En Plein Air: A Nature Exploration with Maeve Croghan — Apr 19 - 20

Dates: April 19, 2025 → April 20, 2025
Times: Saturday 10-5 Sunday 10-5
Level: All levels

Workshop Description:
Explore the painting process En Plein Air while connecting with the natural world. Students will be guided by Maeve to keenly observe nature as she demonstrates and instructs how to how to paint from your observations and create an expressive and meaningful painting.

Focusing on specific subjects in Nature, students will learn how to observe and paint these subjects and their surroundings, enriching each student’s understanding of Nature. The class will start in the studio with an historical overview presentation on different aspects of Plein Air and Nature Painting. We then continue outdoors to our painting location, which will offer a variety of painting subjects. Maeve will paint a demonstration painting, talking about the various elements in the Landscape and how to approach each element in your own painting.

Students then set up for the day, beginning one to two paintings per day. Maeve will spend time with each painter throughout the day, discussing where they are going with their painting, giving advice and perspective as desired or needed by the painter. Throughout the day Maeve guides and enables each student to produce a nearly finished painting of their nature subject.

Class is open to all levels. Maeve’s many years of teaching experience is enriching for advanced to beginner students. Oil or Acrylic.

About the Instructor:
Bio: Painting nearly all her life, Art has been a lifelong pursuit for Maeve Croghan. Her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute, as well the influences of Emily Carr, Georgia O’Keefe and the Group of 7 helped formed her innovative approach to Plein Air and Nature painting. She has BA from New College of California in 'Art and Social Change’, focusing on Education.

She has numerous accolades – her paintings have been in Museum exhibits in Japan, Alaska, California, Oregon, New Mexico and Michigan. Maeve has been the recipient of many prestigious juried awards and her paintings are in collections around the world. Maeve’s paintings are featured on the wine labels of Castoro Cellars, Paso Robles, Ca. and the French Georges Dubouef Bueujolais Nouveau wine labels. Her art has been chosen for editions of the National Juried Art books, “ART of Northern California” & “American Art Collector”, as well the "Studio Visit" art journal.

Maeve teaches Plein Air painting classes regularly with Mackinac Island Arts Council on Mackinac Island, MI in the summers, as well as other organizations.

Maeve is the founder of the Mendocino Eco Artists, and artist group dedicated to having Art shows benefitting local environmental groups.

She maintains an Art Studio in San Francisco, at the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists’ Community and in Mendocino, Ca.

website: www.maevecroghan.com
Email: maevecroghan@earthlink.net
Phone: 2312150399

Required Materials:
- EASEL Folding Plein Air easel

• OR old cushions and a beach blanket if you prefer to sit on the ground PALETTE PAINTS : Oil Paints: Titanium White
  - Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow medium, Thalo Blue, (or Cerulean Blue) Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red medium, Green Oxide Additional Optional Colors: Cobalt Blue, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre, Naples Yellow, Dioxazine Purple and what ever else you wish. BRUSHES – Bristle brushes Sizes #4 to #12 2 of each listed below in various sizes, is a good foundation.
• Rounds – round with a point
• Filberts – slightly rounded
• Brights – short and flat
• Flats – Longer flat bristles.
  PALETTE KNIFE CANVAS - 4 (at least) canvases - smaller sizes, 8” x10”, 11" x 14", 12" x 16", 12"x 12", 14" x 18" Pre-stretched artists canvases THINNER – Turpenoid or Gamsol. For cleaning brushes and thinning paint.
  GLASS CONTAINERS -2 Glass jars with lid (recycled peanut butter, etc.)
• 1 for your turpenoid/gamsol
• 2nd one for your dirty turpenoid to rinse your brushes ACRYLIC PAINTERS: Wide Mouth screw on plastic bottles – 2 of them for your water & rinsing brushes GLOVES - Vinyl or Latex Gloves for protecting absorption of potentially harmful toxins used in Oil Paints and solvents. RAGS OR PAPER TOWELS VIEWFINDER - This is a small piece of card board cut out like a mini frame – about 4” x 5”. OTHER ESSENTIALS FOR OUTDOOR PAINTING o Sketchbook – small size with pen, marker or pencil o Wide brim hat o Sunscreen o Water Bottle with water o Rags or Paper Towels o Lunch and snacks
• Any items that you like to use that may not be mentioned in the list ACRYLIC PAINTERS: Paint: Same as oil paint list - Please inquire if there are questions Extra Water and water container to rinse brushes while painting

• Please inquire about any other materials questions before workshop:

Optional Materials:
- UMBRELLA – Keeps the sun off your palette
- canvas and you while painting. FOLDING CHAIR