Today about a dozen of my students and I headed into Ballard to meet Catherine Gill and tour her studio. What a joy! A large space filled with natural daylight, art supplies, art work (some finished, some not), two presses, and shelves of art books!

Cathe is a well known and loved artist, teacher and author of one of the best art books I've studied: Powerful Watercolor Landscapes: 37 tools for painting with impact.

She welcomed us into her studio, told us about her art, the artistic neighborhood and her art process. Cathe autographed our books, let us snoop through her piles of supplies and paintings, and then demonstrated her process of working with watercolors and soft pastels, a process she has named oozing.

Cathe invited us to come up and give her oozing a try.

Cathe is also well known for her passion for painting on location, regardless of snow, heat, or long hikes.

Working on location has a real depth of experience that expands my skills and my mind. My outdoor studio ranges from the park near my house, to the industrial area of Seattle where my studio is located, to the Cascade Mountains, which are less than an hour drive from my home. It also extends to China, Montana, Portland, Oregon and Italy. But it could also be out the car window.

I enjoy working on location. I like what happens with the ideas that are generated when I am out there. New shapes and marks and ideas develop. I might start in the fall standing in front of a forest and painting orange trees, but wind up realizing it is a refuge, that the small animals are starting to hunker down to survive, and the painting then becomes about safe places in hard times. - Catherine Gill

There is something magical about artists sharing their space, their art, and their supplies with other artists. Thank you Cathe for an inspiring studio visit. It was a joy to spend the afternoon with you.