The beautiful rural Happy Valley along the Yadkin River will be the backdrop of this three-day  Plein Air landscape painting class.  Topics covered include materials, color basics and design. Each day we will work on a different motif. Students will work quickly to simplify and capture the essence of a scene. We will discuss what makes a strong composition and how to translate your initial impulses about a space into a successful painting. If rain, we will work indoors. Some painting experience is recommended. The workshop will be held on the campus of the historic Patterson School, halfway between Blowing Rock and Lenoir, NC. , sponsored by the Patterson School Foundation, www.pattersonschoolfoundation.org.

Please contact Jane Harrison, Registrar, for questions, supply list,  and to register at 828 / 729-2980 or fofumstudio@gmail.com. The workshop will begin on Friday morning, October 5 and run through Sunday, October 7. it will include the Caldwell Arts Council Gallery’s opening  reception for an exhibition of paintings by Jean Cauthen and Diane Pike, with a presentation by Jean and Diane on the fun, rewards and mishaps of travel painting, and looking at artists in history whose work has been influenced by travel away from their own countries. This will accompany an exhibit of landscapes painted in Ireland by the two artists during a residency there.

Jean Cauthen grew up in Naples, Italy; New Orleans and the Carolinas, and currently lives in Charlotte. She is a professor of Art History and Painting at UNCC.  She combines her passion for painting with her love of travel. “For me, travel is a sort of ‘awakening’ of the senses. Even the aspect of getting out of our comfort zone is empowering. It makes you pay attention, in a way.”

Jean was recently awarded a month-long residency through the Olive Stack Gallery located in Listowel, Ireland, where  she lived above the gallery, worked in the gallery and studio, and painted plein-air.

“To live in a place for an extended period of time allows us to get a sense of the rhythms of a place. It is not only the beautiful setting but also the wonderful  food, camaraderie, and the ability to ‘unplug’ and remember what is essential. All of that can make its way into a painting.”

In addition to her plein-air paintings, Jean creates large scale abstracted  landscapes in her studio in Mint Hill, NC. Her work has been exhibited internationally, earned many awards and has been collected by corporate and private entities. Her work may be viewed at the Ciel Gallery in Charlotte.

A maximum of ten participants will be enrolled in the workshop which will start from 10am to 2pm on Friday, October 5, and be followed by the Gallery Reception/Presentation from 5-7pm. Saturday workshop will run from 10 am to 4pm, and Sunday from 10am to 3pm, for a total of 15 hours of instruction. Fee for the class is $300, and a 50% deposit of $150 is necessary  to reserve as a participant. Payment in full is required before the end of September.

The workshop  fee can be refunded up to  30 days prior to the workshop if cancellation is necessary, minus a $25 reservation fee.  Help with lodging and meals will be available for out-of-town guests.

We look forward to sharing this event with you!!