Following her own process as described in "Color Curious" Ana will take you through a playful session of mixing and matching to discover and create limited color palettes in combinations you may not have thought of before.  

We will spend the first half of the class going through the motions of discovering the color combinations and creating a mini library of color palettes to use in class and in the future.
In the process, Ana will guide you on how to obtain those hard-to-get, nuanced color mixes. We will also explore "Color as a Leitmotif:  using a favorite color to explore color interactions", and working with complimentary colors.

In the second part of the class, each person will pick one of their newly formed palettes and create a watercolor/gouache artwork.  Ana, an experienced watercolor/gouache artist, will share her tips and tricks for color-rich art on paper.

All skill levels welcome, and all materials provided

Originally from Mexico, Ana Bianchi is an artist, designer, illustrator, and twice published children book author/illustrator. 

With degrees in both graphic design and fine arts, her 35+ years of creative work spans across disciplines ranging from printmaking and ceramics, to illustration, surface design and children-wear to graphic design and branding for clients small and big, from local restaurants to major airlines.

Her lifelong love of color is what connects it all and helps her comfortably move from one discipline to another and from one technique to another. Her book "Color Curious" " (Chronicle Books) illustrates her ideas and inspiration around a variety of color themes combining essays with her photography, illustrations and more, and as you read her texts, you will discover her deep interest in art history, world cultures and the pursue of creative ideas through the common thread of color.

When not working in her Bay Area studio, Ana loves to cook and bake colorful things, tend to her garden -her other color studio- and spend time with her tiny family and dogs.

"Color Curious: Find Color Inspiration All Around You for Art, Design and Life" Chronicle Books 2025
This playful and highly visual book invites you to refresh your relationship to color by observing the world around you. Artist and designer Ana Bianchi takes you, chapter by chapter, through a variety of color themes, from monochromes to multicolor palettes, from the colors of white and black to the famous ”pop of color”, and how time and place can tint a color story. Along with food-for-thought notions in art history, art making and through interviews with contemporary artists and illustrators, you will find endless color inspiration in her beautiful still-life color photography of nature, and trinkets from around her house and their matching color palettes. On each chapter, hand-on projects -painting a still life, designing a toy, styling a gallery wall and more- will allow you to put in practice each of the color themes.

Sunday Sept. 28, 2025
1-4 pm
Class limit: 8

La Petite Ecole
717 Canyon Road Unit C
Santa Fe, NM 87501