"Like a researcher in his laboratory, I am the first spectator of the suggestions drawn from the materials. I unleash their expressive possibilities, even if I do not have a very clear idea of what I am going to do. As I go along with my work I formulate my thought, and from this struggle between what I want and the reality of the material - from this tension - is born an equilibrium." - Antoni Tapies
Watermedia Workshops
Arizona Artists Guild - January 3, 2026
Intuitive Abstraction
Arizona Artist Guild building, Phoenix, Arizona
Registration
Scottsdale Artists School - January 9 - 11, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
Scottsdale, Arizona
Registration
Northern Arizona Watercolor Society - February 17 - 19, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
Sedona, Arizona
Registration
Arizona Watercolor Association - March 14, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
Arizona Artists Guild Building, Phoenix, Arizona
Registration
Kanuga Watermedia Workshops - March 23 - 26, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
Montreat, North Carolina
Registration
Watercolor Society of Oregon - April 13 - 17, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
McMinnville, OR
Registration
Artensity - April 21 - 23, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Registration
Scottsdale Artists School - May 18 - 20, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
Scottsdale, Arizona
Registration
Franciscan Life Process Center - September 9 - 11, 2026
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
Lowell, MI
Registration
Scottsdale Artists School - September 28 - 30, 2026
Intuitive Acrylic and Collage
Scottsdale, Arizona
Registration
Scottsdale Artists School - December 1 - 4, 2026
The Art of Intuitive Painting
Scottsdale, Arizona
Registration
Franciscan Life Process Center Workshop September 9 - 11, 2026
The workshop in early September will be my ninth workshop at the Franciscan Life Process Center. The Center is one of my favorite places on the planet. They have a huge classroom with all the amenities a workshop instructor could possibly want.
I stay right there in the Community Center, located on a beautiful 250-acre property. Students stay there as well, and it is much more reasonable than a hotel room. There is a very comfortable patio and garden where I sit in the morning with my coffee and gaze out at the meadow, often seeing deer or wild turkeys (see the picture below). Rain or shine, it is always serene. Lowell is a short distance away, and there are some very good restaurants to choose from.
I am very sad to announce that the Franciscan Life Process Center will no longer be hosting workshops after this fall. If you want to experience a great workshop environment before it goes away, I suggest you sign up for one of the remaining workshops this year. There will not be any more after that.
The Center is not going under, only the workshops. I am not sure of all the reasons for this, but it is sad for me. I will never forget the art director, Kathy Bechtel, the wonderful staff, the nuns, and all the good times I have had there.
https://lifeprocesscenter.org/services/art-program/
Intuitive Sketching with Stan Kurth - a one hour demonstration video - $30
The Intuitive Painting Mindset
In this workshop, you'll become acquainted with the intuitive painting mindset. In her book Mindset, Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck proposes that human qualities are not fixed—they can be cultivated. People can grow and improve in any area, including sports, art, music, business, parenting, or relationships. This growth also applies to intellectual skills.
With this in mind, you'll begin to shift from a fixed mindset that separates traditional representational painting from abstraction. It is entirely possible to understand and incorporate both approaches in your work.
Using various mark-making tools, watercolor, and gouache, lessons will begin without reference or preconceived ideas. You’ll create paintings from arbitrary design elements and bring them to completion using principles of design. The goal is to develop a painting that aligns with your personal aesthetic—whether representational or nonobjective. The only criteria: no reference, and a willingness to let the process guide the outcome.
Intuitive Painting with Watercolor, Acrylic and Gesso
This workshop is designed to teach all levels of students to paint intuitively, starting without preconceived notions or outcome. There will be no preliminary planning or drawing. Process will dictate direction as students use a variety of techniques to implement elements and principles of design. Instruction will start with random mark making and color application, creating a library of design elements using a variety of mark making tools, watercolor, gesso and acrylic. There will be regular comments and evaluation of work in progress concerning relationships between elements and principles. It is entirely possible finished work may be representational, but the goal is work which is compositionally pleasing and aligned with the artist's personal aesthetic.
Intuitive Painting with Acrylic and Collage
Participants in this workshop will create mixed media/collage paintings using an intuitive process, starting with no preconceived notions or outcome. Process will dictate direction as students use a variety of techniques to implement elements and principles of design. Instruction will start with semi-arbitrary application of collage materials in combination with acrylic, gesso, acrylic mediums and assorted mark-making tools. There will be regular comments and evaluation of work in progress concerning relationships between elements and principles. It is entirely possible finished work may be representational, but the goal is work which is compositionally pleasing and aligned with the artist’s personal aesthetic. The workshop is open to students of all levels of experience.
Oregon Society of Artists Workshop
If you or your group are interested in a workshop in your area and would like more information about my workshops please inquire here.