In this Newsletter

• Learn from the masters in 2013
• Nicholas Simmons in Barcelona
• News on Nicholas Simmons
• Things that keep us busy
• Get the taste! Watercolor composition
• Aquarellades 2013 in Mons, Belgium

Learn From The Masters in 2013

• Fábio Cembranelli: 24 – 31 May, Cadaqués
• Nicholas Simmons:  1 – 7 September, Barcelona
• Alvaro Castagnet:  15 – 21 September, Girona
• David Taylor: 14 – 20 October, Cadaqués

Nicholas Simmons in Barcelona, 1 – 7 Sept. 2013

Nicholas Simmons is joining us in a course in one of the greatest art-capitals of the whole world! Nick works large-scale and reveals how to turn the challenges unique to water media into textural advantages. He incorporates blooms, crawl-backs, bleeding and puddling, and demonstrates methods for integrating masked areas with wet-in-wet painting. He mixes watercolor with fluid acrylic, encourages the paper to buckle, and boldly wields a spray bottle to achieve textural effects.

Nick likes to use also creative photography for obtaining unconventional reference shots.His friendly easy-going personality will help you enjoy a relaxed good-humoured companionship with the other fellow artists and make the most of your own creativity.

In Barcelona city you can see the fascinating architecture of Gaudí. One of his famous and eccentric buildings is the Palau Güell; in front of this building you will find the Hotel Gaudí, a modern 3-star hotel offering every comfort only 100 meters from the Rambla.

The Hotel Gaudí offers elegant rooms in a modern style with an exclusive view of the Palau Güell and -in upper floors- of the port, Montjuic and the old city. This is our painting venue and also a possible place to stay a during this painting holiday. Other Gaudí buildings you will be able to visit are the Sagrada Família,  The Casa Batlló, La Pedrera and the Parc Güell. Click on this link to visit the course page!

View from Parc Güell by Gaudí to the sea, at the end of the Rambla.

 Course Specifics

– What?

5 days of tuition by master Nicholas Simmons in a painting venue in downtown Barcelona and a nice welcome and farewell dinner at authentic Catalan restaurants, with quality food and wine.

– When?

1 – 7 September 2013

– Painting venue:

Hotel Gaudí in Barcelona. It’s very close to the Ramblas and the Plaça Catalunya, the heart of Barcelona.

– Where to stay?

Hotel Gaudí reserved some rooms for us with a group discount for our course. Don’t wait too long to reserve them because there’s a limited number only!

There is, of course, a wide range of hotels for each and every taste. Try www.booking.com or www.airbnb.com for good and affordable hotels or apartments in downtown Barcelona!

– How to get there?

It’s very easy to get to the city centre from both the airport and the railway stations. There are shuttle buses (Airbus) coming and going from and to Plaça Catalunya every 5 minutes from Both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 of the Barcelona Airport. It takes 30 minutes and costst less than €6! Plaça Catalunya is only a ten- minutes walk to the Hotel Gaudí. You will also find affordable cabs everywhere you look, if you’re not fond of walking. From Plaça Catalunya it’s only a 5 minute drive to the hotel.

– Price: €990

News on Nicholas Simmons

Nicholas Simmons travelled to Shanghai last year for the second time to judge for the Shanghai Zhujiajiao Biennial and for the Opening of the Biennial last November. Many of the big names in watercolours joined him at one of the greatest watercolour-meetings in the world in which EPC-tutors were highly represented. Alvaro Castagnet was also part of the 2012 judges committee, while tutors who joined us in 2012 like Joseph Zbukvic and Charles Reid won international awards.

Nicholas Simmons at the Shanghai Zhujiajiao Biennial

Click to read an interview with Nicholas Simmons on Konstantin Sterkhov’s blog! 

Nicholas is an internationally well-recognized judge and an even better recognised (and award winning) painter. Take a look at this small excerpt of Nick’s Blog (and this is only 2012!!!):

                       “This year started off with a bang exhibiting here at Strathmore Mansion, and I’ll be showing new work in Shanghai, Narbonne (Fr), Estaimbourg (Bel), and more biennials with NAWA (first in Colombia). I return to China to judge the Shanghai Zhujiajiao International Watercolour Biennial again, the biggest and best watercolor exhibition in the world. I’ll be in Nanjing, China in October for the opening of the 3rd  Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary International Watermedia Masters. I’m also judging the San Diego Watercolor Society annual, a major international show; the Florida Watercolor Society annual, another major; and the Utah Watercolor Society and Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society annuals. Each of those includes a workshop, demos/lectures, and in the FWS convention, I’ll be playing a concert. In addition, I’m the senior judge again for the PTA Reflections program art competition, with 166,000 entries, the largest art contest in the country.”

Do you want to read some more about Nicholas’ latest activities and news? Click to visit his personal blog, it’s crazy!

Get The Taste!

If you really want to get a taste of Nicholas Simmons watermedia works, you should check out this video on Youtube! Just Click on the image to get there. It’s a composition called “Prime Meridian” with different close-ups from Nick’s work.What makes it extra-special is the fact he did not only make the paintings and composition, but even made and played the music himself! Well, that really is an artist in the true sense of the word, huh? We love this kind of multi-talent. We hope you enjoy it as well!

Photo Album of Nick in Barcelona With EPC

“Western Child”by Liu Yun Sheng Other Beautiful Things That Keep Us Busy… Angela was recently invited to join the International Watercolor Society Committee. It surely was a great honor to judge in such an international panel side-to-side with great professional artistst, teachers and lecturers, illustrators etc. from Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, USA, Russia, United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Iran, Colombia, Greece, Belgium, Uruguay, Sounth-Africa, Canada and Turkey.This kind of contests and meetings allow us to get to know the work of great artists from all over the world. What’s even more important to us is the creation of a network where people can learn from eachother, get inspired and create friendship through art. This is the thing EPC cares the most about, that is why EPC exists! Celebrating and creating art in an international environment: that means the world to us. Congratulations to Liu Yun Sheng from China who won a well-deserved first prize with this outstanding and amazingly detailed “Western Child”. Click to visit the International Watercolor Society Facebook page!

What they said   A challenging yet stimulating experience. A great workshop, an excellent teacher in a great location all by the courtesy and help of EPC. Thank you! I think I will be a much better painter from now on, it was life changing for me! If you like watercolours you will have loved this. Magnifico! I would reccomend EPC because I think you provide a learning environment that combines art with enjoyment. – Dave Betty (United Kingdom)

Click to read other testimonials on our website →

Aquarellades 2013 – Mons, Belgium 26 january – 10 february 2013 Mons will be hosting the second edition of the Aquarellades, where artist, art-buyers and other watercolour-related people and companies will meet.There will be held a big watercolour exhibition and free watercolor-demonstrations every day! There’s also a never-ending list of workshops by great artists, click to see the list! Among the persons and business present: – Fábio Cembranelli – Alvaro Castagnet – The Escoda brushes company – Windsor & Newton – Fabriano And of course… EPC Art Courses!  We hope to meet you there and provide you from any information needed!