Watercolor

In Waldorf schools, the students paint with watercolor every week. In case you have never used watercolor (the stuff in the tins doesn’t count), it is one of the most difficult media I have tried. I took a class in college and learned some techniques which gave me a moderate amount of success. But that was 29 years ago!

So it’s good that I don’t need to remember those techniques to teach painting the Waldorf way. Now, it’s all about getting to know the colors. What is yellow’s personality? (Who knew you could paint a whole picture in yellow?)

Which colors like each other? How do the colors mix with each other to make new colors?

D uses only the primary colors. He paints stories like “Yellow and Blue met one day. When they recognized each other, they had a big hug.” These simple paintings are amazingly beautiful.

L and M are free to paint what they want on our painting days. Occasionally they choose a subject we are studying, but usually they just try out ideas. They use a variety of colors, and mix new colors too. They’ve done really well, but not without some frustration about how to control wet paint on a wet surface. We all continue to learn. :o)

I’m trying to experiment and rediscover some of those tricks I used to know about painting. But I’ve also gained a new appreciation for clear, beautiful colors. And if my paintings don’t turn out quite right, I can cut them up and use them for math manipulatives or for flash cards. [See Land of Numeria for an example!] Mostly, I’ve found that painting feels therapeutic for all of us, and we look forward to these days.