Deep Looking: Painting Field Studies in Gouache

with Amy Sacksteder
May 16, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Tuition: $100
Materials Fee: $20

Explore the unfolding of spring on Ox-Bow’s campus through a series of observational gouache (opaque watercolor) paintings. Demonstrations will introduce techniques for working with gouache, including color mixing, layering, and accurately matching hues found in nature. The session will begin with a short demo, followed by guided sketching sessions around the meadow and surrounding landscape, emphasizing close observation and intuitive mark-making.

Plan to bring: sketchbook, pencil, and preferred gouache or watercolor supplies. Paper surfaces, brushes, and a small Beam Paints gouache set will be provided.

Location: Main Campus - 3435 Rupprecht Way, Saugatuck, MI 49453

headshot credit: Abby Rosenbaum, Ann Arbor

Amy Sacksteder (she/her) grew up primarily in the Midwest, including Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio, and moved to Chicago following receipt of her MFA at Northern Illinois University in 2004. She now resides in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where she is a professor at Eastern Michigan University. She has taught painting and drawing at Interlochen Arts Camp, attended workshops and the Michigan Artist Retreat at Ox-Bow, and exhibited at Ox-Bow House. Her early work bridged plein air and studio painting and drawing, gradually expanding to include media such as ceramics and stained glass. Her work can be found at Real Tinsel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and River House Arts, Toledo, Ohio, and is included in the permanent collections of Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Henry Ford Health, Detroit. She is a member of the Long Island City Studio Collective, New York, and Ypsi Alloy Studios, Ypsilanti.

Gouache. Photo by Sarah Nesbitt, Courtesy of artist.