“I signed up for Leslie’s watercolor classes reluctantly since I was sure this medium would be extremely difficult for me. It was, but Leslie’s teaching ability and her constant encouragement were both so great that I continued to attend classes through the entire winter and learned an amazing amount.”

~ HRT

“I took a class with Leslie at the Berkshire Botanical Garden this July. It was an amazing class. I learned more about color, gradations and composition in four weeks with Leslie than I ever knew before. It was a pleasure talking to Leslie and getting to know her. She is an amazing watercolorist sensitive to all that surrounds her. I do not know if I will ever look at a landscape in the same way again.”

~ CZ

“For the record, Leslie Watkins is an excellent teacher, a fine artist and a lovely human being. If you can possible schedule more workshops with her, I would register in a New York Minute.
She was able to work with students at a variety of levels, using their materials, sketches, ideas, etc. For me, it was bringing a great deal of information out of long term storage in my brain and applying it to a work in progress… I hadn’t painted in over 3 years. So do bring her back!”

~ PW

“… I’ve always struggled with details and… with painting from photographs. Somehow or other, Leslie managed to get through to me and for the first time since I’ve taken a workshop I went home feeling not only feeling happy with the piece I painted in the workshop, but, more importantly, with a new understanding of how to simply and freely capture light and color with a paintbrush rather than the camera.
Thank you, thank you!”

~ MO’C

“Recently I was lucky enough to attend a watercolor class taught by Leslie Watkins in the Ward’s Nursery tropical greenhouse. Leslie greeted us with serenity and beauty and urged us to prowl the aisles of the greenhouse looking for a beautiful plant to use for our studies. Four hours later, I realized that Leslie sees through different eyes than I but that she is willing to patiently convey to each of us how to overcome our hesitancy and experiment. What became clear is that Leslie is not only a magnificent artist herself, but she also listens and interacts with each of us individually to seek our own expression. I look forward to the next opportunity to learn from Leslie.”

~ MO’M

“Last June I began taking watercolor classes from Leslie Watkins, and from the first class I have been awakened to a whole new world. I find peace and tranquility as I put pencil to paper and paint to canvas, creating as I have never been accustomed to before in my seventieth decade. Thank you, Leslie, for this opportunity!”

~ FJCP

“I enjoyed Leslie’s workshop. Her knowledge, skill, energy and patience was passed on to each of us in the class. I particularly enjoyed seeing her sketch books and the little sepia thumbnail paintings that she creates in watercolor. Leslie encouraged us to paint in our own travel journeys and to sketch everyday. She took time to help us individually and wanted us to each go home with a painting that we would enjoy. A great workshop, recommended to all.”

~ CR

“Just wanted to report how much I enjoyed the seminar at Ward’s Nursery. Most appreciated was the basic beginning advice on how best to set up your work area and how to proceed on thumbnail sketches. Your demonstration was perfect in getting everyone going in the right direction. This launched the whole group with a positive outlook and confidence as they dove right in. Hints and in-depth advice on watercolor in general as well as individual critiques were right on target and extremely helpful. Passing on sage advice from past experience, outstanding teachers and observance added another whole volume of useful information. Anecdotes and remembrances were not only interesting and fun, but were part of the learning experience. I found it tremendously enriching and well worthwhile.”

~ KL