Doris Rice Painting Adventure: Fundamentals of Plein Air (Two Day Workshop)

Saturday, May 18th (9:30am-4:00pm) & Sunday, May 19th (9:00am-3:00pm).

Meet at The Kittery Art Association Art HUB (Lower Level Studio Space).

In this two-day plein air workshop, you will be introduced to a step-by-step painting process that will take you from selecting the subject as seen from your location, composing the scene in preliminary sketches, creating simplified shapes to capture ‘the place’ and then working the painting to a finish with carefully chosen details. We’ll talk about materials and techniques but the focus will be on the basics of painting: composition, value relationships, color contrasts, edge variety, and details. An emphasis will be placed on proper seeing, and on understanding and manipulating what is seen.

The day will open with a brief presentation of materials, use of the easel, planning compositional concepts, followed by a demo (about an hour). The participants will then paint for the remainder of the day with one-on-feedback, painting outdoors 10am - 2:00pm approximately. The workshop will end as we go inside for a review of concepts and a critique.

Subjects: Buildings, perspective on location, possibly a street garden or planter if there is spring material available. What will inspire your eye at this location?

Timeline:

Saturday 10am - 4pm

• 9:30am arrival, walkabout for selection of view for your painting subject.
• 9:45am set up outdoors on location in Kittery Foreside.
• Demo at 10 am: How to set up, ideas on how to select the subject.
• Paint!
• Lunch break at your easel, on your time schedule.
• ~ 2:00pm, we'll move inside to the HUB (the lower level at the KAA Gallery) for a critique.

Doris’ critiques are more like an evaluation. There will be helpful commentary, with a visual description as to how to proceed to a finished work of art! Really informative! And camaraderie is very fun!

Sunday 9am - 3pm

• Demo at 9 am, on location with another subject in Kittery Foreside.
• Paint, lunch break at your easel.
• 1:00 we will relocate to inside to the Hub at KAA for a wrap-up critique, again featuring ‘finishing your work’ suggestions.

Materials:

• Folding palette, flat and round brushes.
• Masking tape or clips, paper towels, water dish.
• Sketchbook with drawing pencil/pen/or sketch with a brush.
• Hat for sunblock as well as sunscreen, camping stool, or chair.
• 100% cotton or RAG paper. Don’t use paper/tree pulp. If the paper pad/block isn’t marked 100% cotton, if is tree fiber paper, not suitable for the process. Let Doris know if you will need a sheet of paper. 11 x 15 is 1/4 sheet size for our painting, totally fine. Go larger if you like.
• Bring a backer board to mount this paper against, approximately the size of the paper you will use.
• Upright painting easel, for on location. Doris has a few extra, so let her know if you need one. Doris will give you ‘how-to-set-up’ pointers.
• Drinking water, paint water (can be one and the same).
• Bag lunch.

Questions? Email or text Doris Rice. www.dorisrice.com / 603.724.7779 / [email protected]