August 18th - August 20th, 10 AM - 3 PM

This plein air workshop will be conducted primarily in oil paint in the Rockland environs. With the Re-Indigenizing Sacred Landscapes: From the Wigwam at Catawamkeag exhibition at the Farnsworth as our inspiration and launching pad, we will begin our workshop in the museum. Students will then paint on location from Weskeag Preserve to other iconic locations in the Midcoast area. We will set up to paint: organizing and laying out a palette, setting up an easel, choosing a composition and making a painting. A sketchbook will be used to look at the landscape working from: line to shape, design of the rectangle, incorporating light and dark values, color in terms of warm and cool, and learning to see abstract structure.

Specific projects related to composition, color and other formal issues will be assigned while also referring to the landscapes from the exhibition for compositional ideas. Starting with small quick studies and limited color palettes, students will quickly build up to longer one-day paintings. An important component will be learning how to sketch and note-take so as to hone observational skills in order to paint away from the site. Daily group critiques are an important component as well as one-on-one instruction and demonstrations. Student participation in critiques is expected and essential.

Register here

Elizabeth O'Reilly

Elizabeth O'Reilly