John Poon
Plein Air Acrylic I

All Levels
August 20-24, 9:30 am-4:30 pm
$595 + tax

This time tested curriculum is designed for the serious student intent on improving his or her landscape painting skills. Students will develop an increased understanding for value and color as it applies to the landscape, as well as the compositional aspects of value pattern and atmospheric perspective. In addition, we will be working to develop better, more fluid brushwork and paint application, and is intended for levels from beginner through advanced. Through comprehensive lecture and demonstration, we will cover these fundamentals as the basis for successful impressionistic landscapes. In addition, students will learn a reliable step by step, systematic approach to painting en plein air, and a shorthand for working in an environment of ever changing outdoor conditions. We will be painting 10-12 studies during the course of the week.

For the most efficient use of time, we will be utilizing the benefits of both outdoor and classroom painting. Instruction will include lecture and slide presentation, instructor demonstrations, class critiques, and plenty of one-on-one time with each student. The principles taught in the class apply universally to painting the landscape in a variety of mediums. All students are welcomed, though we will be using water based paints for the week. A field easel is required, as the class will be painting on location much of the time.

Finally, a class that deciphers the mysteries of age old concepts and breaks it down into simple, straight forward, easy to understand principles. See what John's student are saying at www.johnpoon.com.

John’s work reflects his inspired appreciation of the landscape. He has been featured in numerous periodicals, including Southwest Art (May, 2003) and The American Art Collector. He has received many awards and honors, notably “Best of Show” for the Society of Western Artists annual national competition, “Landscape Award of Merit” in Arts for the Parks annual national juried competition, and the Sonoma Plein Air “Artist Choice Award”. He is represented by Garden Gallery, Half Moon Bay, CA; Legacy Gallery, Jackson, WY; and The Walls Gallery, Wilmington, NC. John and his wife, Jenny, live in Liberty, Utah with their six children and resident kitty, Mr. Mittens.

Darlene Olivia McElroy
Art Alchemy

All Levels
September 10-14, 9:30 am-4:30 pm
$595 + tax

Using mixed media and image transfers, come tell your unique story. Using everything from packing tape to shaving cream to gold leaf, this class will explore a wide range of transfer and surface techniques. Learn how to combine and integrate the different media to pull together a finished piece. Discover the new tools and ideas you need to explore this exciting way of making art that is at once both intensely personal and expressive.

Darlene Olivia McElroy creates richly textured mixed media paintings that reflect the vision of an artist’s involvement with man’s primal origins, sins, and religious conflicts. Weaving through textural surfaces, found objects, and rich symbolism, the viewer is drawn into a visual world where color plays the role of an atmospheric veil encompassing the personal myths of the artist. Born and raised in southern California, McElroy is a descended from an old New Mexico family of artists and storytellers.

She attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and worked as an illustrator in the U.S. and Paris. She is the co-author, with Sandra Duran Wilson, of Image Transfer Workshop, published in 2009 by North Light Books. Their second book, Surface Treatment Workshop, will be available in the spring of 2011. www.darleneoliviamcelroy.com

John Poon
Studio Landscape, Acrylic

Advanced
September 17-21, 9:30 am-4:30 pm
$595 + tax

The goal of this five-day course is to produce from start to finish a larger studio painting done from the reference of a smaller color study. We will explore the methods and procedures for tracking our values and color, and keeping the freshness of the smaller canvas. Though we will be working in acrylics, these principles will apply just as readily to the use of oil paints, and will be relevant beyond the scope of our three days together. Students will be required to bring with them an array of their own reference ranging from photos to previously painted smaller studies. We will discuss the key components for choosing good imagery and establishing the first steps in the process of creating a successful larger piece.

John’s work reflects his inspired appreciation of the landscape. He has been featured in numerous periodicals, including Southwest Art (May, 2003) and The American Art Collector. He has received many awards and honors, notably “Best of Show” for the Society of Western Artists annual national competition, “Landscape Award of Merit” in Arts for the Parks annual national juried competition, and the Sonoma Plein Air “Artist Choice Award”. He is represented by Garden Gallery, Half Moon Bay, CA; Legacy Gallery, Jackson, WY; and The Walls Gallery, Wilmington, NC. John and his wife, Jenny, live in Liberty, Utah with their six children and resident kitty, Mr. Mittens. www.johnpoon.com