Creative circlE

Learn new skills for a creative experience!

Upcoming sessions

6:30pm at St. Joseph’s Hall (downstairs) in Pepperell:

     These session are open to all adults of our collaborative. There is no cost, but we request that you bring your own materials. To sign up, please email kaitlyn.brokaw@gmail.com.


Materials lists (what to bring)

     For this workshop, we will focus on the prayerful and introspective act of abstract watercolor painting, both as a hobby and as a means of getting closer to God. The goal is not so much to worry about the outcome (re-creating fine details or painting an inspirational image) or about the supplies, but rather the process, experience, and prayerful activity of painting itself. That said, the supply list here is simple with materials of basic quality suited to the beginner. If you already have your own materials, please bring them! We will work with what you have. If you do not have any watercolor supplies of your own, here is what I recommend (to keep it simple, sweet, and easy): a basic set of “pan” watercolors like this allows you to have lots of colors pre-mixed so you can focus on painting. (It is also light and portable!) You can find sets like this at Michael’s or online on Amazon. Get one that “calls out” to you!

     Again, we are aiming at simplicity for this workshop. A few small brushes will do the trick. If you already have a few watercolor brushes (for working on paper sizes 5” × 7” to 8” × 10”), please bring them! If you don’t have your own yet, here are a few that I recommend (again, for working on small paintings). It’s good to have at least a small “angle” brush, a number 4 or 6 or 8 round brush (any one of these sizes is fine), a small “flat” brush for spreading a larger smooth area of color, and a number 1 or zero fine liner brush. The kit that I have recommended above has several choices in the group that all work well for working on small/simple paintings. You will also want to bring a pencil and eraser. You will need a plastic cup/container for water to clean your brushes with as well as some paper towels for dabbing the brushes and cleanup. You may also want to add a fine black ink pen to the mix, like this. (You can often buy these 0.50mm-size pens individually at Michael’s in the pen/marker area. I like the black or sepia brown colors myself. The smaller the number, the finer/thinner the line. You don’t have to have this though; some people like to add line work.)

     For paper, I recommend Strathmore Mixed Media paper. It takes pencil, ink, and watercolor very well. It is a great “all-purpose” fine art paper! A 6” × 8” size is nice for painting outside and bringing around. You could also get an 11” × 14” pad and cut the paper in half or make two small paintings on one piece. If you already have your own watercolor paper, please bring that. I plan to “work small” for this workshop (5” × 7” to 6” × 8” size), but whatever size you want is fine!

     Finally, the workshop is meant to introduce abstract watercolor painting as a prayerful and introspective activity (as a means of discovering God through beauty and the experience of peace). You may want to bring a few inspirational photos (either printed, or on your phone/tablet) to reference for colors. I will be looking at landscape photos and floral photos. You might bring a few images from nature that you love or find beautiful/inspirational or are drawn towards. Moreover, we are working in abstract art so we are not as concerned about reproducing a recognizable scene, but rather with capturing an essence, beauty, or “vibe.”


     Just bring a smartphone!


     Coming soon!