Tuesday, May 14th, Wednesday, May 15th, and Thursday, May 16th from 10:30 am - 4:30 pm

Rejuvenate your artistic creativity by painting in the greatest studio of all...the great outdoors! Join award winning acrylic artist, Jeremy Sams in this landscape painting workshop held in beautiful Blowing Rock, NC. This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of plein air painting and the "how to's" of capturing the essence of a live scene in your preferred medium.

Cost: $235 for BRAHM members, $259 for nonmembers
Students in this workshop are automatically registered for the May 16-18 Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival. Art from the workshop is NOT eligible for the Wet Paint Show and Sale. Limited seating available. An 80% refund will be issued if the participant cancels two weeks prior to the event.

"En plein air" is a French term for "in the open air". The focus of plein air painting is painting on location, from life. This style of painting, which was made popular by the impressionists of the 19th century, brings many challenges to the artist. Some of these challenges include:

"How do I get set up for plein air painting?"

"With all the information the outdoors presents, how do you narrow down a subject matter to paint?"

"Once you've found your subject, how do you organize a pleasing composition?"

"What's the big deal about 'values', and how do you capture them effectively?"

"How do I use color temperature to give depth and vibrancy?"

"What do I do about that sunlight that keeps changing so fast?"

"How do you make soft edges and blends in acrylics?"

This workshop will address these challenges through demonstrations, group discussion and personal one on one training to help you face the great outdoors with confidence. All levels, from beginner to intermediate, are welcome. Class will meet the first morning at BRAHM and walk to a close by location. Subsequent days will meet at a local painting site.

Instructor Bio

Jeremy Sams is an award winning representational artist residing in North Carolina. Jeremy has been a professional artist for over 20 years and his primary subject matter is landscapes while working in acrylics. He also loves the challenge of portraits and his work varies in size from just a few sq. inches to murals measuring upward of 40'x60'.

His artistic growth took on a new form in 2011 when he was introduced to painting en plein air. Since then, he was won many awards for his plein air work and has been a featured artist in Plein Air Magazine.

Jeremy's personal inspirations come mostly from the play of light and atmosphere and their effects on objects and landscapes.

Acrylic Plein Air Workshop Supply list

Brushes:

o "Master's Touch" various sized Round hog bristle brushes (very inexpensive, usually come in packs)
o "Master's Touch" #14, 16 Bright, synthetic hog hair bristle
o "Master's Touch" #16 Flat, synthetic hog hair
o “Master’s Touch” #6 Round, synthetic hog hair

Or, just bring whatever your favorite brushes might be. I tend to mostly use 4 brushes…one large flat or filbert, a medium sized bright, a small cheap round hog haired brush, and a small round for detail. I also keep a small script liner brush on hand for special occasions.

Paint:

"Golden Open" Acrylics

*Titanium white, *Ultramarine Blue, Teal, *Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Yellow Light (primrose), Naples Yellow, *Cadmium Red Light, Quinacridone Magenta, Viridian Green Hue, Cadmium Orange (sometimes I use Carbon Black, but it would be in small quantities)

"Golden Open" Gel Medium, gloss or mat. If you don’t have access to the Golden Open paints or mediums, use any comparable products. Liquitex also has some good heavy bodied paints and mediums.

(* must have colors)

Canvas:

I typically use a gessoed linen panel or gessoed masonite. Bring whatever size you feel comfortable completing in one session. If you're new to plein air painting, I'd recommend a smaller panel (11x14 or under).

I typically brush on at least one coat of acrylic gesso. Some heavy textured canvases might require more than one coat (it depends on the texture you prefer). I brush on the gesso criss-crossing the texture, let it dry, then sand between coats.

Be sure to bring your outdoor easel, palette, a jar, cup, or portable container to wash your brushes out, and paper towels or rags.