Watercolor, Fluid Acrylic, & Mixed Media (Image Transfer & Collage) Instructor

CAROL DUCHAMP, BA, Otterbein College, Ohio, M.A., University of Strasbourg, France, has been leading outdoor painting classes in the U.S. and abroad for 20 years. Her teaching style encourages experimentation and self-discovery in a supportive environment that nourishes the intuitive power of self-expression. Her watercolor abstracts are rich in color, lushly saturated and sensual in form and have been described as 'cosmic, flowing and full of light." She has been showing her watercolors in and around the San Francisco Bay area for more than 10 years at Commonweal, the Bolinas Museum, JFKU Gallery, Wilmer Gallery and Caffé Trieste among other locations. You may view selections of her paintings on the Duchamp gallery page of this website. Carol currently teaches for College of Marin Community Ed, Art Trek and at her Studio on the Mesa in West Marin County, California. She has also taught for UCSC & UCLA Extensions, for Sun Valley Art Center and City College of San Francisco. Carol received special training in transformative arts from JFKU University in Berkeley, California.

Sample Water Media and Mixed Media Class Description
California, France, Italy, French Polynesia
Classes are ideal for beginners, teachers, therapists and artists working in any medium who are seeking a fresh start. Whether your work moves in a realistic or abstract direction, class methods for evoking self-expression through the transparent magic of watercolor will be appreciated. Using a full range of non-traditional watercolor, fluid acrylic and collage techniques, methods will encourage 'the inner artist' to see and create a personal visual language. Class demonstrations and discussion will include wetting the paper or canvas, color flooding and gradation, brushwork, compositional energy, edge tinting, atmospheric effects, textural elegance and the use of acrylic inks and mediums. We will also experiment with the beauty of accidents, color saturation, back-up puddles, spontaneity, rhythm, light and space. Practices will include painting on pre-soaked paper and into pre-moistened areas of the paper; painting on raw and primed canvas; collaging onto free form paintings; and developing a personal library of color swatches. Wet-into-wet techniques will be emphasized. From the moment we wet our paper to the final sweep of form and color, we will attempt to evoke the presence of each artist in his or her work, discovering the personal palette of colors and shapes unique to each of us. All levels of skill are welcome. Friends, spouses and family members of class participants are welcome to join the travel portion of all international trips.

"I take great pleasure in sharing my passion for water media painting, both watercolor and fluid acrylic, with my students. My inspiration is sometimes contagious and we jam like jazz musicians, singing our visual song as we explore our signature voices as painters. All styles and levels of skill are welcome in my classes, as our purpose is to enjoy the painting process, improve our skill and nourish our inner artist. I sometimes think of these fluid mediums as a beautiful marriage between chance and intention, between the spontaneity natural to the medium and the artist. We focus some of our attention on transparency, spontaneity, improvisation, iconography and visual balance, thus allowing for the poetic nature of the mediums to shine. Freedom of expression is encouraged so that each artist may discover and nurture their own voice. Please join me for the joy of art and travel." Carol Duchamp (December 2011)

Student Comments

"“Thank you for your great energy, your poetry, your Qi Gong, your creativity and your kindness!” Deirdre (College of Marin, Fall 2011)

“Hello Carol, Yet again I wish to thank you for the marvelous classes! My daughter called last night and we had a grand time talking about what I did under your tutelage. You are the most gentle of teachers and I loved the way you guided me. On the inside of my computer armoire doors (white) I have posted five pieces of art I have accomplished (practice pages, too) and I love having the feel of them around me. I have the 'real' painting in the living room, and the three little ones together on a table in my studio. I so appreciate having some skills now to use to enjoy myself. With deepest gratitude," Peggy (July 2009 Series of 4 classes Studio on the Mesa, West Marin County)

"Thank you for a fabulous painting trip to Huahine. Painting in such an exotic, remote place is truly a vacation that I can get used to. Traveling to Tuscany and then to French Polynesia with Art Trek is an upscale and inspiring experience. I would recommend Art Trek to any artist without hesitation. Thank you for the valuable instructions, memories, techniques and friendships." Susan (Tahiti & Huahine 2007)

"Thank you so much for the inspiring class! I enjoyed it. I have been painting a lot since Saturday." Rachel (Studio on the Mesa, West Marin County, California 2006)

"I enjoyed myself so much last Saturday. I was a little apprehensive about painting with others. But it was wonderful. You really have something special going, not the least of which is your ability to read your students and help support us as we find our own way. I will be in touch." Susan (Studio on the Mesa, West Marin County, California 2006)

"Carol, I totally LOVED your Watercolor for Self-Expression Art Trek! Thank you for a great experience." Therese (Napa Valley, California 2004)

"Just a note to thank you, Carol, for a wonderful workshop. Your guidance and ideas just helped me so much." Carol (Napa Valley, California 2004)

"Carol, the quality, vision and integrity you bring to your travel classes is inspirational. I guess what I mean is you always seem to want to do your best for everyone concerned. That is a rare but wonderful thing." Jacqueline (Southwestern France 2002)

“The instruction was great. I really learned how to paint watercolor!” Kimberly (Paris, Provence, France 2001)

"The instructor was superb - very open to students' questions and styles, yet with many ideas of her own."
Tom (Paris, Provence, France 2001)