Diane Reed Eiler This is Me

Education

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1. 1. Islander: Learning the fine art of watercolor

   www.naplesnews.com/02/01/marco - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/11/2002   Last Visited: 1/11/2002

   But Diane Reed Eiler moves way beyond what wannabes can glean from reading at the library or studying on the Internet.
   
   A self-proclaimed "working artist," Eiler has been painting for the past 25 years. And she sells out regularly. Not her artwork. Rather, she sells her art know-how.
   
   Lorna Harris, left, works on a watercolor painting while Diane Eiler, center, instructs Paula O'Donnell on some finer points of the workings of watercolors at Mackle Park on Monday.
   ...
   O'Donnell praised Eiler with a flood of compliments.
   ...
   "Diane makes it so easy. She's the absolute best teacher," she said. "I love painting, and I love her as my instructor. She's so wonderful."
   
   Jane McCarthy, 73, another aspiring artist, started her first watercolor class with Eiler this session.
   
   "She's terrific.
   ...
   Mangroves painted in watercolor by Diane Eiler who teaches watercolor painting at Mackle Park on Marco Island. Erik Kellar/Staff
   
   "And she always has a waiting list for the next session," he said.
   
   Joanne Kuettner, 75, who lives on Marco in the winter and Wisconsin during the warmer months, just started the first class of her second session this season.
   
   "Diane is head and shoulders above other art teachers," she said. "She shares her technique and her skills. More often than not, artists don't like to reveal their secrets. And sometimes they even admit they don't want to given them up."
   
   Painting as a hobby all her life, Kuettner said she "got back into it" after her children grew up and "left the nest."
   
   ...
   At the start of class, Eiler advised her students to familiarize themselves with their watercolor supplies.
   
   "Experiment with your brushes, trying both round and flat. They should be soft and made to hold water with sable, ox hair, squirrel or synthetic sable," she explained in the class introductory handouts.
   
   In their palettes, she recommended students place warm colors together and cool together.
   
   "Whatever combination you like is fine but arrange them the same each time so you learn your colors," she said.
   
   Eiler recommended her students buy quality paper and experiment with different kinds. Whereas cold press features a slight surface texture and is the most versatile, she explained, hot press paper offers a slick surface and has a lot of texture.
   
   "Try each when you have the chance," she said.
   
   Students have a choice of subjects, depending on their individual interests. Eiler also gives her students the option of painting from their own photos or still-lifes she provides.
   
   "In watercolor, negative painting means you paint a dark area to reveal a lighter one," Eiler said.
   
   She told Donna Simons:
   
   "Before it dries all the way, take a damp brush or tissue and soak up the excess. You'll discover some colors are more permanent than others. The more you do it, the more you'll learn."
   
   ...
   Eiler is appreciated for her patience as much as she is for her artistic talent.
   
   "I like to encourage my students," she said. "I believe anyone can improve with constructive criticism."
   
   A resident of the Isles of Capri since 1986, Eiler earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of Arizona. She instructs watercolor, oil and acrylic painting at the Art League of Marco Island and teaches children's art classes, too.
   
   Her Mackle Park classes meet Monday from noon to 2 p.m., Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each six-week session costs $60 per person.
   
   For more information or to register for Eiler's next session, call Mackle Park at 642-0575.
   
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