Discover the beauty of painting landscapes that breathe with light, mood, and emotion. In this watercolor workshop, Keiko Tanabe guides artists on a journey from the foundation of structure to the expressive freedom of impression.
Through clear instruction and intuitive insight, Keiko will demonstrate how to simplify complex scenes, design with purpose, and infuse your paintings with atmosphere and feeling. During her live demonstrations, she provides a running commentary, offering an inside look at her thought process – how she interprets the subject, makes compositional decisions, and chooses colors and brushstrokes to express mood and intention.
Students will learn to balance control and spontaneity, creating paintings that are fresh, luminous, and deeply personal. With each session, you’ll gain the confidence to paint more freely and the understanding to turn everyday scenes into evocative works of art.
Learning Goals:
– Simplify landscapes into strong, readable shapes and values.
– Capture atmosphere and mood through color, light, and edges.
– Balance expressive brushwork with solid structure and design.
– Convey emotion and a sense of story through composition.
– Paint with confidence, freedom, and individuality.
Recommended Skill Level:
Ideal for intermediate to advanced watercolor artists who wish to deepen their impressionistic style and elevate both their technique and artistic voice.
About Keiko Tanabe
Keiko Tanabe, AWS, NWS, SDWS-MA, AIS is a mostly self-taught artist who began her professional career in 2005 and has since gained international recognition for her atmospheric watercolor paintings. Often working en plein air as a way to observe, explore, and respond directly to a place, she gathers visual and emotional impressions that later inform her studio work. With a distinctive use of color, texture, and expressive brushwork, her paintings bring landscapes, cityscapes, waterscapes, and interiors to life.
Her paintings have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in private and corporate collections worldwide. Her work has also been featured in major art magazines and publications across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is the author of several books and four instructional DVDs on watercolor.
While largely self-taught, Keiko’s artistic path has been shaped by sustained observation, experimentation, and a deep commitment to practice. Her plein air studies serve as a form of visual sketching – an essential starting point – while the studio allows her to distill, edit, and expand upon those experiences. Alongside her studio practice, she has shared her experience through workshops and demonstrations around the world, viewing teaching as a way to engage in dialogue, reflect on process, and support the growth of other artists.
Rates & Enrollment
Day Student Tuition: $1,340.00
Full 5-Day Package*: $3,098.28 (double occupancy pp) or $3,312.12 (single occupancy)
*5-Day Workshop Package includes: Tuition for 5 full class days, 6 nights of dinner, lodging, breakfast, daily cookie and fruit breaks, unlimited coffee and tea, and welcoming wine and cheese reception. Your choice between a room to yourself (single occupancy) or bring a friend and split a room (double occupancy).
Get more information about your options to enroll here.