2017 Landscape Painting Workshop Schedule

"Autumn's Turn" 24x36 oil/canvas. Available thru Goldenstein Gallery
928- 204-1765 :: www.goldensteinart.com :: info@goldensteinart.com

Michael Chesley Johnson
2017 Landscape Painting Workshop Schedule

I offer you my 2017 plein air painting workshop schedule. Thank you, and I hope to see you at a workshop this year! - Michael

January – April 2017: ARIZONA, Sedona.

Another season of Paint Sedona continues! No more than four students with customizable workshops. Price: USD $300. Package deal! 5 nights lodging at Gandolfo Studios + tuition for only $600! Details: www.PaintSedona.com

January 3-6, 2017; January 10-13, 2017; January 17-20, 2017; January 24-27, 2017; February 7-10, 2017; February 14-17, 2017; February 21-24, 2017; February 28-March 3, 2017; March 7-10, 2017; March 21-24, 2017; March 28-31, 2017; April 11-14, 2017

April 2-8, 2017: ARIZONA, Sedona.

Special Joint workshop with pastel artist Doug Tweddale. Unlike the Paint Sedona workshops, this will be six full intense days with two instructors to work with! Price: $475. Details: www.PaintSedona.com

April 22-29, 2017: UTAH, Zion National Park. FULL. Wait list.

May 5-6, 2017: OHIO, Columbus. FULL. Wait list.

May 9-10 , 2017: NEW YORK, Montgomery.

Two-day workshop hosted by Wallkill River School of Art. Price: $240 Contact: (845) 457-ARTS wallkillriverschool@gmail.com http://wallkillriverschool.com/

July 17-21, 2017: MAINE, Rockland.

Five-day workshop hosted by Coastal Maine Art Workshops in scenic and historic Rockland, Maine. Price: $650. Details: Coastal Maine Art Workshops, 207-594-4813, info@coastalmaineartworkshops.com

July-September, 2017: MAINE, Lubec.

Another summer of Plein Air Painting Maine continues! No more than four students with customizable workshops. Price: USD $300. Package deal! 5 nights lodging at Artists Retreat Studios & Galllery + tuition for only $800! Details: www.PleinAirPaintingMaine.com

July 4-7, 2017; July 11-14, 2017; July 24-28, 2017; August 1-4, 2017; August 8-11, 2017; August 15-18, 2017; August 22-25, 2017; August 29-September 1, 2017

September 2-9, 2017: NOVA SCOTIA, South Shore. FULL. Wait list.

September 23-24, 2017: VERMONT, Montpelier.

Two-day STUDIO workshop hosted by T.W. Wood Art Gallery. Price: TBA Contact: www.twwoodgallery.org, twwoodgallery@gmail.com or call 802-262-6035

September 29-30, 2017: INDIANA, Valparaiso.

Two-day workshop hosted by Art Barn. Michael returns to the 60-acre Art Barn! Pond, meadows, woods - all the painting will be done right there as there is no need to leave with such beauty. Price: $215. Contact: ArtBarnIN@AOL.com, 219-462-9009, www.artbarnin.com

October 6-7 , 2017: COLORADO, Durango.

Private Workshop.

A student writes: 

It was a pleasure to spend four days with you painting around Sedona. It was great to have your 'insider' perspective of the area and find new places to visit and paint. Your curriculum was ideal for those new or rusty at plein air painting, with comprehensive instruction and daily demonstrations. You were very generous with your time and individual attention to each of us. Thank you for a great workshop and I hope to return next year for another one.

Looking Back at 2016

Behind Sand Beach 6x8 oil

I thought I'd share a selection of my paintings from this past year for your enjoyment.  Some you might have missed, others you might have already seen, a few might be new to you.  Here's my offering.  Don't forget you can always see more at my website, www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com Happy holidays!

A Place to Stand 24x12 oil

Autumn's Turn 24x36 oil

 

Canyon Trails 12x24 oil

Condor's Realm 9x12 oil

Gatehouse 6x8 oil

Evening Clouds 6x8 oil

High Desert Juniper 12x18 pastel

Highlands Cottage 16x20 oil

Late Spring Snow 9x12 oil

Lifting Fog 12x16 oil

Lighthouse 8x10 oil

Days of Umber 9x12 oil (self-portrait)

Reaching Up 20x16 oil

Ready to Sail 12x9 oil

Red Butte 8x16 oil

Rocks & Foam 6x8 oil

Seawall Sunset 6x8 oil

Secret Mountain Wilderness 12x36

Out of the Shadows 9x12 oil

Sunday Brunch 16x8 oil

Surge 6x8 oil

Toward Otter Point 16x20 oil

Looking to Refresh Your Art Collection?

LOYALTY CREDIT PROGRAM

Trade In Your Old Painting - Get a Larger One!

I often run into collectors of both my work and others who wish they could "refresh" their collection. They may have some smaller work by an artist that they still love, but they'd like something a little bigger. Lately, I've been painting larger work, something I haven't done much of before. So, if you have some of my work and would like to trade it in for one of my larger pieces, read on!

• I will take back your current painting (including frame) and apply what it would cost today to a larger painting (it must be for a larger painting)
• You pay me the difference in price between the current painting and the new one
• You ship your current painting to me at your cost
• I ship the new painting to you at my cost

For example, let's say you have a 9x12 that in today's market would go for $700. The one you want is a 24x36 at $4200. You would pay me only $4200 - $700 or $3500 and ship me your 9x12 for replacement.

Interested? Then check out my larger pieces on my paintings page and let me know what you'd like.

Here are a few examples:

"Et in Arcadia Ego" 12x24 oil/panel #9981

"Highlands Cottage" 12x16 studio oil #2016071

Appearing in The Artist's Magazine, July/Sept 2017

Secret Mountain Wilderness 12x36 oil

Slide Rock Fault 16x20 oil

"Sunrise at Campobello " 12x24 studio oil #9940

Autumn's Turn (Red Rock Crossing, Crescent Moon) 24x36 oil

The Muse Takes a Holiday

4 a.m.  (digital painting via ArtRage) by Michael Chesley Johnson

It's the holiday season, but does your muse really need a holiday?  I like my muse working 24x7, but once in awhile, she does take a break, whether I give her permission or not.  That's not happening to me at the moment (thankfully!), but I thought I'd share with you a technique for getting her back to work again.

The main reason the muse packs her bags is because the ho-ho-ho has become a little ho-ho-hum.  By adding excitement to her day, she'll stick around.  I do this by trying something new and fun.  It should also be something easy.  If you have to work at trying something new, it's not fun.

Trying something new and fun that's also easy might be:

• Pulling out some of those tubes of colors you've never used and giving them a spin;
• Toning your surface a gaudy color if you usually tone with neutrals; 
• Painting a landscape in a 1:3 ratio if you typically settle for the same-old 9x12;
• Leaving your brushes behind and using just one small painting knife.

I'm sure you can think of lots of other new and fun but easy things to do.  Right now, for example, I've pulled out my tablet that has the ArtRage app installed on it.  Because I like to get my fingers messy with paint and pastel, I tend to forget it's there, but now I'm using it to paint nocturnes from memory.  It's too cold (and dark) to paint outdoors at night right now, so I go out for a few minutes, observe the scene carefully, and then return to my tablet to paint it.  I've also tried a few of these in oil in the studio.  My muse seems to be sticking around for these experiments.

If you have a favorite way of getting the muse back to work, I'd love to hear from you.

You won't hear from me again until after Christmas, so Merry Christmas!  If you're still looking for a gift for yourself or another painter, please don't forget my $50-Bring-a-Friend deal, as described in a recent blog post.  The deal is still good through Saturday.

Also, my "Michael Chesley Johnson Plein Air Set" - a 50-piece set of stunning but very useful colors for the landscape from Pastels Girault - is available now with $10 discount plus free shipping! Order from the US distributor, Pastel Etc.: Michele Aplin, michele@giraultpastels.com or 310-640-8388.

Still Time! Bring a Friend.

One of Sedona's Beautiful Painting Locations

I thought I'd put out the call one more time for my "Bring a Friend" program in my Paint Sedona plein air painting workshops.  Deadline is December 25th,   Read below for full details.

And here's another offer:  If you're the first person to sign up, you can pick whatever topic you want for the week.  Here are some options for you:

• Plein air only
• Studio only
• Combination plein air to studio
• Pastel only
• Oil only

If you have another topic you're interested in, let me know!  Now, on to details about the "Bring a Friend" program.

Bring a Friend

If you're thinking of taking one of my Paint Sedona workshops this winter, I want to give you something to encourage you.  If you sign up by December 25th, I will give you $50 for each friend you bring.  Here's how it works.  The workshop is regularly just $300 – still inexpensive by most standards! – but if  you bring a friend, it's only $250.  If you bring two friends, just $200.  Three, and you pay only $150.  This is my Christmas gift to you.

As a reminder, the deadline to sign up for this deal is December 25th.  You must bring at least one friend who will take the workshop  The gift will be applied to your workshop balance after paying your initial deposit of $150.  To register and pay your deposit, please visit www.PaintSedona.com.

But wait, there's more!  Sedona can be an expensive place to stay for a week.  I am offering a package deal of five nights' lodging at the studio plus the workshop for just $600 per person.  That's only $60/night per person for lodging!  There are four very comfortable bedrooms with a shared kitchen at the studio, and you and your friends can stay there, space permitting.

I hope you'll join us this winter!