The class of Oct 9-10, 2021 was comprised of long time students of watercolors. These are all the reviews I received and am blown away. It sets the bar high for satisfaction for the next one.

S. Butler-Graham, San Jose

Uma’s Juicy Watercolors workshop was intense! If you’re looking for an artist demo that you copy, this is not the workshop for you. If you’re looking to learn and practice skills that will help you create your own unique landscapes and urban scenes, to push yourself past the picky details and have the courage to make fresh, loose, audacious watercolor paintings, this is your jam!

As she said it would, this workshop definitely stretched me. The lessons and exercises were so helpful, and Uma is kind but challenges each individual student to go farther.
I was initially disappointed that I did not come away with a painting that I loved. But in the days since the workshop, I’m seeing the world in a different way, and am so inspired to create new paintings that I woke up at 5 o’clock in the morning to paint! And my paintings are juicier and fresher!
Thanks so much, Uma!
G. DeValue, California
Uma took time to look at our Instagram feed to view our work prior to the workshop which made me feel valued as an artist. Zoom classes can feel impersonal, but by taking the time to have everyone introduce themselves, I felt connected to the other participants. On the second day, the breakout rooms were powerful. We had worked together for a day and a half and when it came to working with peers, it felt like it would have felt in person. It was an important part of clarifying our individual ideas.

The work we did on making smooth and graduated values with such specific feedback allowed me to correctly paint smooth passages. The small group allowed us to listen to direct feedback to each of us as well as learning from comments made to other students in the class. There were many times Uma’s comments to another student was the comment I needed to correct my methods. The strength of the small class atmosphere worked for me.
Techniques were specifically modeled and described so we were all able to see what something should look like as we built our technical skills. Watching students who mastered a skill, Uma gave students options to try something more challenging. I love this kind of differentiation because it demonstrates the teacher’s concern for the student’s individual learning.
All of the exercises built skills we would need as we painted in the afternoon. Again, respecting us as individuals and artists, we reviewed the skills from the day’s instruction and how it would apply to the painting session during the second part of the

T. Anderson, Vermont

I wanted to write and say what a pleasure it was to take your workshop Juicy Watercolors. Your instruction in brush loading and water amount for value will in no doubt help me in my habit of overpainting by putting down the correct value in the correct wash stage… that’s if I keep practicing and step up my drawing game. Thanks again!

D. Klock, East Coast, US

Dear Uma ,     I am grateful , energized and ready to move forward on my art journey after attending Juicy Watercolors this past weekend . I appreciated your encouragement , critiques and patience ; I think we were all energized although tired from working at the end of our time together .  I learned so much about simplifying , shapes , edges , values and brush strokes . Your explanations and practices were clear and helpful in understanding the fundamental principles you taught. I have been painting in watercolor for a long time , this class filled in many gaps that I have struggled to learn . I think it will be a super boost forward in getting my impressions down on paper and in my sketchbook . I especially loved the last painting relying on memory , it was amazing to see how everyone’s painting was fresh, free and confident .      I wish you the best on your art journey and your future students are in for a treat.

C. Scheffer, Netherlands

Thank you for this wonderful class. I learned so much. I’m still tired but so happy I took the time for this class. I’ve started composition drawings before but you took it to another level. Going through it step by step was exactly what I needed. The eye opener was painting the second wash on a new sheet of paper. The other exercises were very technical. For me that was a great way to program my brain to use these techniques in the future. I struggled a bit with the lost and found edges. The assignment was clear. I don’t know where I went wrong. I really loved the last exercise. That was the only time I wasn’t thinking. That’s exactly where I want to be.

C. Menzer, Germany

I can highly recommend Uma‘s Juicy Watercolor class if you have been painting watercolors for a while and want to take that extra step to further your experience. Uma will push you to better understanding of tonal values and how to simplify complex scenes for better watercolors. Expect lots of exercises in small group of like minded people.

M. Meeker, SF

Thank you for an amazing weekend in watercolor. Uma gave me so many tools to add to my painting process. She pushed me to expand my skills and get out of my comfort zone in a way that I never felt overwhelmed. I could see such an improvement in my painting by the 2nd day. Uma made me want to practice the basics and showed how they would directly be used in my paintings. I highly suggest taking a workshop with the most awesome Uma

S. Manousos

I had the pleasure of a two day workshop with Uma Kelkar. Great workshop on painting loose and wet in watercolor with much personal attention. Many exceptional artists give workshops providing exciting demos, but they fail to convey the mechanics of their process to elevate their students abilities.  Uma’s teaching style actually breaks down process and offers a strategy based upon what each participant actually needs to learn. Small class size gives extra opportunities to learn from others work and collaborate on solutions in real time. Generous with her knowledge and intuitive with giving her students feedback.  I would highly recommend her workshops to anyone wanting to learn how to create fresh and lively watercolor.

L. Lee, Kansas

I thought the flow of the class was thoughtful and well-organized and there was no reason why anyone should have felt like an outsider, even me, the novice of the group. I enjoyed the exercises and it give me an understanding of new concepts of lost and found, etc. and I think my washes were really improved with your great brush, water, and bead tips. Saturday afternoon was a bit long with the individual value interpretations of the photos, but I still found it valuable and enjoyed it. I liked the breakout sessions in small groups, but would have liked to have had more thoughts from you about my final piece. But at that point, I didn’t want to extend the already long day. You have the right instincts for teaching and you are one of the few artists who can paint exquisitely and also break down your processes into understandable concepts for a novice, and as I found out, more experienced painters, as well. Kudos on that – a rare talent. I can’t wait to work with you again. Thank you so much for your kindness, honesty, and positivity.

Tom W, California

After several years of watercolor workshops from various teachers, I divide the instructors I’ve had into two basic categories:  The first does a demo with a bit of narrative, then gives the students the chance to try to paint along the same lines, and then some feedback (often leaving out the fine print about how it takes years–decades–to make marks the way the instructor does).  The second actually breaks down a process or group of techniques of interest into manageable bits and then gives the students time to practice those. That is, they actually teach.

Uma Kelkar actually teaches.  The Juicy Watercolors workshop stepped in a logical fashion from exercises on generating light-to-dark and light-to-dark-to-light washes to applying those principles to indicating where light falls on an object, then to how that applies to creating lost and found edges. It also took students through the process of doing a limited palette watercolor preceded by a quick pencil sketch to doing the same watercolor–in half the time–from memory, without drawing anything (and the second version was so much fresher!).  This two day workshop was packed full of useful information, and was really worthwhile.

J. Pitblado, Los Angeles

 Uma, thank you for a great class. Prior to this class I have had a deep dislike of zoom, whether taking or teaching.. Mid 1st day it dawned on me that I was enjoying the experience and [almost] felt I was in a room with you and the other artists. Your means of expression, clarity and grasp of material and how to transfer that knowledge to your students is remarkable. As someone who occasionally teaches virtually, I know that zoom classes can feel like trying to teach through a keyhole. You have made it feel extremely personal. Thank you.

I felt the class moved at a perfect speed for my abilities, each new project was clear with technical instruction before each. My only issue was that I didn’t have paper ready for our first assignments…. easily overcome.