Louise Smith
Louise Smith has a strong background in both the arts and sciences and can boast a BA in landscape architecture from the University of California at Berkeley as well as completed studies in graphic arts and scientific illustration at the California College of Arts and Crafts and the University of Washington. She has worked as a botanical artist for twenty years and her paintings have been published in numerous books and magazines, including The Herbfarm Cookbook, Fine Gardening magazine, Kitchen Garden magazine and Horticulture magazine and Wildlife Art magazine. Her artwork has also been exhibited in both museums and art galleries nationally and have been collected by institutions in the US and England. She is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.
Teaching Philosophy
Louise Smith teaches botanical watercolor painting. Her focus is on technique with a strong emphasis on the observation of plant anatomy as an aid in depicting form. In her program at the Academy, she begins with the depiction of fruits and vegetables, utilizing their simple geometry as an exercise to understand how light hits form. By class end, you progress to floral studies. Her program at the Academy is excellent for beginning watercolorists.
Smith teaches because she enjoys it and because it is a counterpoint to the solitary existence of her studio. Although many of her students have taken her classes "just for fun," they leave her program with an enriched awareness of their environment. Her teaching style is very informal. Most sessions begin with a critique of the last assignment, which is usually followed by a brief lecture and demonstration that is reinforced by excerpted handouts. She spends the entire class time rotating from student to student giving individual demonstrations and guidance. Students often learn as much from overhearing what she says to other students as from her more formal presentations. She also shares her excellent collection of botanical illustrated books as part of her classroom materials.
Teaching Philosophy
Louise Smith teaches botanical watercolor painting. Her focus is on technique with a strong emphasis on the observation of plant anatomy as an aid in depicting form. In her program at the Academy, she begins with the depiction of fruits and vegetables, utilizing their simple geometry as an exercise to understand how light hits form. By class end, you progress to floral studies. Her program at the Academy is excellent for beginning watercolorists.
Smith teaches because she enjoys it and because it is a counterpoint to the solitary existence of her studio. Although many of her students have taken her classes "just for fun," they leave her program with an enriched awareness of their environment. Her teaching style is very informal. Most sessions begin with a critique of the last assignment, which is usually followed by a brief lecture and demonstration that is reinforced by excerpted handouts. She spends the entire class time rotating from student to student giving individual demonstrations and guidance. Students often learn as much from overhearing what she says to other students as from her more formal presentations. She also shares her excellent collection of botanical illustrated books as part of her classroom materials.
