Dr. Nanette guides Doyzkie Buenaviaje in an exploration of color and technique using the expressive medium of watercolor.
THE LAST time I held a brush and did watercolor painting was in grade school. That was, well, decades ago when bell-bottoms, miniskirts and clogs were in vogue.
One of the things we did in art class then was drawing objects in awkward lines and shapes before coloring them. It was fun but I was more inclined to crayons. In fact, even before adult coloring books were popularized, I bought wax crayons and children’s coloring books to ease away stress and beat boredom once in awhile.
Last March 17, I got acquainted with watercolor again, this time under different circumstances and with a different perspective.
It was the media launch of “Art Meets Tea” Watercolor Still Life Workshop of the Radisson Blu Cebu at the Dilmah t-bar. For a whole afternoon, while indulging in high tea, we learned the basics of watercolor painting, the play of light and shadow, mixing of colors to create new shades and such. The subjects of our art were objects on on the table, from teacups to the mouthwatering pastries to the beautifully arranged flowers.
Basically, it was an exercise to draw out the latent or innate creativity within us.
Dilmah’s signature Afternoon Tea
Learning how to paint, in between cups of Dilmah’s tea of the month Seasonal Flush, can indeed be calming. The creative streak kept flowing at a steady pace, and voila, we were actually creating works of art… well, sorta. With more confidence in holding a paintbrush and experimenting with different strokes, I got to appreciate watercolor painting more.
Conducting the watercolor workshop was the affable Dr. Nanette Nacorda-Catigbe, who shares her passion for art by holding workshops on calligraphy, watercolor, mixed media and polymer clay.
A doctor by profession, she also has a cake business, Mucchio di Bella Pastries and Art, which specializes in beautiful hand-painted cakes. Dr. Nanette’s cake art has been featured twice in Cake Central Magazine USA consecutively.
For “Art Meets Tea,” Dr. Nanette along with other local Cebuano artists will hold a series of watercolor and calligraphy workshops at the Radisson Blu’s Dilmah t-Bar. Mark your calendar:
March 19: Basic Watercolor with Weebong
April 2: Modern Calligraphy with Dr. Nanette Catigbe
April 17: Watercolor on Freeform Flowers with Dr. Nanette Catigbe
April 9: Brush Calligraphy with April Valencia-Carillo of First of April
April 23: Free Form Botanicals with Meream Pacayra of Bored & Crafty
May 7: Basic Pointed Pen Calligraphy with Dr. Nanette Catigbe
Registration to the workshop is at P2,000 net per person inclusive of art kit and high tea buffet.