Make Vibrant Plein Air Paintings
in Santa Barbara, California, with Kathleen Elsey

My workshop schedule and locations at which we paint vary depending on the daily weather conditions. In the case of inclement weather (rain, fog, wind) we’ll paint in the studio from photos you bring, or from still life. I like to take advantage of the most beautiful mornings or afternoons for outdoor painting. Last year we painted at The Old Mission, Island View Nursery and Alice Keck Park. Other possibilities for plein air painting locations are the Botanical Gardens, the Presidio, a nursery in the foothills, the Carpinteria Bluffs, or the Historical Society. You will have the choice of painting architecture, landscapes, trees, flowers, or more complex compositions depending on your personal skill levels and objectives. Below is a typical schedule for this two-day workshop.

DAY 1
9:00 a.m. Meet at the studio, introductions, slide show, discussion about things such as portability, tips for working en plein air, demonstration about setting up and organizing your palette, working the paint wet and thick, beginning a painting, planning a composition.

Noon Lunch break (please bring a sack lunch)

1:00 – 4:30 Paint on location for an afternoon of outdoor painting.