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MORE ABOUT THE COURSE WEEK​​

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The Joy of Plein Air Painting: A Five-Day Workshop with Janine Marson Join seasoned artist Janine Marson for an enriching five-day workshop designed to boost your confidence and elevate your enjoyment of painting "en Plein Air"—in the open air. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Blue Mountain area, this immersive experience is open to artists of all skill levels, from those with painting experience but new to Plein Air, to complete beginners taking their first steps into the world of art.

For Experienced Painters (New to Plein Air): If you have a foundation in painting but have hesitated to venture outdoors, or have tried Plein Air only to encounter frustrating challenges, this workshop is your perfect antidote. Janine will share her extensive knowledge to demystify the process, helping you overcome technical hurdles and embrace the spontaneity and beauty of painting directly from nature. You will learn to adapt your studio skills to the ever-changing conditions of the outdoor environment.

For Beginner Painters: If you are new to painting, this workshop offers a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals in a supportive and inspiring outdoor setting. You will gain essential skills, including:

• Composition: Learning how to effectively put a painting together and frame a compelling scene.

• Paint Application: Mastering various techniques for applying your chosen medium.

• Colour Theory and Mixing: Understanding colour relationships and achieving accurate, vibrant mixes.

• Brushwork and Mark-Making: Developing your unique artistic voice and making your personal mark on the canvas.

Meet Your Instructor: Janine Marson Janine is an accomplished and highly experienced Plein Air painter who has truly seen and painted it all. Her extensive career has taken her through every type of weather imaginable—from the intense challenges of rain, sleet, hail, and snow to the sublime conditions of perfect fall days, brilliant sunshine, and the heat of summer. Having mastered multiple media, including watercolour, acrylics, oils, and pastels, Janine possesses a deep well of technical and practical knowledge that she is eager to share. Her primary goal is to foster the growth and development of other budding artists by sharing her passion and expertise.

Workshop Structure and Focus Janine strongly encourages participants to bring their media of choice. Whether you prefer the fluidity of watercolour, the fast drying time of acrylics, the richness of oils, or the immediacy of pastels, Janine is equipped to provide tailored instruction and guidance.

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Each of the five days is thoughtfully structured to maximize learning and artistic output:

1. Daily Focus: Every day will center on a different subject matter or a specific element of Plein Air painting (e.g., capturing light, painting water, managing distance, or quick sketching).

2. Demonstration: The morning will begin with a practical and insightful demonstration by Janine, where she illustrates the day's focus and her techniques for tackling the challenge.

3. On-Site Painting: Following the demo, students will put the newly learned principles into practice. The BMSLP and Janine, have secured access to a selection of the Blue Mountain area's most beautiful public and private properties, offering unique and inspiring locations for each session.

4. Personalized Support: While you work on location, Janine will circulate continuously, offering one-on-one support, constructive advice, and immediate problem-solving assistance to every participant.

5. Daily Critique: The day will conclude with a valuable and encouraging group critique. This essential component allows Janine to provide detailed, actionable feedback on your work, reinforcing the day's lessons and guiding your progress for the following day.

 

Discover the fun, freedom, and profound satisfaction of Painting en Plein Air, all while exploring and capturing the scenic beauty of the Blue Mountain region under the expert guidance of Janine Marson.

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SUGGESTED SUPPLIES TO BRING 

 

​If you are a more experienced painter: then just bring your usual supplies of paint, brushes, palettes, substrates in the sizes you prefer and the necessities you need. 

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For watercolour painters: 

• Bring your usual watercolour palette or a smaller lidded box with 10-12 pan watercolours. 

• Substrate pad of 140 LB Cold Press good quality paper (some rag content is better than none), or precut your preferred paper down to usable sizes to mount onto a firm support board such as foamcore with low tack tape. 

• You may also want to bring one or two watercolour pencils, or a set if you have, for making quick drawings to set the composition. 

• A few brushes such as a wash brush in 1” or ¾” , angle brush, filbert, a couple of rounds # 2 and #6 or #8, a small liner or rigger #1

 

For people who are newer to acrylic and oil painting: 

• You may want to keep it simple and just buy a set of 10-12 colours, smaller sized substrates, and a few basic brushes and the necessities you need. Below is a guide to the colour names and temperatures but as long as you have a minimum of 10-12 basic colours. You do not need ALL of the colours listed! I have only mentioned common trade names to help you look for them. Not to worry if you can’t find some of the colour names listed; just select a Double Primary Palette, of a warm and a cold of: yellow, red and blue, plus the addition of a titanium white, naples yellow, raw sienna, raw umber and burnt umber.

• 1 tube of Warm Yellow-Cadmium Yellow Medium or Deep/Azo Yellow Medium/Hansa Yellow Deep

• 1 tube of Cold Yellow- Hansa Yellow Light/Cadmium Yellow Light (pale)/Hansa Yellow Light, Lemon Yellow

• 1 tube of Warm Red-Cadmium Red Light or Cadmium Red/Naphthol Red Light/Pyrrole Red Light 

• 1 tube of Cold Red- Permanent Rose/ Magenta/Alizarin Crimson/Magenta

• 1 tube of Warm Blue- Cobalt Blue/Ultramarine Blue/

• 1 tube of Cold Blue- Manganese Blue/Cerulean Blue/Phthalo Blue (GS green shade)

• Additional fav colours to extend your palette as desired; such as turquoise, Viridian Green, Sap green, Hookers Green, Permanent Green, Dioxazine Violet, Quinacridone Violet and an orange or transparent colours such as Transparent Red iron oxide.

• Acrylic painters: Painting Medium: Bring along a small spritzer water bottle and a portable container of Polymer Gloss medium. This will give you options to thin the paint or create glazes.

• Oil painters: Alkyd medium: such as Liquin for thinning and speeding up the drying time or Alkyd butter to maintain the body of paint. You may wish to bring your usual odourless solvent but it will need to be stored in a lidded container.

• Painting supports: A pad of real canvas in sheet form or Birch panels or canvas boards or stretched canvases, i.e. 8x10 or 9x12 or 11x14 or 12x16 or 16x20 according to your needs. Bring a variety to give you choices.

• Assorted brushes: Bring along your usual choices but be sure to bring both nylon and some natural bristle brushes. You do not need to bring ALL the sizes listed below. Perhaps choose a minimum of two flats (#2,#4,#6,#8), a filbert (#2,#4,#6), an angle #3 or ¼”, #6 or ½” , a larger bristle or nylon flat ¾” or 1” brush for big passages, and a bristle round #6 or #8 for soft edge clouds, a bristle small fan brush #000 or #00, and a nylon liner #1 or a rigger #1, a couple of small rounds for detail work such as #1,#2 or #4.

• Portable telescoping easel and folding chair. I always bring a thin, flat memory foam cushion from the dollar store for extra comfort and a warm butt!

• Rags: J cloths or reusable cloth, paper towels, wet wipes for quick clean ups. I usually bring a plastic zip lock bag to put my used rags to keep them from getting paint everywhere! Pack it in and pack it out.

• Water and containers: 2-3 bottles of water for you and one for cleaning your brushes! I usually bring two yogurt containers and place my water bottle inside it so it doesn’t tip over! The dirty water is around it. If you have a small portable brush washing basin then of course bring that if you want.

• Clothing: Comfortable, layered and lightweight for ease of movement, A polar fleece vest or jacket just in case it gets cool, a hat, sunscreen, raincoat and bug spray just in case!

• Drawing Sketchbook: A small sketchbook for making thumbnails with a graphite 2B or 4B pencil, or grey toned markers.

• Small Portable Watercolour set for making quick studies in colour on location should you desire to do so.

• A small backpack or bag for your gear. Travel as light as possible!

• Bring your childlike sense of wonder and be brave to try new things!