Reception and book signing at Silvermine Sunday

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
Claire Watson Garcia: Painting for the Absolute and Utter Beginner
Dec. 13, 2009—Jan. 9, 2010
Artist Reception & Book Signing: Sun., Dec. 13, 3—5 p.m.

Press release

Silvermine School of Art faculty member Claire Watson Garcia will have a book signing at Silvermine Guild Arts Center Auditorium for her latest book, Painting for the Absolute and Utter Beginner. A portion of the proceeds from book sales will go to the Silvermine School of Art Scholarship Fund. All are welcome to attend the reception and book signing to be held on Sun., Dec. 13 from 3—5 p.m.

Based on the author's successful courses and workshops, Painting for the Absolute and Utter Beginner really does start at the beginning, helping new painters find "what works" while providing information on all the necessary tools, tips, and techniques needed to create a representational painting. A special feature is the artwork and commentary of real students, which helps beginners set realistic goals and shows them how other artists at the same level of experience have worked through inevitable setbacks to achieve success. The chapters follow a progressive sequence that teaches basic skills through practical, accessible exercises—how to handle a brush, achieve the right paint consistency, mix color, and create dimension—building a solid foundation that readers can rely on as painting projects grow more challenging.

A resident of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Claire Watson Garcia is not only a faculty member at Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, but she also was once a student herself at Silvermine when she was a teenager. An experience Ms. Garcia remembers vividly each time she steps into a studio to teach in the same room where she stood as a young artist. As an instructor at the School of Art, her specialized workshops and courses for adults have been popular for over 20 years. Her best-selling books, Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner and Painting for the Absolute and Utter Beginner (published in August 2009), are based on the courses and workshops she teaches geared toward the beginning artists. Educated at Smith College and University of California, Berkeley where she received a BA in Fine Arts, Claire is an award-winning artist and best-selling author whose work has been included in numerous national juried shows and many individual collections. Her lifelong love of art and animals has found its most recent expression in fine art animal portraiture. She has illustrated three children's' books featuring animals, two of which were also authored by her.

The artwork created by Claire Garcia specifically for the book will be on exhibit from Dec. 13 through Jan. 9, 2010, at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center Auditorium. About the works she included, Claire states:

I created paintings I hoped would educate, illustrate and perhaps inspire beginners to acquire fundamental painting skills and understanding. I looked for subjects that I enjoyed working with, so the resulting work had some spark to it.

Also on exhibit in the Auditorium will be art work by her students featured in the book, and there will be an exhibition in the Student Gallery featuring works by students from Claire's current painting class at the School of Art.