Plein Air Painting Workshop: Blue Ridge, Georgia

I just finished up a plein air painting workshop in beautiful Blue Ridge, Georgia.  It was sponsored by the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association, and for the two days of the workshop, we painted in and around Blue Ridge itself.  Blue Ridge is a quaint mountain town with a railroad depot, picturesque buildings, trees in full fall foliage, and lots more for the painter.  For the workshop, I had students coming from Birmingham, Alabama; Columbus, Georgia; and, of course, from northern Georgia.  I think they were all pleased to see that autumn was in full swing in Blue Ridge.

Two days doesn't sound like a lot of time to teach the principles of plein air painting, but we accomplished a lot!  I did a short lecture each morning to make sure the students got the most important information, followed this with an outdoor demonstration, and then gave the students time to paint under my eye.  (I've included a field shot of my oil demonstration here.)  We finished up each day with a "show and tell" of the work done.  Everyone remarked after the workshop what a great time they had and how much they had learned.

Fall foliage tree demo - 9x12 oil - SOLD

A special treat for me was seeing the current exhibitions the BRMAA is hosting in the historic courthouse it occupies.  Currently showing is the Southern Appalachian Artist Guild's annual national exhibition, plus a show by my friend, Marsha Hamby Savage, who paints in both oil and pastel and creates beautiful, moody landscapes.  Both shows will be up for some time, so I suggest you drop by.

I'm pleased to say that next year I will be jurying in work for the Southern Appalachian Artist Guild's 2013 national show, and I will also be the judge of awards.  To coincide with the judging, I will also be teaching a workshop in Blue Ridge for the BRMAA.  I'll have more details on all of this later.

As I write, we are finally west of the Mississippi and in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Next stop on our journey - Amarillo, Texas; Ramah, New Mexico; and finally, Sedona.  My next post will be from beautiful Red Rock Country!