Online Class: Plein Air Practice in Watercolor

Get ready to get outside and paint en plein air!

Form a strong foundation of theory and practice that will prepare you for successful plein air (outdoor) painting in gouache. In this online workshop, teaching artist Morgan Jones will cover fundamentals as well as skill builders for those continuing their practice. Topics will include materials and setup, interpreting changing light, common color mixtures, how to paint with speed, and tips and tricks. 

Class will conclude with a virtual “plein air” session, during which students will practice as if they were painting live outdoors. This class is designed to help students practice and become comfortable with the variables of plein air painting before venturing outside.

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This class is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. Children are welcome to participate alongside their adults.

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registering and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance in order to access the program.

Note that all program times are in Mountain Time.

Supplies needed for this class: 

• Pencil
• Sketchbook or drawing paper 
• Watercolor paper (1 large paper to divide, or several small pieces)
• Watercolor paints. Instructor will use the colors below: Lemon yellow hue or azo yellow, Cadmium orange hue, Cadmium red hue or vermillion, Alizarin crimson, Permanent rose or quinacridone rose, Dioxazine purple, Phtalo blue or prussian, Permanent green light, Burnt sienna, Ivory black.
• Recommended starter set: Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set, 20 Colors (Note: This set uses the same pigments as the professional grade paints, and are lightfast colors. The difference in price with professional grade is the quantity of pigment (pigment load) in the paint.) 
• Watercolor palette 
• Paper towel 
• Paintbrushes (any watercolor or acrylic)
• Cup of water

About the Instructor:

A passionate artist and experienced educator, Morgan Jones has spent the last 9 years developing these crafts. She seeks to explore how art can serve as a medium to move us both individually and communally. Her time teaching in public schools, juvenile detention, and community centers has deepened her belief that art is a fundamental means of knowing, connecting, and transforming. In addition to Fine Arts, Morgan studied Art Education at Texas State University as well as Criminal and Social Justice at the College of the Rockies in BC Canada. Morgan’s professional painting practice focuses on plein-air landscape assemblage and multiple exposure oil paintings that call into question ideas of impermanence, memory and conservation. After spending a year living on the road, developing her art from her mobile travel trailer studio, she has settled in Santa Fe to split her time between teaching and creating. Find more about her work on her website or on Instagram at @painting.nomad

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.

$10 minimal fee.

$20 covers the cost of the class.

$30 covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs.

Photo Courtesy of Morgan Jones