Artist shares her simple methods

Facing a palette full of colorful globs, the students are tempted to immediately swipe their brushes in the paint and glide them across the blank canvas.

And although Linda Hugues teaches a painting course, on this day she is emphasizing nearly everything but painting.

"Don't you always want to plunge in and start painting?" she asks the class. "But then you pay for it later."

Hugues is teaching a new water-soluble oil painting class for adults at the Carrollwood Cultural Center. She uses paints that are more environmentally friendly that aren't made of harsh chemicals. That also means painters don't need ingredients such as turpentine to clean tools, making the paints great for travel.

"They are nice to use because you can transport them on a plane," Hugues said. "I recently took my paints and easel and did some painting when I visited Vermont."

The students start the class by learning the basic concepts and terms of painting. Then, they try to replicate a still picture. They start by creating a thumbnail sketch.

"You don't need this to be too big or too detailed," Hugues said. "We're focusing on composition and value and how the objects fit in the space. This shouldn't get complicated."

Then, the students sketch their drawings onto a canvas, again being asked not to get too detailed. Some students struggle with the simple approach of setting up the canvas.

"That's why I'm here, to break away from the details," said student Loise Richardson. "It's hard to break that because I was always taught to color inside the lines."

But Hugues reminds her students that this is an opportunity to work outside the box and try new techniques.

When the students finally begin the painting process, they are asked to focus on the textures of the paints and the vibrancy of their hues.

"Don't worry about the details," Hugues said. "That's not what this is about."

The class is open to all skill levels and students attend the class for various reasons. Some come to learn new techniques while others come to continue a passion for painting.

"For me, a painting is like putting puzzle pieces together and trying to figure out how they fit," said student Kathleen Hinley. "I've always worked like this. But it's great to learn new approaches."

Hugues' next session begins July 22. For information, visit www.carrollwoodcenter.org or call (813) 269-1310.