Have you always wanted to create a large scale painting “en plein air” and didn’t know where to start? Join award-winning painter and owner of Jackson Art, Melanie Levitt for a fun plein air class where we will PAINT BIG outside on location. (16x20" to 24x36” or bigger)  We will capture the beautiful White Mountain landscape on a large scale in one go, or “alla prima.”

The class will start with demo on how to plan a large painting by doing small studies first to work out your composition, value and color. These studies are important  and will help make your painting stronger. We will spend day one planning out our big painting by doing up to four small studies in both black and white and color.

On day two students will use their smaller studies and the scene in front of them to create a large scale painting. (somewhere between 16x20-24x36” or bigger) and complete the painting on location using large brushes and big piles of paint.

Melanie will do a demo of a 24x36” large scale painting using a  brush, palette knife and a wedge shape tool to apply paint in an expressive way. Students will learn how to create a strong composition, create value in their painting, block in big shapes first,  learn about color mixing with  a limited palette and how to create energetic marks to move the viewer through the painting. After the demo, Melanie will work with students one on one at the easel at their level. She will encourage students to work quickly to capture the scene in a short amount of time.

Class size is limited to 12 people to allow for lots of individual attention. All levels welcome.Melanie will be working in oils but students can also use open acrylics or water based oils.

Saturday & Sunday, August 30 & 31,  $325,  9am-4pm

Cancellation Policy: We ask that you to give us three weeks notice if you need to cancel for a full refund minus a $50 cancellation fee. Cancellations should be made by phone by calling (603) 387-3463. This provides us the opportunity to fill the space. We are sorry, but we cannot give refunds or issue credits for missed classes or no shows.  

Students will learn how to:

-Paint big outside on location in a short amount of time all in one go, “alla prima.”

-Use larger amounts of  paint and build up the painting in layers from thin to thick

-Use other tools  in addition  to the brush like the palette knife and  wedge shape tools to apply paint.

-Use a limited color palette of paint to achieve color harmony

-Distill the important information from the landscape and simplify it.

-Work quickly to cover the canvas and save detail for last.

-Stain the canvas to give your painting a sense of light from the get-go.

-Work in greyscale first to help understand value

-Be outdoors  and have fun taking in the landscape 

SUPPLY LIST:

Please bring at least TWO canvases or canvas boards. (I like to use Ampersand Gessoboard available at Dick Blick or Cheap Joes) A cheaper option is to use masonite board cut to size from the hardware store and use a few coats of gesso on it. Or you can use canvas and purchase from Michaels.

Day One you will need a 16x20” canvas or board and a roll of masking tape to tape off four equal sized rectangles for our painted studies.

Day Two you will need a large canvas or board between 16x20” to  24x36” for our large-scale painting. (A little bigger is fine too)

A sturdy easel (studio or plein air easel) to accommodate a  large canvas or board along with a large mixing area at least 12x16.” You can mix on glass, wood or large disposable palette paper. Make sure you have a large space to mix on. I use a “Take it Easel” which is a Gloucester type easel and a large palette box for mixing. A full box French Easel is also a suitable option for canvases up to 24x30”

Note: We have studio easels and small folding tables for rent for $30 for the weekend that can accommodate a large canvas and a small fold-up table for your palette and supplies. If you would like to rent, please let me know and you can pick up the morning of the class. 

PAINT: Artist Grade Paint 150ml tubes or larger.  I use mostly Gamblin brand. Bring what you like or what you have but bring larger tubes.

For a minimal palette bring colors marked with *. I use other colors listed too.

*Titanium White (you need double the amount of white) 

*Cadmium Yellow Light or Lemon Yellow (or other cool yellow)

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Cadmium Orange

*Cadmium Red Light (or other warm red) 

*Alizerin Crimson (or other cool red)

*Ultramarine Blue

Phthalo Blue (or Cerulean Blue)

*Small tube of Black  (for our value studies) 

Other optional colors I use:

-Phthalo Green (or viridian green) 

-Yellow Ochre

-Dioxine Purple

-Quinacridone Magenta

-Transparent Red Oxide

Bristle Brushes: I mostly use Flats but you can also bring rounds or filberts size 2,4,6,8,10,12. You can also bring brushes from the hardware store 1” to 4” 

*Optional Wedge Tool  (you can buy on Amazon for under $10) Princeton Catalyst Tool for Texturizing and Moving Paint, Wedge- Grey) 

Palette knife  (about a 2-3” length blade) with a pointed tip and bent neck. 

Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits for oils along with a can. (Or can of water for acrylics) 

Solvent free Gel, Liquin or other medium for oils (bring a medium if using acrylic)and a cup to hold your medium if needed. Make sure cup is large enough to dip a large brush into.

Lots of paper towels. (I like to use Viva)

Bags for trash

Nitrile Gloves to protect hands

Optional umbrella to block sun. I ordered mine on Amazon. Wondershade Ultimate Portable Sun Shade Umbrella for Instant Lightweight and Adjustable Sun Protection - Blue

Bug spray

Sunscreen

Dress in layers

Water bottle, lunch (or one can be picked up during break)

Stool or chair to sit on when watching demos

Melanie Barash Levitt graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1990. She currently resides in Jackson, NH with her husband and is the owner of Jackson Art Studio & Gallery. Melanie is an award winning artist who paints in a loose, impressionistic style with a brush or a palette knife in oils. As a plein air artist, Levitt paints outside on location braving the elements to capture the mood of the scene.

Her favorite subjects are the mountains, rivers and the small farms of NH and the rugged coasts of Maine. Her artwork resides is in the home of many collectors through the US, Canada and Europe. She exhibits her work in galleries and shows throughout NH, ME, VT and NY and has been featured in Boston Chronicle (WCBV TV, ABC), NH Chronicle (WMUR 9), and has been published in various newspapers and magazines.

She also has received awards for her paintings in regional shows and juried events and is a member of the Salmagundi Club in NYC.