White Flowers & the Art of the Starflower
Discover the quiet elegance and luminous strength of white flowers. In this watercolor workshop, we’ll explore how softness, light, and restraint can create breathtaking beauty. Learn how to develop depth through value, use subtle color shifts to shape petals, and let the white of your paper become part of the painting’s voice.
Date Dec. 6
Online workshop
There’s something timeless about white flowers—their quiet beauty, gentle light, and effortless grace. They invite us to slow down, look closer, and discover how simplicity can hold extraordinary power.
In this watercolor workshop, we’ll focus on painting a single starflower, breaking the reference photo down into simple, approachable shapes while exploring the delicate balance between softness and structure. You’ll learn how to develop depth and form through value, use negative painting to bring out the intricate details of the center, and work with transparent layers to make your whites glow.
Meeting time
- 12 PM - 4 PM / New York
- 11 AM - 3 PM / Chicago
- 10 AM - 2 PM / Denver
- 9 AM - 1 PM / San Francisco
Need help? Contact Sue
The Color of White
Together, we’ll explore how subtle color shifts and tonal contrasts can make your flower both delicate and dramatic. Through patient layering, confident brushwork, and a light touch, you’ll uncover the quiet strength and luminous elegance that make white flowers so captivating.
Who This is For
This course is designed for those with some watercolor experience—advanced beginners through advanced painters—who want to refine their control of value, explore the nuance of soft edges, and elevate their understanding of painting light itself.
Paint along with me or at your own pace with the recording.
Enjoy the process, and rediscover the beauty in simplicity.
In The Subtle Power of White Flowers, you’ll discover how to bring life and luminosity to a seemingly simple subject through thoughtful brushwork and value control. Together, we’ll walk step-by-step through each stage of painting your starflower, focusing on how to make soft, subtle choices that create powerful results.
You’ll learn how to:
- Simplify complex subjects by breaking the reference photo into basic shapes and gentle transitions.
- Understand and control values to create depth, form, and light without relying on strong color.
- Use negative painting to define the center of the flower and enhance fine details.
- Layer transparent washes to achieve a glowing effect while maintaining soft edges and a natural flow.
- Balance subtlety and drama by carefully adjusting tone, contrast, and edge quality.
- Trust the white of the paper as part of your design, allowing light and space to become your most powerful tools.
- Refine your brush handling for a lighter, more expressive touch that adds grace and confidence to your work.
By the end of this workshop, you’ll not only have a finished white starflower painting, but also a deeper understanding of how to express elegance and emotion through minimal color and maximum sensitivity.
About Birgit O'Connor
Status of the (NWWS) NorthWest Watercolor Society, (LWS) Lousiana Watercolor Society, (CWA) California Watercolor Society.
Top-selling books include “Watercolor in Motion,” “Paint Watercolor Flowers,” and “Watercolor Essentials.” she has also been published in over 60 other national and international publications, such as Splash, Watercolor Magazine, American Watercolor Magazine, International Artist Magazine, Australian Artist Magazine, the New York Times, SF Gate, Watercolor Magazine, Dobry Zank (Poland), and L’Art de aquarelle (France).
A featured instructor with many Art Centers and Watercolor Societies throughout the United States and Canada, and faculty member of Watercolor Live 2020, 2021, 2023. Additionally, her work has been juried into several national and international exhibitions. She has also served as a judge and juror for numerous shows, including the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. Her memberships include Cambridge Who’s Who, Who's Who in America, and Who’s Who in American Women.
