Gail McDaniel To Teach Watercolor Painting Classes In Nashville

Gail McDaniel, an acclaimed watercolor artist/instructor who has been named an associate member of the Winsor & Newton Creative Artist Network in London, England, will teach a watercolor painting class this fall in downtown Nashville.

            A watercolor painting class will be offered to intermediate and advanced artists on selected Wednesdays at Plaza Artist Materials, 633 Middleton St., in downtown Nashville beginning Oct. 28.  The class will meet from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Oct. 28; Nov. 4, 11 and 18; Dec. 2 and 9; and Jan. 6 and 13.  Tuition is $165 for eight, three-and-a-half-hour sessions.

            Because space is limited for the classes, reservations are required.  Both check and credit card payments are accepted.  For more information or to register, contact the artist by phone at (615) 599-5115 or send an e-mail inquiry to gail@gailmcdanielart.com.  Internet explorers can learn more about the artist/instructor and view her artwork at http://www.gailmcdanielart.com.

            Workshops led by McDaniel in North America and the Provence Region of France have drawn students from 36 states (including Alaska and Hawaii), the District of Columbia, as well as Brazil, Canada and the Philippines. Later this year, she will teach workshops in Virginia, Kentucky and New Mexico.   

            "This is a wonderful opportunity for developing watercolorists," said McDaniel, a traditional watercolorist who is best known for her vibrant use of colors when depicting images from nature and real life. "I'll be demonstrating the techniques, shortcuts, and concepts that I have developed or learned by doing, reading or studying with others.  I show my students everything I know, holding nothing back.  My goal is to inspire them without making them feel overwhelmed."

            McDaniel has helped raise more than $65,000 for the arts in area public schools through the Students and Friends of Gail McDaniel Awards.  The fund-raising effort has earned McDaniel and her husband, Ken, a nomination in the "volunteer innovator" category of the 2009 Mary Catherine Strobel Award.  She has been invited to be the featured artist for the Martin's Master Show in Brentwood, Tenn., on Nov. 5-7.

            In 2005, McDaniel was commissioned to paint the invitation cover for A Little Night of Music, a PENCIL Foundation fund-raiser starring LeAnn Rimes.  A local newspaper recently spotlighted the artist after she created a poster commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce.

            McDaniel, who lives in Williamson County, gained international notoriety in 2001 when she was named an associate member of the Winsor & Newton Creative Artist Network in London, England, and invited by directors of the Art in Provence program to conduct an eight-day watercolor workshop in Dieulefit, France.            A native of Kentucky, she has studied under 30 noted watercolorists.  The artist’s reputation as a budding artist grew in 1984 when she was commissioned to paint a family landmark by Kentucky Governor Louie B. Nunn. The Brentwood Public Library hosted her first Tennessee solo art exhibition in 1994.  In 1996 and 1997, she was invited to design the theme poster for the Nashville Symphony’s Italian Street Fair.  In 1998, she was commissioned to paint 18 watercolor paintings for a permanent collection at the newly opened Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Franklin, Tenn.  A year later, she was commissioned to paint 13 pieces for the annual Nashville Scene N-Focus social calendar.

            In 2000, she became a member of the arts faculty of Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art in Nashville, teaching weekly art classes.  In 2001, she traveled to Giverny, France, and painted in Monet’s Garden. The same year, she was commissioned to paint a promotional streetscape of four homes for Newmark Homes and five other paintings for the Nashville Home Builders Association/SunTrust Bank 2001 Parade of Homes.

            An internationally respected artist and instructor, McDaniel teaches a number of watercolor painting classes and workshops in the United States, Canada, Central America and Europe.  Future teaching engagements include two watercolor painting classes at Brentwood United Methodist Church (Oct. 27, 2009 through Jan. 12, 2010); the Underapaint Acrylics with New Materials workshop from Oct. 24-25, 2009 in Nashville; and the Pouring Your Art Out in Watercolor workshop in La Grange, Ky. (Nov. 12-14, 2009).

Listed: Friday, October 9th, 2009