A relaxed, supportive introduction to botanical watercolor, where we slow down and really look at plants, flowers, leaves, and the colors and details that make them unique. Over three weeks, we’ll explore watercolor step by step through demonstrations, exercises, and individual support. We’ll learn how watercolor behaves, how to layer transparent colors, and how to observe what is actually there rather than painting from assumptions.

Week 1 — Getting to Know Watercolor

We begin with the basics and get comfortable with the medium. We’ll explore:

• How watercolor works
• Water-to-paint ratios
• Transparent vs. more saturated color
• Basic brush techniques
• How to mix and layer colors
• Creating light, shadow, and depth with watercolor

We’ll practice with simple botanical forms and begin looking closely at our subjects.

Week 2 — Looking Closely: Flowers & Plants

We’ll turn our attention to beautiful flowers and plants and learn to really see what is in front of us. We’ll explore:

• Building a painting through layers
• Creating dimension with light and shadow
• Simplifying without losing what makes the subject special
• Adding watercolor pencils

Short demonstrations will introduce each technique, followed by time to experiment and work on your own painting with support.

Week 3 — Focusing on One Flower or Object

We’ll embrace what we learned in the past two classes and use the remaining two hours to focus on an already-started watercolor or begin a new one—and, if possible, finish it.

Throughout the three weeks, you’ll have time to work at your own pace, ask questions, and receive individual guidance.

No experience necessary. Bring your own watercolor materials and come ready to look closely, experiment, and enjoy the process of painting nature.

About the Instructor:

Lea Bäcksteiner

Lea is a fine art painter, muralist and illustrator with a Masters in Fine Arts and Illustration from the New Art School in Basel, Switzerland. Her range of artistic media includes oil, gouache, watercolor, ink, digital painting and murals. In addition to her work as an artist, Lea has a deep passion for teaching all about the arts (Watercolors, Drawing, Pastel, Clay figures, Art theory, Art history). She also provides illustrations for
 books, magazines and printed matter. Her style has been described as being playful, whimsical, minimalist and well-proportioned. As an accomplished artist, Lea has exhibited in New York City, Basel & Zürich (Switzerland) and Boston.
 Originally from Switzerland, she now lives and works in the greater Boston area.

*Class Registration, Cancellation & Refund Policy

To provide the best experience while keeping our programs sustainable, most classes require a minimum number of participants. Maxima Hive reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a class if the minimum enrollment is not met.

If We Cancel a Class

If Maxima Hive cancels a class, registered participants may choose one of the following:

• A full refund of the original method of payment.
• Store credit for the full registration amount, which may be used toward any purchase at Maxima Gift Center, Maxima Book Center, or any future Maxima Hive class or event.

We encourage participants to choose store credit whenever possible, as credit card processing fees are incurred when payments are processed and again when refunds are issued. Selecting store credit helps us reduce these costs and continue offering quality community programming.

Participant Cancellations

If you cancel your registration before the class or event, an 8% cancellation/restocking fee will be deducted from your refund. This fee helps offset the non-refundable credit card processing and administrative costs associated with your registration.

Instead of a refund, you may choose to receive 100% of your registration fee as store credit, with no cancellation fee deducted. Store credit may be used toward merchandise at Maxima Gift Center or Maxima Book Center, or toward any future Maxima Hive class or event.

Class Rescheduling

If a class is rescheduled, your registration will automatically be transferred to the new date. If you are unable to attend the new date, you may choose either a full refund or store credit.

Thank you for supporting local, small-business programming. Your understanding allows us to continue offering meaningful classes, workshops, and events for our community.