Nancy Teeling Baltins Teaches on Watercolor Painting classes on the Ukiah campus.

I have been an art instructor at Mendocino College since 1977. My formal training at Chico State University was in oil painting with watercolor used primarily as a sketching and planning medium. The more I worked in watercolor the more I began to appreciate the fluid possibilities of the medium. I continued studies with nationally known watercolorists such as Charles Reid, Nita Engle, George Fost and Tom Hill and now work almost exclusively in that medium.

I enjoy teaching and rely significantly on classroom demonstrations as a teaching tool. This allows a forum to explain tools and materials used, discuss alternative solutions or approaches and answer student questions. Although specific exercises are assigned to students, creativity and individual response to projects is encouraged. Instruction is individualized as much as possible due to the diversity of student skills and knowledge.

Inspiration for my paintings comes mainly from our beautiful rural surroundings but also from the watercolor techniques themselves. I enjoy the act of manipulating paint on paper and watching new colors form as the wet washes merge. A good drawing and planning ahead allow for controlled spontaneity. I'm interested in portraying the luminous play of light on objects in nature and its effect on color.

Mendocino College