Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 8:30 am - 1:00 pm - One-day Workshop

Bring your studio practice outside!

Plein air painting (or the act of painting outside in the natural world) has become very popular - enticing studio and amateur artist to gain direct access to light, color and value only available outdoors. Whether a novice, intermediate or experienced studio painter looking to get outdoors, this workshop is a unique opportunity to join an experienced plein air artist, judge and teacher to learn the fundamentals he has cobbled together working alongside some of the best known plein air artists today. This special "paint alongside" half-day event will include how to capture perspective, value, palette in the urban or natural landscape and use of design principles like the rule of 3rds and golden ratio. We'll start with a "quick" field sketching exercise and move through a repeatable method to start and complete paintings outdoors. During the session we'll talk about some of the "hacks" or methods we use to deal with weather, safety and other aspects of outdoor painting. Best fit: beginning to intermediate artists currently working in Oil, Acrylic or Gouache.

LEVEL

Beginning to Intermediate

SUPPLIES INSTRUCTOR WILL PROVIDE

Waste container, paper towels, gloves and Oil soap for clean up available

SUPPLIES TO BRING

Bring your preferred brushes, paints or pastels.

Oil painters: I use:

• Alizarin crimson

• Burnt sienna

• Burnt umber

• Cad yellow pale

• Cad red

• Ultramarine blue

• Indigo

• Permanent green

• Prussian green or a cool green

• Cad white

• (I also like yellow ochre, French ultramarine for urban work)

Brushes: include rounds, flat and filberts to liking #4-

Solvent in a small bottle such as Gamsol and a dryer such as Galkyd

Paper towels

Easel

A small panel(s) up to 8x10

PLUS, whatever you need for comfort! Stool, chair, etc.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Mark B. Cleveland (American, Denver, CO.) is a contemporary award winning plein air inspired oil painter regularly spotted on Chicago’s and now Denver streets. He is known for his urban and natural landscapes as part of Plein Air Painters of Chicago and as founder of the Evanston Plein Air Festival. His work was juried into the Plein Air Salon Top 100 sponsored by Plein Air Magazine in May 2024. www.Markclevelandart.com

QUESTIONS

Please direct questions to Mark Cleveland at mark.cleveland@comcast.net.

* NOTE: Students and instructor will meet at Historic Grant Avenue and venture out from there as a group. 

We’re going to have fun in this workshop!