Yellowknife (Dec 08/06) - In recent weeks, the Yellowknife Watercolour Society has been stepping things up a notch.

Pat Thagard works on a watercolour piece during a Yellowknife Watercolour Society workshop at Northern United Place. - photo courtesy of Shawna Lampi-Legaree

Thanks to an NWT Arts Council grant, the year-old society ran an extensive watercolour workshop, taught by painter Thomas Love from Edmonton, for three days at Northern United Place.

"I Googled 'Alberta watercolourists' and two people came up," said society founder Shawna Lempi-Legaree of how she picked Love. "I e-mailed three and only he responded."

Fifteen aspiring Yellowknife artists got in on the act, creating works that reflected landscapes and still-life. These included Yellowknifers Pat Thagard, Brenda MacLeod and Leslie Singer (among others), as well as Karen Gelderman from Fort Simpson and Rosalie Gelderman, who travelled from Edmonton for the workshop.

"It was great," said Lampi-Legaree. "Nobody was stressed, (Love) was just really good."

She said she started the society in 2005 as a way to branch out from her main passion: quilting. She said the workshop was a great way to learn the basics of watercolouring, such as proper use of colour and a key discipline: the patience to let colours dry.

The mostly-novice watercolourists learned a lot and Lampi-Legaree said she's looking forward to future workshops.

"We're hoping to have another instructor up in May," she said. As well, the society will meet Jan. 15 at Northern United Place.