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Learning to paint is a lifelong process, not a goal. Unrealistic expectations almost always lead to disappointment. Be prepared for gradual progress and let things proceed at their own comfortable speed.

I ask my students to focus their attention on why they are painting as much as what they are painting. Painting without passion or motivation is an empty exercise.

ONGOING CLASSES

I teach ongoing classes at The Smithsonian Institution
and Montgomery College Rockville Campus.

Read a review of my Smithsonian Watercolor Class.

Please contact these institutions for a schedule.

Smithsonian Institution

Montgomery College

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Available for Private Workshops

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David Daniels is the watercolor instructor for the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC, an instructor at Montgomery College in Maryland, and teaches workshops throughout the world. David’s former training as a botanist and biologist are always evident in his work and he enjoys showing the beauty of nature in new and refreshing ways. He firmly believes that here is no trite subject matter, only trite painting.

His interactive approach and humor are often recognized as his strongest teaching tools. The heart of the artist and the spirit of the medium are the two most important components of his teaching. Students are introduced to methods of using multiple glazes over wet into wet passages to achieve an unsurpassed brilliance as well as the use of masking agents to achieve a jewel-like batik effect.

The spontaneity of watercolor should not lead to weak painting because of a lack of planning. David will show how to carefully construct a watercolor using preliminary sketches on tracing paper that will eventually get transferred to the watercolor paper. Students will work with sketches, photographs and other source material. This process allows for stronger compositions and therefore stronger paintings. Planning does not destroy spontaneity, it allows for opportunity.