Really, an in-door plein air workshop????

Yesterday I received another a question about the scheduled workshops

Preparing for Plein Air  - see sidebar for details. 

'Why would you  teach plein air painting indoors in such a beautiful place?  '

The answer is simply because most will benefit far more from developing  the best system and habits before they try to tackle Mother Nature. And many artists with some experience in plein air painting can benefit from taking one step back in order to take two forward.


Many highly skilled studio painters are defeated by painting on location - its a different animal and you need to be prepared in order to handle it. 

I have had the good fortune to have taken workshops from some exceptional plein air painters. The best spent at least one or two days preparing students prior to trying to tackle on-location work.  In many of the workshops, students were  simply exposed  to the work of the instructor ( paint-like-me workshops). Sure, its fun to watch the best at work, but they had a long road getting to that level and if they don't take the students back to the starting point its time and money wasted.

The curator of the Campbell River Art Gallery read that I was taking this approach to teaching plein air painting. The Gallery  had organized plein air workshops in recent years and she said that many of the students reported that they were frustrated and challenged by the experience. She got it! I will be holding a workshop there in April. 

And while the plan is to develop skills and habits in-doors, if weather permits we will be taking sketch pads outside  to practice the most important steps in plein air - selection and simplification. 

There are a few spots remaining in the February workshop in Qualicum Bay and registrations have just begun in the Campbell River workshop in April.


See the sidebar for details. Hope to see you there.