October 2026 Workshop
October In-Person Workshop
with David R. Smith
AWS, NWS, TWSA
3 Days: Oct. 16th, 17th, & 18th, 2026
9:30am - 4:00pm (CT)
Cost: $300
Location: Cook County Community Center. 317 W 5th St, Grand Marais, MN 55604
Reference photos, drawing guides, & outlines provided!
Autumn’s Wild Waters!
Paint the wild beauty of autumn in the North Woods!
There are few places more inspiring than northern Minnesota in the fall. Brilliant autumn color surrounds dramatic waterfalls, crashing waves along Lake Superior, pristine Boundary Waters, winding rivers, and quiet lakes reflecting the colors of the season.
This is the perfect setting to loosen up, get inspired, and paint the wild places we love!
In Autumn’s Wild Waters, we’ll capture the energy, atmosphere, and beauty of these spectacular landscapes while exploring expressive watercolor techniques that will help take your paintings to the next level.
We’ll learn how to:
- Create a cohesive painting by linking shapes and guiding the viewer through the composition.
- Use rich color and strong value contrast to create excitement and impact.
- Combine soft, lost, and hard edges to create depth, atmosphere, and visual interest.
- Choose the right consistency of paint for the effect you want.
- Recognize the different moisture stages of watercolor paper and know when each stage works to your advantage.
- Paint confidently on wet paper while maintaining control when it matters most.
- Capture the movement and energy of waterfalls, rivers, and lakes, with expressive watercolor techniques.
- Discover ways to simplify complex landscapes while keeping your paintings fresh, loose, and full of life.
We’ll pack each session with demonstrations, practical techniques, and plenty of painting time as we explore three exciting North Woods subjects.
My goal is not only to help you create beautiful paintings during the workshop, but to give you new tools, approaches, and confidence that will continue to inspire your watercolor journey long after we’ve finished painting together.
So bring your brushes, your enthusiasm, and your love of the wild!
Let’s paint autumn in the North Woods!
Participants will be provided with their own 5’ table, drawing guides to transfer from, reference photos,
a typed outline (so you can focus on instruction vs taking notes), and step-by-step instruction through all stages
of the paintings. Hope to see ya there!
Experience Level: Workshop is best for those with some watercolor experience. However, total beginners are welcome to join, it will just be a Ton of information and you may feel frustrated working with the fluidity of the medium. However, if you come with a Growth Mindset eager to learn, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. :)
Materials not provided. Material list provided.
Registration due by October 12th.
Cancelation policy: If you cancel 30 or more days prior to the workshop, your registration fee will be refunded
less $50 for a handling fee. If you cancel within 30 days of the workshop, a refund (minus $50) will be made IF
the workshop is full and your place is filled from a wait list. If we can not fill your place, your registration can
not be refunded.
Maximum participant limit: 27. Minimum: 6. If the minimum number of students has not been met, David
reserves the right to cancel the workshop and refund your money. You will be notified if there is a need to
cancel two weeks prior to the workshop date. David cannot be responsible for non-refundable airline tickets. I
encourage the use of trip insurance.
Questions: Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] or call me at 952-846-9448. Thank you, David.
I hope you'll join us for this fun and inspiring watercolor adventure on the north shore of Lake Superior!
*To reserve your spot, I must receive your registration by October 12th.
I recommend registering early so you can reserve your preferred accommodations nearby the workshop venue.
Grand Marais and the area (Lutsen, etc.) have many options: resorts, hotels, Airbnb’s, etc.
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Registration Options for October Workshop
(Due by October 12th)
Check: Send this Registration and Check ($300) to:
David R. Smith
40 County Road 44
Grand Marais, MN 55604
We prefer receiving payments via a sent check. However, if you prefer, below are a few Alternative Payment Options:
Paypal: Click on the below “Buy Now” button.
Venmo: David-Smith-5600 or click on the QR code:
- If you need my e-mail ([email protected]). The last 4-digits of my phone: 9448.
Zelle: just need my personal e-mail: [email protected] or click QR code:
*You should also e-mail the below information to [email protected].
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
E-mail: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Please clearly write e-mail.
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Material List
- Usual Supplies: palette, water container, masking tape and/or clips, towels, Kleenex, large spray bottle, mist spray bottle, hair dryer, pencil/eraser, etc. IF you have an iPad/tablet, it can be used to display reference photos.
- High Quality Paper. Have at least 4 quarter sheets (11x15). I’ll use 140# Cold Press Fabriano Artistico Bright White Paper. However, you could choose another brand, weight, and texture.. such as Arches, 300#, and it could be Rough… Your choice.
If you’re curious about the difference between Fabriano Artistico and Arches, Fabriano is more sensitive and the paint lifts easier and textures are created more easily… which can be nice or frustrating depending on whether they are desirable or not. Arches is more forgiving. E.g. one can more easily apply a wash of color on top of a previous color without lifting/disturbing the previous wash. *Note: IF you order Fabriano, make sure it states “Artistico” after the name, otherwise you may be ordering student grade paper.
- Highly recommend Craftsmart/MonaLisa Graphite Paper or Loew Cornell Gray Transfer Paper (can buy at Michaels art & craft store, JoAnn Fabric, or online) and a colored ball-point pen (red works well).
- Professional Brand Tube Paint: Your choice of colors, but have some form of the primaries: Yellow, Red, Blue, a dark such as Indigo, Neutral Tint, &/or Payne’s Gray, and White Gouache &/or Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White. *Below I underlined the colors I’ll use most often for this workshop:
On my palette: Winsor Lemon or Bismuth Vanadate Yellow (QoR), Cadmium Yellow, Quinacridone Gold, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Thalo Blue, Cobalt Teal (QoR), Alizarin Crimson, Winsor Red or Joe’s Red, Opera (Holbein), Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna, Lavender (Holbein), Dioxazine Purple (QoR), Indigo, Neutral Tint, Lunar Black (Daniel Smith), White Gouache, and a jar of Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleed Proof White.
- Brushes: I recommend brushes with a nice point. If you’re curious, I typically use a variety of Synthetic Brushes: Escoda Perla Round size 12 (I use 90% of time). Faux Squirrel 1827 Liner Aux. Reservoir size 12 (Dynasty). A 1” or 1.5” Flat Brush, and a large round or mop. There are many options such as the Princeton Aqua Elite Quill #6, and the Escoda Prado (size 16).
- Brushes for lifting/softening edges (optional, but handy): I have a #2 Artisan Short Flat/Bright long handled (Winsor & Newton). #4 & #16 Fritch Scrubber. Magic Eraser.
- Paint Boards (two come in handy): I use thick foam core, but your choice of material. The board dimensions should be larger than the sheet of paper, which will be 11”x15”.
- For part of the process, we will work at a slant. So, a table easel may come in handy or you may simply prop one end of your painting board up on a tissue box or something.
- Utility knife and an inexpensive rectangular Cellulose Cleaning Sponge (without the abrasive green scrubbing material) you can find at a grocery store.
Palette knife.
- Optional: White Pastel Pencil, Stencil Material (Translucent Stencil Film, Acetate, or Transparency Film).
- *IF you are a messy painter, bring a shower curtain, drop cloth, or tarp to protect the carpeted floor around your table.
