Some Upcoming 2020 Plein Air Painting Workshops

New Mexico...Maine...Arizona...What's Your Pleasure?

Now that we have moved into the calm between Christmas and New Year's Eve, we can take a little time to make plans for 2020. If you're thinking about taking a plein air painting workshop, I invite you to join me in one of the following. The groups are usually small, and I offer plenty of personal attention—as well as plenty of stunning scenery!  By the way, if you know a painter who'd like to take one of my workshops, I will happily create a gift certificate for you.

All-level, all-media workshops

Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona

Arizona, Sedona. April 7-10, 2020. Plein air painting workshop. All-level, all media.

Only two hours from the Phoenix airport, Sedona is famous not just for its "new age" atmosphere but also for its history as a location for many Hollywood Westerns and its breathtaking vistas. You'll enjoy red rock canyons and cliffs, juniper-studded valleys, graceful white sycamores and gnarled cottonwoods, all bordering the quiet waters of Oak Creek. Plus, because the workshop runs from 9-1, you'll have afternoons free to explore the area on your own or with friends and family—or, if you wish, to paint more. (You can get my little book on painting in Sedona here.) 

Each day starts with a critique of the previous day's work and a lecture on outdoor painting fundamentals. Next, we move to the field where I will show you my method for capturing the landscape quickly but without sacrificing mood or magic, after which you will paint as I go from easel to easel offering help. 

$300 tuition. Workshop runs 9-1, Tuesday-Friday. For full details: http://www.paintthesouthwest.com/sched_reg.html

Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine

Maine, Lubec. July 28-31 and August 4-7, 2020. Plein air painting workshop. All-level, all media.

Only 90 miles from Bar Harbor, Maine, Lubec (Maine) and Campobello Island (New Brunswick) are quiet, beautiful locations for the plein air painter. Think romantic lighthouses, cobblestone beaches, cliff overlooks, broad meadows, working harbours—and lobster! Lubec is a historic working waterfront with many opportunities for the painter. Adjacent Campobello Island is home to both the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park and the Herring Cove Provincial Park. Both locations provide lodging and dining to make sure your workshop week is an enjoyable one. Plus, because the workshop runs from 8-12, you'll have afternoons free to explore the area on your own or with friends and family—or, if you wish, to paint more.

Each day starts with a critique of the previous day's work and a lecture on outdoor painting fundamentals. Next, we move to the field where I will show you my method for capturing the landscape quickly but without sacrificing mood or magic, after which you will paint as I go from easel to easel offering help. 

$300 tuition. Workshop runs 8-12, Tuesday-Friday. For full details: http://pleinairpaintingmaine.com/sched.html

Painting retreat

Campobello Island, New Brunswick

Maine, Lubec. August 9-14, 2020. Painting retreat. Experienced painters.

I invite you to join us for a very special plein air painting retreat for experienced painters this summer. Unlike my usual workshops in Lubec, this retreat will be five luxurious days long, giving us plenty of outdoor painting time and the opportunity to make new friends. Our base camp will be the beautifully-restored West Quoddy Station, a historic US Coast Guard campus right on the water. (Read above for a paragraph on the beauty of the area.) 

Unlike my workshops, there will be no formal instruction. However, for this immersion experience, I'll give morning critiques, serve as location guide, offer to do demonstrations and, should you wish to go off on your own, give suggestions for painting spots. This is my third year running this retreat, and everyone says it is fantastic and not to be missed. 

$300 tuition. Retreat runs from Sunday afternoon through Friday afternoon. Download the brochure here http://www.mchesleyjohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/retreat_wqs_public_pix.pdf

Private Painting Intensive

Ramah Lake, New Mexico

Ramah, New Mexico. April and May, 2020. One-on-one custom program. Experienced painters.

If you're looking to take your painting to the next level, I invite you to join me at my studio in the beautiful high desert of New Mexico. Two hours from the Albuquerque airport in Ramah, the studio is surrounded by many painting possibilities: cottonwood-lined lakes, candy-striped cliffs, sage brush valleys and more. Just a short drive away are El Morro and El Malpais National Monuments, the Ice Caves, the Chain of Crater volcanoes (dormant, thankfully), and ancient black lava flows.

For this private study program, I'll consult with you to create a customized program. Although it varies by the participant, the program typically includes a mix of outdoor and studio work. We'll work side-by-side throughout the week, mostly in the mornings, and then for the afternoons, I'll give assignments to further your progress. By the way, we don't need to just work on painting technique; if you need career-building or mentoring, I will gladly help with that, too. 

I've been running this program for three years now, and participants report that the week has been very valuable to them.

$1400 gets you tuition, six nights' lodging and all meals. (If you would prefer to lodge elsewhere, I offer tuition only for $700 and can make suggestions for where to stay and eat.) Program runs from Sunday afternoon through Saturday morning. For full details and list of weeks available, visit http://paintthesouthwest.com/sched_int.html

Customized Workshops for Your Group

If you're part of a painting group or art association and get a few members interested, I'd be happy to schedule a customized workshop just for you, either at one of my locations or at yours.  The workshop could be all plein air, all studio, or a mixture of both; or all oil or all pastel.