Join renowned artist Catherine Hillis for an exhilarating 2-day plein air watercolor workshop tailored for beginner-intermediate and advanced students. Enhance your outdoor painting skills amidst nature's beauty with expert guidance. Discover the art of painting "en plein air," where you'll capture landscapes directly from your surroundings. Catherine will help you select the perfect equipment to match your style and choose ideal locations for painting. In this class, you'll gain practical insights on setting up your workspace and Hillis will show you how to follow structured steps in order to create vibrant watercolors. We will explore diverse subjects, like landscapes, gardens, and marshes while mastering composition and perspective. Enjoy daily onsite demonstrations that provide practical guidance and inspiration.
 
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Instructor: Catherine Hillis
Cost: $380
Sponsor: Art League of Hilton Head
Website, email, (843) 842-5738

Experience the joy of painting outdoors in this inspiring all-levels Plein Air workshop with Carol Iglesias! Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature as you learn to capture the ever-changing light, color, and atmosphere of the landscape using oils or pastels. Each morning begins with an engaging demonstration and expert insights from Carol, who will share her techniques for quickly and confidently capturing a scene in Plein Air. You’ll discover how to compose a strong painting, define values, identify light sources, establish focal points, and use color to bring your work to life. With personalized instruction and one-on-one feedback, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to paint directly from nature—and fall in love with the magic of Plein Air painting.
 
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Instructor: Carol Iglesias
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Art League of Hilton Head
Website, email, (843) 842-5738

Clouds and trees are common and important features in landscape paintings, their masses frequently encompassing significant portions of the composition. But how does the artist imbue these elements with texture, individuality, and detail without making them appear contrived or overfussed? Examine types of cloud masses and how they may best be translated through additive and reductive methods. Explore means of mimicking organic tree forms through brush movement and how to use color and detail to suggest distance. Instruction includes painting demonstrations as well as a review of how master artists have represented these features in historic and contemporary works. Open to all levels. Demonstrations will be conducted in watercolor, but this class presents valuable information for painters of all media.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: James Toogood
Cost: $225
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Capture the small-town beauty Manayunk's hilly streets, rowhomes, and storefronts. Learn to create a convincing sense of space, light and time of day while depicting streetscapes, trees, water and sky. Color mixing and painting techniques for oils will be demonstrated, but all drawing/painting media are welcome. Located just 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Manayunk offers engaging urban and riverside neighborhood subjects with parking, shade, provisions and facilities available. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Larry Francis
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Learn color solutions to bring drama, harmony, and richness to your work. Award-winning artist Debra Huse will teach you how to design with strength, capture light with clarity, and use color confidently to achieve vibrant, compelling paintings. We will paint indoors and outdoors at some of the most inviting Southern California locations imaginable. There will be sparkling harbors, dramatic skies, and breathtaking coastal beauty that will fuel your creativity. Each day will be filled with fun demos, personal coaching, and fresh insights to transform your painting process and vision. Debra will share her signature techniques and help you to “Lay it Down & Leave it Alone”.
 
Location: Newport Beach, California
Instructor: Debra Huse
Cost: $995.00
Sponsor: Huse Skelly Gallery
Website, email

Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of pastel as you bring breathtaking landscapes, dynamic seascapes, and dramatic cloudscapes to life in this energizing 3-week course! Whether you’re a beginner eager to explore or an experienced artist ready to elevate your skills, instructor Robert Wortmann will inspire you through engaging demonstrations and hands-on, personalized guidance. Discover how to capture light, atmosphere, and movement while working from your own reference photos to create expressive, one-of-a-kind works of art. Experience a fun, supportive studio environment that sparks creativity, confidence, and a deeper connection to the beauty of nature.
 
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Instructor: Robert Wortmann
Cost: $150
Sponsor: Art League of Hilton Head
Website, email, (843) 842-5738

Join Jim Halvoresen as he teaches you how to capture the Milky Way! This very unique photography workshop is an outstanding opportunity for photographers to learn the skills for capturing a starlit night! This workshop will begin Friday evening with a class to teach set up for this unique photo shoot. Specifics about the offsite, early morning photo shoot will be discussed during the evening session. Then we will meet Jim at the designated location for an incredible experience of capturing the Milky Way with your lens! Sunday afternoon learn how to complete the final touches so you finish with incredible photos. In the event of poor weather, the early morning session may be pushed to Sunday morning with a follow up class on Monday.
 
Location: Ocean City, Maryland
Instructor: Jim Halvorsen
Cost: $150 ($125 for members)
Sponsor: Art League of Ocean City
Website, email, (410) 524-9433

Water-based paints such as watercolor, gouache, and fluid acrylics are the perfect mediums for landscape painting in the open air! Work in your choice of these portable, fast-drying, and easy-to-clean-up alternatives to oils as you portray the beauty of spring in Philadelphia’s parks in your own personal style. Learn how to choose a composition and mix color for depth and expressive effects as you complete a series of rapid sketches and at least one sustained painting. Explore techniques for achieving transparency effects with stained gesso, working fat over lean, and rendering with ink over washes. Open to all levels. Painting locations feature shade, restrooms, and other amenities. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Michelle Oosterbaan
Cost: $260
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

This one-day workshop will concentrate on painting one of the most beautiful and challenging aspects of a tree: its trunk and branches. Trunks are rarely perfectly round; instead, their surfaces present a combination of flat planes and rounded forms that interlock together and describe the tree's surface. The pattern of its branches, roots and rippling bark tell each tree’s life story and are influenced by interaction with other trees, the sun, and the earth. Our goal in this class is to simplify the tree's structure and capture its essence as effectively as possible. Rather than aiming for finished paintings, we will create several small studies focusing on the topography of different trunks and how we can communicate them using paint.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Claire Haik
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Join veteran plein air artist Joe Sweeney for a unique opportunity to paint inside one of the oldest rowing clubs in Philadelphia: the Bachelors Barge Club on Boathouse Row. Work from picturesque views of the Schuylkill River with the benefit of full access to the historic building with access to the dock, rain-/sun-sheltered porch, and amenities including restrooms. Experienced guidance will cover tactics for working efficiently outdoors, selecting a composition, color mixing, and capturing time of day and atmospheric effects. Instruction and demonstrations will be geared toward acrylic, oil, and pastel painting, but experienced watercolorists are welcome to participate. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Joseph Sweeney
Cost: $195
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632

Paint on location at Philadelphia's historic Fairmount Park mansions! Built in the 18th century, these houses feature amazing architecture, beautiful gardens, and scenic views. Each week will feature a different instructor including: Lisa BergerLentz, Mark Bockrath, Roger Chavez, & Lou Schellenberg, demonstrating oil, watercolor/gouache and pastel techniques, reference art historical examples, cover the ins-and-outs of working outdoors and encourage personal expression. Includes a tour of each historic house (optional)! Work with the materials of your choice including watercolor, oil, acrylic and drawing media. Restrooms and free parking will be available.
 
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Various
Cost: $250
Sponsor: Cerulean Arts Gallery & Studio
Website, email, 267-514-8647

Join nationally acclaimed artist and instructor Addison Palmer for a fun and inspiring acrylic painting class that brings the beauty of the golf course to life on canvas. Designed for artists of all levels — including true beginners — this class explores essential painting techniques such as color mixing, building strong compositions, capturing accurate shapes, understanding shadows and values, and layering paint for depth and realism. Addison’s engaging and supportive teaching style ensures plenty of individualized instruction, allowing him to tailor guidance to each student’s skill level. From the first brushstroke to the finishing touches, participants will gain confidence and creative insight while painting their favorite golf hole in a relaxed, encouraging environment.
 
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Instructor: Addison Palmer
Cost: $100
Sponsor: Art League of Hilton Head
Website, email, (843) 842-5738

Drawing and painting “en plein air” has become increasingly popular in recent years. Understanding how to compose a drawing outdoors with correct perspective (aerial and linear) can be challenging. Katie will start the class in studio with the basics of perspective before moving outdoors at interesting locations for days 2 and 3. There will be instruction on comparative measurements and 1 and 2-point perspective. The class will design several black and white studies that will be finished art or can be used as reference for future paintings.
 
Location: Ocean City, Maryland
Instructor: Katie Cassidy
Cost: $210 ($175 for members)
Sponsor: Art League of Ocean City
Website, email, (410) 524-9433

Given the priority of authentic light in my work, it is this element that I like to focus on during the three-day workshop. As such, we will focus on value and color temperature relationships above all else. While good drawing is paramount to our effort—since nothing spoils a painting faster than drawing errors—our time is better spent on the more difficult and crucial concepts of value and color temperature. Elements such as appropriate edges, surface texture, composition, and others will also be discussed as needed. We will be painting in oil.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: Mark Boedges
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

The Charming and historic LaFonda Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico will be the setting for this exciting watercolor workshop. Fresh flowers will greet students for the beginning of this adventure into loose and flowing watercolors. We will progress to painting some landscape elements and move to interpreting faces and figures. Janet Rogers has been a National Instructor and award-winning Artist for over 30 years. Her workshops are extremely popular throughout the United States and Europe. This is a unique opportunity to improve your skills - bringing life into your painting, and discovering design and color. Janet will also have class "show and tell"- in addition to painting demonstrations and working individually with each student.
 
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Instructor: Janet Rogers, AWS, TWSA, FWS-D
Cost: $600.00
Sponsor: Miriam Joseph
Website, email, 505-890-5000

Learn to paint Loose Watercolor Florals, Landscapes, Figures and Portraits from internationally known artist, Janet Rogers, AWS. Workshop located at the historical La Fonda Hotel on the Santa Fe Plaza, close to restaurants, shopping and many hotels. Janet Rogers has been a working professional artist for over 34 years, and has achieved Signature Status in The American Watercolor Society, The Florida Watercolor Society, South Carolina Watercolor Society and others. She has garnered many awards over the years for her sensitive paintings of people which are spontaneous, direct, and expressive. Her workshops featuring impressions of people and also flowers are very popular across the United States, Canada, and in Europe. You can view her work at www.watercolorsbyrogers.com
 
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Instructor: Janet Rogers, AWS, Instructor –
Cost: $600.00
Sponsor: Miriam Joseph
Website, email, 505-263-9137

Do you often wonder how to make your paintings stand out? This workshop will explore ways to make more compelling and powerful visual statements, focusing on the landscape for inspiration and subject matter. The workshop will consist of demos, painting exercises, group discussions, positive critiques and lots of hands-on individual attention. Oil and Acrylic painters are welcome to attend; however, demos will be done in pastel and then Mayfield will work individually with you in your medium. Make your paintings more expressive and visually interesting from start to finish, from choosing subject matter, editing reference photos, simplifying and improving design and composition, using dynamic value contrasts, pushing color schemes, and using color temperature to create mood and emotion.
 
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Instructor: Susan Mayfield
Cost: $330
Sponsor: Art League of Hilton Head
Website, email, (843) 842-5738

Three Days of Coastal Light, Rhythm, and Atmosphere. This intimate plein air atelier in Santa Barbara is designed for a small group of painters seeking a refined, focused, and elevated experience. Set within one of California’s most luminous coastal environments, the workshop offers carefully selected painting locations that balance natural beauty with architectural elegance. Over three days, participants work in a sequence of visually rich environments—coastal, maritime, and town-inspired—each chosen for its compositional potential and atmospheric nuance. Rather than chasing landmarks, the emphasis is on seeing: light, structure, rhythm, and the quiet poetry of place. Instruction is personal, deliberate, and deeply engaged. Demonstrations and one-on-one guidance focus on the essentials that distinguish accomplished plein air work.
 
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Instructor: Vladislav Yeliseyev
Cost: $675
Sponsor: Renaissance School of Art
Website, email, 941-330-6865

Join professional painters John Ball and Mark Baral for Color and Light in the Landscape, an Artist’s Connection Event at the Brush and Sketch Studio in Pensacola, FL. Through demonstrations, discussion, and critique, the artists will explore how light and color shape the landscape, how figures can strengthen a landscape composition, and how studio paintings are developed from plein air sketches and studies. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their own landscape sketches for thoughtful feedback and problem solving. This welcoming event is designed to help artists gain practical insight, fresh ideas, and meaningful connections with fellow painters.
 
Location: Pensacola, Florida
Instructor: John Ball & Mark Baral
Cost: $525
Sponsor: The Brush and Sketch Studio
Website, email, 850 741-8788 or 850 380-9087

Come discover the surprising history of how landscape painting, once confined to the artist’s studio, moved out into the open air. This talk will consider the work of artists, some forgotten today, responsible for transforming landscape painting from a minor, marginal genre subject to a platform for personal expression. Explore this fascinating story with Bill Perthes and celebrate its ongoing impact in the Wayne Art Center’s 18th Annual Plein Air Festival.
 
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Instructor: William Perthes
Sponsor: Wayne Art Center
Website, email, 610-688-3553

Come join us for an enjoyable watercolor journey! At the beginning of the class, I’ll begin with a demonstration that showcases the various techniques used in watercolor painting. Don't worry if you're new to this, as I’ll provide personalized lessons on different tips and techniques to enhance your painting skills. Not only will you learn and improve your artistic abilities, but you'll also have the chance to meet new people and create lasting memories. So come and join us for a delightful and enriching experience in the world of watercolor! All levels are welcome. Bring your own supplies or rent a Lender's Kit ($15 payable to the instructor).
 
Location: Ocean City, Maryland
Instructor: Gerilyn Gaskill
Cost: $42 ($35 for members)
Sponsor: Art League of Ocean City
Website, email, (410) 524-9433

Join the Diamond 4 Ranch and artist John Springer to experience the grandeur of the American wilderness through the practice of oil painting. With the support of horse-pack, we will have the rare opportunity to create artwork deep within the mountains. Together we'll experience what John Muir knew: "Going to the mountains is going home." This trip is limited to 10 participants. We will spend the first three nights based from cabins, then we'll camp for three nights, and our final night will be back in the cabins. A family outfitter guiding the Wind Rivers for three generations. Licensed by USFS since 1973.
 
Location: Lander, Wyoming
Instructor: John Springer
Cost: $4250 + gratuity (suggested 15-20%)
Sponsor: Diamond 4 Ranch
Website, email, +1 (307) 332-2995

Philip Frey and Schoodic Institute are pleased to offer a plein air painting retreat designed specifically for dedicated landscape painters. Held in the picturesque landscapes of Acadia National Park, this retreat will provide an opportunity for participants to hone their skills, gain deeper knowledge of materials, and develop confidence in their creative abilities. Students will learn to capture the essence of the landscape and comprehend the interplay of color and light. Each day will start with an on-site painting session, followed by an early afternoon demonstration and critique. Participants will have ample time to engage in painting, explore the surrounding area, or relax at their leisure. Meals and a daily cocktail hour will be provided.
 
Location: Winter Harbor, Maine
Instructor: Philip Frey
Cost: Commuter $1,195; Residential $1,795
Sponsor: Schoodic Institute
Website, email, (207) 288-1310

The workshop sessions begin as Couch completes a painting, explaining what he is doing, and why, as he paints. Students paint in the afternoons, after which Couch critiques all the day’s completed work, including his own. An optional slide show/lecture on the principles of design – including color and composition – will be presented in the afternoon of the first day. For more information, visit tonycouch.com.
 
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Instructor: Tony Couch
Cost: $575 Museum members/ $625 non-members
Sponsor: Huntsville Museum of Art
Website, email, 256-535-6372

Join us for the "Painting the Pastel Landscape: Tools, Tips & Techniques" workshop with the renowned artist Eve Miller. This exceptional event offers a unique opportunity to delve into Eve's innovative approach to capturing the beauty of landscapes with pastels. Participants will gain valuable insights into establishing correct values, while the workshop emphasizes mastering color temperature, composition, and mark-making. Each day features engaging demonstrations, and you'll receive personalized, one-on-one instruction to refine your skills. Whether you're a seasoned artist or a passionate beginner, this workshop promises to enhance your artistic journey and elevate your pastel landscapes to new heights. Don't miss the chance to learn from a true master—secure your spot today!
 
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Instructor: Eve Miller
Cost: $500
Sponsor: Art League of Hilton Head
Website, email, (843) 842-5738