October 3–11 marks the International Balloon Fiesta! During this high-volume time, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum will be open for extended hours. Advance tickets are strongly recommended. Click here for more information.

Online Class: Fundamentals of Watercolor Washes & Brushwork Practice

  • Monday, October 30
  • 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM MT
  • Online

Space is limited, registration required. Please email contact@gokm.org or call 505-946-1000 for assistance with event registration.

Build a solid foundation to strengthen your watercolor practice through structured guidance! Using Georgia O’Keeffe’s watercolors as examples, Sudeshna Sengupta will explain and clarify the qualities unique to transparent watercolors. Through interactive demos and instructions, she will show participants how to create a variety of watercolor washes and gradients, as well as build the muscle memory needed for confident brush strokes, breaking down the steps to acquire and sharpen your watercolor skills.

Supplies needed for this class:

  • A set of watercolor paints (either tubes or half-pans).
  • Watercolor pad or block of Strathmore 400 series or any other brand in any size between 9” x 12” and 12” x 16”.
  • Masking tape if a watercolor pad is used instead of a watercolor block.
  • A pencil and an eraser.
  • Watercolor brushes (synthetic ‘Taklon’ brushes are fine): 3 to 5 Round brushes in the range of Size 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 1 Flat brush of at least 1” width.
  • Watercolor palette with multiple wells and a larger area to mix paints. A plastic palette works.
  • 2 to 3 empty glass jars or containers for holding water. Used yogurt containers or wide-mouth smaller glass jars work well.
  • Sheets of paper towel or tissues, or pieces of cotton rag for blotting and lifting areas of color washes. Cut up pieces from a clean, used t-shirt work great.
  • Optional: Q-tips for blotting and lifting excess water from washes.
  • Optional: Hair dryer if available.
  • Optional: A white wax crayon or a small piece of candle for optional resist techniques.


This class is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. Children are welcome to participate alongside their adults.

Space is limited, reservations required.

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registering and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance in order to access the program.

Note that all program times are in Mountain Time.

About the Instructor:
Sudeshna Sengupta’s career as a teaching artist spans multiple decades, continents, and cultures that inform her pedagogy for decolonizing studio art. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985 from Visva-Bharati, an international university founded in India, by the humanist poet Tagore, the first non-European Nobel Laureate (1913). After teaching art and design at college level in New Delhi, Seattle, and California, she taught at NMSU-Alamogordo, where she established its first intaglio printmaking studio in 1995. Since moving to Santa Fe a few years ago, she has been teaching credit courses in online studio art at the Santa Fe Community College. She also conducts workshops and short courses and presents lectures and community-based art events for various age groups with civic, cultural, and community organizations in the US and in India, often with a focus on multicultural and inter-cultural experiences that emphasize human, cultural, and environmental connectedness through creativity. To see her art please visit: https://notes-and-doodles.com

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.
$10; minimal fee.
$20; covers the cost of the class.
$30; covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs

Upcoming Events

A young child at a table covered in colorful rolls of tape. The photo is taken from behind as the child looks down at the rolls. In the background are a few adults and other children.

Event Community Events

Create with O'Keeffe: Make Your Own Puzzle!

MAIN LIBRARY | 145 WASHINGTON AVE, SANTA FE, NM, 87501

Thursday, September 24

3:30pm

Photograph of a small red bridge leading to a wooden slant-roofed pavilion. The bridge and landscape is covered in green trees as well as some trees with orange and red leaves. Thy sky above is a deep blue.

Event Classes

In-Person Class: Autumnal Nature Sketching at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Santa Fe Botanical Garden | 715 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Saturday, September 26

9:00am

A group of young dancers with colorful large skirts perform in front of a crowd outside.

Event Community Events

Abiquiú | Fall Youth Market

The O'Keeffe Welcome Center | 21120 US-84, Abiquiú, NM 87510

Saturday, September 26

10:00am