The Landgrove Inn
, Landgrove, Vermont
United States

8/15/2027 - 8/20/2027

Plein Air to Studio in Vermont

About the event

"My plein air pieces are studies of color and light in the landscape - they are an observation and a record of my experience in that moment and intersection of time. Often, I use those studies in the studio as inspiration and information to create a larger studio piece."

Kami Mendlik grew up painting the rivers, fields and roses of her family’s Minnesota farm — and color has been her obsession ever since. A classically trained landscape painter and author of “Color Relativity,” she founded the St. Croix River School of Painting. Over four days in the Green Mountains, she’ll teach you to see and mix color with new clarity.

Focus: Using a plein air painting as information and inspiration in the studio.

 From the Artist

In this workshop, we will begin the first morning with students watching me paint ‘en plein air’ as I demonstrate how I capture the essential elements of color, light, and shapes, while I work from life. We will then move into the studio, and I’ll be using that plein air study to demonstrate how I use the piece along with a photo reference of the scene to paint a larger studio piece

Preparation for class:

You will need both a plein air painting that you painted along with its photo reference of the scene to go along with it. This is recommended but I realize not everyone will feel confident with your plein air work to do so. I suggest trying. However, if you do not have what you consider a strong plein air piece, I will supply photo references for you to paint from. You will benefit from learning this method to create strong studio landscapes either way

What to expect in class:

You will learn Kami’s method of graphing her photo reference and transferring that onto a larger studio canvas and learn how to use your plein air study as inspiration and color information in the studio. The reason this is so important is that photos simply do not capture accurate color resources necessary to create a strong authentic studio piece. One of the problems many painters have though, is not feeling confident or possibly understanding what is important to capture when we are out in the field. So often painters are just focusing on making a ‘good’ painting and not focusing on color averages and shapes. You will spend the week on learning my steps to achieving success on your studio landscape canvas and will leave with one larger painting. I suggest sizes between 12x16, 14x18, or 16x20. You decide your comfort level.

Prerequisite to participate in class:

I now hold a prerequisite to study with me in person. The reason is so that you come prepared and it elevates all who participate. The more prepared you arrive, the more you will get out of our time together. And my goal is to help you with your painting dreams and goals and not waste time! We can do this!

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