Plein Aire Painting

In August of 2018, at the invitation of the Wilderness Workshop, I taught a plein aire (outdoor painting) class at Janeway, a spot near Redstone.

I had a blast.

The hike was led by Wilderness Workshop’s Brandon Jones, who picked a perfect spot — one that Wilderness Workshop wants to protect from too much traffic, traffic that could come in the form a trail being built in the area.

Six students came on the hike, and rather than have them all paint the same thing, I invited each new painter to choose his or her own subject. (My theory being that every artist has to discover what awakens the artistic muse.) No two students chose the same thing.

In addition, I provided some instruction in composition, dynamic range and color theory, specifically how to avoid mixing “palette mud” — that ugly brownish grey that appears when people don’t understand how to mix colors.

I believe that the six participants, many first-time painters, were all pretty pleased with their paintings. At the end of the class, they surprised me with a newly painted and signed thank you note.

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