In Person Workshops
Escape the studio and immerse yourself in the beauty of the outdoors with an in-person plein air workshop around the world. Designed for artists of all levels, these hands-on sessions will help you refine your skills while capturing the essence of nature. Discover new techniques, connect with fellow creatives, and transform your artistic perspective!
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Also, consider checking out my YouTube or Patreon for a preview of my teaching style to decide whether an in person workshop would be a good fit.
Current Workshops Scheduled:
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Workshops
Workshops in Partnerships with other Organizations
Lyme Academy, Connecticut
August 25-29. A five day intensive focused on landscape painting in conjunction with Lyme Academy. Step into the landscape that shapes American impressionism! This immersive workshop in historic old Lyme, connects 19th century academic training with the vibrant brushwork of impressionism and representational painting today.
My Teaching Philosophy
Hi! Nice to see you here. A little bit about myself, and specifically, my teaching philosophy. One of the earliest pieces of advice I received was “if you really wanna paint landscapes, you really outta learn to draw”. That just about set me straight and led me to studying figurative painting at the highest levels for four years.
Being in those dark studio walls for most of the year, I was constantly thinking about how the lessons of academic painting may translate to landscape painting. I never wanted to have to rely on any gimmicks or tricks on painting one subject. Thus, my focus was on deepening my understanding of what it means to paint from observation, and the principles needed to be able to paint anything we see.
I paint and teach a lot of different subjects - landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes… But no matter the subject, my approach remains rooted in the same philosophy. Painting is more than just a formulaic technique. It’s about opening eyes and seeing the world in new way. To me, realist painting is grounded in observation first, balancing conceptual knowledge in service to rather than overriding our vision, and learning how to think about what we see in new ways to improve, instead of spinning our wheels practicing the same rudimentary tools over and over again.
Whether you’re new to plein air painting or an experienced artist, I’m excited to share what I’ve learned and help you grow as a painter. There’s nothing quite like standing outside, brush in hand, and translating the fleeting beauty of a moment onto the canvas. I hope to see you in the field soon!
-Patrick
Workshop FAQs
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Each workshop tackles the foundational principles of painting from observation and painting en plein air in a way that is approachable for anyone! In the several days of painting, I try to give a thorough breakdown of painting process at every step.
So even if you are a beginner, I think a workshop can be really helpful. To quote the artist who I took my first plein air workshop with - right before I went into the academy - a good workshop “can save you YEARS of screwing around!”. I know it sure did for me, and now I try to pass it forward.
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Generally, my workshops are plein air workshops, where we paint outside. But depending on the location, they may be a mix of or exclusively about landscape painting, seascape painting, or cityscape painting. Check the details for any individual workshop to find out what’s in store!
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Unless specified, you can find my standard materials list here.
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Personally, I have little experience painting in watercolors or acrylic. While the fundamentals of painting are universal across media, I worry that I would not be as helpful. I also encourage that oils are not that scary, and are actually the easiest to learn!
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Typically, my workshops cover tuition only, not materials, room or board.
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Generally, these workshops are for adults. Please write for possible exceptions.
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Depending on the workshop, we may either have access to an indoor studio, a covered outdoor space, or will have a rain date of the next following day after the workshop is scheduled to end. if unused, the rain date serves as an uninstructed day of painting, together or separately, or exploring the local area. This is specified in each workshop.
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Workshops take time to plan, for myself and for others. To be able to plan your trip and explore feasibility stress free, you can register for any workshop and have 72 hours to cancel for a full refund, no questions asked.
After that, any requests for a refund shall take into account how long there is left until the workshop, whether it was filled, and whether I am able to fill the spot. If you are unsure whether you will be able to attend, I would encourage you to hold off on signing up for the workshop or ask for a preemptive waitlist, rather than signing up just in case.