Plein Air Workshops

Adults: June 8th, 10 a.m. to noon; Old Rock School, Valdese, Studio 101

Price: $25 per registrant (register in advance; pay in advance or at the door)

For Who: This class is for people who are interested in any medium that can be used outdoors.

What to Bring: If you have a setup and drawing/painting materials, you can bring it with you. If not, there will be plenty to learn

Overview: 15 to twenty minutes indoors with a quick PowerPoint presentation reviewing steps, orientation, critical gear etc. Then outdoors to set up and paint. Zan will do a quick demo. You can watch or paint along if you bring your materials and setup

Children K-5: June 8th, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Old Rock School, Valdese, Studio 101

Price: $10 per registrant (register in advance; pay in advance or at the door)

For Who: This class is for kids to get them excited about how fun it is to paint outside.

What to Bring: Just yourself! All materials will be provided: Canvases, easels, paints, and brushes.

Overview: 15 to twenty minutes indoors about what plein air is, why people do it, and why it is fun. Then a little walk right outside on the building grounds to get an idea of the kinds of things that are good to paint outside and a little demo of how a plein air artist paints.

Meet the instructor

Zan Thompson

Zan was born into a family of watercolor artists. Zan studied art in high school and at college before switching to the University of Georgia and switching majors to landscape architecture and later urban planning. Mr. Thompson worked as a landscape architect and planner for more than forty three years, twenty-five of which he ran his own firm. He's a master at the technical aspects of painting and equipment, brilliant at observation, proportion and composition, and knows a lot of tricks and techniques of plein air paitnting. He loves to teach art from drawing to painting, but especially watercolor painting.