Local artist Wes Waugh will host an art-based activity at the Middle Fork Greenway in
Blowing Rock, focusing on simplified value sketching. Participants can choose a subject
nearby and learn both techniques and the importance of relaxed, creative exploration.
Drawing from thirty years as a counselor and watercolor artist, Wes highlights that
creativity at any age or skill level fosters well-being and peace in a changing world.
Activity Schedule:
9:45-10:00am – Meet and greet in the parking area, walk a short distance to the group
gathering site.
10:00am-10:30am – Wes will deliver a comprehensive overview of the activity, outlining
materials required, potential subjects, fundamental techniques, and illustrative examples
from his personal sketchbook.
10:30-11:30am – Individual Sketching Activity / Participants select a subject nearby and
create a value sketch, optionally adding notes or reflections.
11:30am-12pm – Meet back at the group site to discuss, ask questions, and get advice
for creative goals.
What to Bring for Participants:
Small backpack
Water bottle
Insect repellent
An outdoor chair with a shoulder bag for comfortable sketching!
About the instructor
Wes Waugh is a watercolor landscape artist who has lived in North Carolina’s High Country for 38 years. Beginning his painting journey at age twelve, he has held seventeen solo exhibitions and worked as an instructor, consultant, presenter, and juror for various art organizations. Alongside his art career, Wes held a full-time teaching and administrative role at Appalachian State University until his retirement in 2019. His artistic influences include Eliot O’Hara and Edgar Whitney, whose design principles shape his teaching. Known for his atmospheric color-driven landscapes, Wes shares both techniques and creative processes with others. A feature article, "Watercolor, Wet-into-Wet Demystified," appeared in The New Palette #61 (April–June 2017) and best describes his approach to teaching this medium in a bold yet controlled manner.
With an academic background in counseling psychology and human development, Wes’s teaching of watercolor also relies upon the considerations of mindset; developinga unique personal relationship with the fluidity of the medium to discover originality. He often quotes the great teacher and author Edgar Whitney, who taught several of Wes’s own mentors and teachers: “Substances obeying their natural principles do beautiful things, and watercolor is trying to help you every step of the way!”
His lifelong passion for the outdoors shapes his work, drawing from years of backpacking, canoeing, and fishing. Travels to India, China, the U.S. west, and Canada also inspire new paintings, often resulting in solo exhibitions. For the past decade, Wes has equally become known as a regional conservation activist and leader, incorporating wilderness protection efforts and river clean-up/preservation alongside his artistic endeavors. Over six years he formed and was the Executive Director for ACleanWilsonCreek.org, a volunteer nonprofit that removed over 100,000 lbs (about 45359.2 kg) of trash and debris from Wilson Creek, a National Wild and Scenic River whose headwaters begin on the southeastern slope of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, visit http://Beartrailart.com.