The Plein Air Challenge
NC2168-01
Start Date
07/19
Time
Sun 7-9pm–Sat 9am-noon
Room
Kennedy TBA
End Date
07/25
Meeting Day
Sun - Sat
Credits
0
This workshop will be conducted in oil and water-based paints, including acrylics and watercolor. Students will paint on location and will be assisted in setting up to paint: organizing and laying out a palette, setting up an easel, choosing a composition and making a painting. A sketchbook will be used to look at the landscape working from: line to shape, design of the rectangle, incorporating light and dark values, color in terms of warm and cool, and learning to see abstract structure. Specific projects related to composition, color and other formal issues will be assigned. Starting with small quick studies and limited color palettes students will build up to longer one-day paintings. An important component will be learning how to sketch and note-take so as to hone observational skills in order to paint away from the site. Daily group critiques are an important component as well as one-on-one instruction and demonstrations. Student participation in critiques is expected and essential.
Notes: no chalk pastels
This course is part of MassArt New England summer workshops, where participants immerse themselves in full days of studio work with faculty and peers. Housing is available for participants of this program.
Schedule and Registration Details
Courses are one week, from Sunday through Saturday. Students arrive on Sunday and meet with their class in the evening, first over dinner and then in the classroom. During the week, classes meet from 9am to 4pm with a final class on Saturday morning from 9am until noon. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights, faculty present lectures about their work. After the faculty lecture, open life drawing is available Monday through Thursday nights.
- Schedule: Sun 7-9pm; Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri 9am-4pm; Sat 9am-noon
- Participants must be 18 or older.
- You may enroll for more than one week, but only for one course per week.
- Supply lists, campus information, directions, and other information will be emailed to you 4 to 6 weeks before the start of your course.
- Register for lodging by June 1, 2026. Lodgings booked by 11:59 pm February 25, 2026 are discounted.
- You will receive a confirmation of your registration via email within 10 business days. For those registering between February 5-28, 2026, it may be four weeks. If you do not receive a confirmation, please contact us immediately.
- Refund policy: withdraw before or on June 1 for a full refund. There is no refund after June 1.
Elizabeth O'Reilly
Elizabeth O’Reilly received her BEd from The National University of Ireland and an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has participated in residencies at the Ballinglen Foundation, Ireland; the UCROSS Foundation, Wyoming; and the Ragdale Foundation, Illinois. O’Reilly has received numerous awards including a Pollock Krasner Foundation grant, a Charles G. Shaw award for painting and a … Read more