team

Bethanie Murguia has created nearly twenty picture books, and she is currently working on graphic novels for Macmillan Books and Candlewick Press. She received her MFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York and worked as an art director for publishers, design firms, and marketing agencies before dedicating herself to children’s writing and illustration. Her illustrations use a variety of media, including pen and ink, watercolor, collage, and photoshop. Her books have received many accolades, including starred reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly, Junior Library Guild Gold Standard, IndieNext List, Amazon Best Books of the Year, and Bank Street College Best Books of the Year. Bethanie lives just north of the Golden Gate Bridge with her family and two forty-pound lap dogs. When she’s not creating stories, she’s most likely hiking, biking, or snuggling up with her dogs and a book. 

Social Media Sites:  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aquapupwritesanddraws/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethanieMurguiaAuthorIllustrator
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aquapup

Artist Web Site: https://www.aquapup.com

DateTime
Saturday, September 28, 2024 - Sunday, September 29, 2024
9 places available.
9:00 AM-6:00 AM

To receive the Member Price, please log in, choose Workshops, then click the blue Sign Up Now button above.  If you are not a CWA member, you may click the Sign Up Now button at any time.  

Alternatively, you may download and print out the Registration Form, fill it out and mail it with your check to the name and address printed on the form.


Dale Latinen 2024 In Person Workshop

Dale Laitinen – Shapeshifting the Western Landscape
October 20-23, 2024 (4 Days), 9 AM – 4 PM PST
Intermediate to Advanced

A painting rich with shapes, colors, and details, complete to the final brushstroke belies its beginnings in observation, sketching, composition, and ultimately washes of color that bring it to life. Painting, especially water-media requires an unending enthusiasm for experimentation and a hands on approach to the discipline.

Whether abstract or representational, to paint one needs to build on the fundamental building blocks of drawing, shape making, depicting light and shadow, and using color to evoke emotion. In this workshop we will do just that.

Through painting demos, slide presentations and individual instruction, we will discover strategies that will bring a poetic and inventive flavor to our works by searching out the underlying abstraction in nature.

Workshop Dates: October 20-23, 2024 (4 days), Sunday through Wednesday, 9 AM - 4 PM PST

Recording Available: No

Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Registration Fees:  Non-Members $460, Members $400

Watercolor Workshop Supply List

Contact Workshops Team

Dale Laitinen has been painting for over forty years with thirty five of those in watercolor. He is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, and Watercolor West. He is a graduate of Modesto Junior College and San Jose State University with a BA in Art with a painting concentration. He is a past juror of many National and regional exhibitions including Watercolor West, Kentucky Watercolor Society, Utah Watercolor Society, Watercolor Society of Oregon, Red River Watermedia Show, Magnum Opus and many others.

Laitinen’s work has been featured in several books including The Splash Series, Painting with the White of your Paper, The The Transparent Watercolor Wheel and more. An active workshop instructor, Dale has traveled widely in both the US and Abroad.  

Artist Web Site: http://dalelaitinen.com

DateTime
Sunday, October 20, 2024 - Wednesday, October 23, 2024
8 places available.
9:00 AM-4:00 PM

To receive the Member Price, please log in, choose Workshops, then click the blue Sign Up Now button above.  If you are not a CWA member, you may click the Sign Up Now button at any time.  

Alternatively, you may download and print out the Registration Form, fill it out and mail it with your check to the name and address printed on the form.