Spend a day painting with watercolor artist Wyatt Waters in the heart of Olde Towne Clinton, Mississippi — the community Wyatt has painted, lived in and called home for much of his life.

Centered around the Olde Towne Depot and Wyatt Waters Gallery, this one-day plein air workshop offers participants the opportunity to paint among historic buildings, brick streets, storefronts, churches and the everyday activity of one of Mississippi’s most charming downtown districts.

The workshop is designed for watercolor painters of all experience levels. Wyatt will share his approach to seeing and simplifying a scene, establishing strong values, working with color and capturing the character of a place without becoming overwhelmed by detail.

The day will begin with a painting demonstration by Wyatt, where he will share his process, observations and decision-making as he works. Participants will then spend the remainder of the day painting, with Wyatt working individually with each person to offer guidance, feedback and instruction.

What to Expect

This one-day workshop combines demonstration, instruction and plenty of time to paint.

Wyatt’s teaching emphasizes learning how to see — identifying what is most important in a scene, understanding value relationships and making intentional choices before and during the painting process. Participants will also work on composition, drawing, color, light and developing the confidence to respond to what is happening in front of them.

Possible painting subjects in and around Olde Towne Clinton include:

• Historic buildings and storefronts

• The Olde Towne Depot and surrounding streets

• Churches and architectural details

• Brick streets, sidewalks and streetscapes

• Trees, porches and familiar Southern details

• People and everyday activity around town

Part of the experience is learning to adapt to the conditions that make plein air painting both challenging and rewarding — changing light, weather, movement and the unexpected.

Workshop Details

Dates: April 10, 2027
Time: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location: Olde Towne Clinton, Clinton, Mississippi
Workshop Fee: $185 per session
Class Size: Limited to 15 participants

The workshop fee includes:

• A full day of watercolor instruction with Wyatt Waters

• Morning painting demonstration

• Individual guidance throughout the painting session

• Group discussion and critique

• Lunch

Participants are responsible for their own watercolor supplies (See list below) and lodging, if needed.

The workshop is open to all experience levels. For someone with no previous drawing or watercolor experience but a strong desire to learn, Wyatt recommends reading Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. The book and its exercises can provide a helpful foundation before attending the workshop.

Additional meeting information, supply recommendations and workshop details will be provided to registered participants approximately two weeks prior to workshop.  Please do not hesitate to contact Kristi directly in the meantime (kristi@wyattwaters.com or 601.813.1080).

Painting Olde Towne Clinton

For Wyatt, Olde Towne Clinton is more than a painting location — it is home. Its familiar buildings, storefronts, streets and people have provided subjects for his paintings for decades.

That familiarity also makes it an ideal place to explore one of the central ideas behind Wyatt’s teaching: extraordinary paintings do not always require extraordinary subjects. Often, the challenge is simply learning to slow down, pay attention and see what is already there.

Come prepared to paint, experiment and spend a day learning to see Olde Towne through an artist’s eyes.

Workshop Supply List | This is a basic list of what Wyatt uses – BUT ANY BASIC MATERIALS WILL WORK! If you think you can substitute something, you're welcome to do so. If you're doing the workshop with a friend, you could easily share some of the items.

1.  Palette  a John Pike palette works best but Cheap Joe carries an inexpensive large plastic folding palette that is good.

2.  Watercolor paints  I use the American Journey brand but Van Gogh is an     inexpensive good student grade paint. Most tube brands will do well. If you have a warm and a cool color of each of the primary colors, and one color that represents each of the secondary colors (purple, orange and green), you will be fine.

Suggested colors: Sour Lemon, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red Medium, Permanent Red (or a quinacridone based red), a strong dioxazine-based purple or violet such as Royal Amethyst, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Sap Green, and Ivory Black (for watercolor drawing -  this one only comes in Van Gogh)

 Suggested Van Gogh student grade watercolor paints: Permanent Lemon Yellow, Azo Yellow Medium, Permanent Orange, Vermillion, Quinacridone  Blue Violet, Ultramarine Deep, Cerulean Blue, Phthalocyanine blue, Hookers Green Deep, Ivory Black

3.  Paintbrush I use a 38 round, Cheap Joe’s Golden Fleece Synthetic watercolor brush. A 14 round and above will also work. Synthetic watercolor brushes are much better than they used to be. 

4.  Paper towels (Job Squad or Viva work well) 

5.  #2 pencil 

6.  Eraser 

7.  Pocket knife (or other sharp tool…to be used for scraping)

8.  Water container (an empty plastic milk jug works well)

9.  Cellulose sponge (the cheap kind)

10.  Mirror  A plastic mirror, a hand mirror, or a small mirror (some hardware stores can cut a 5" x 7" plastic mirror which won't break)

11.  Piece of corrugated plastic (usually political yard signs or for sale signs are made of this)

12.  Masking Tape

13.  Low Stool or folding chair (or a folding tripod stool, ideally, if you have one)

14.  Paper Arches 140 lb rough bright white - approx 11x14 in size.