Due to COVID-19 this workshop will be rescheduled. Watch for new registration information or sign up to my mailing list to receive updates.
It’s quiet here. It’s almost always quiet. And the light is like nowhere else on earth. Welcome to a Painting in Paradise workshop, two days of painting in Laureen Marchand’s cozy home studio, in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, near Grasslands National Park, discovering how your paintings can shine with light.
No matter what kind of artist you are, painting is all about light. We don’t see without light, and in the real world light is what gives life meaning. It’s also what gives your paintings meaning. Unless paintings have light, they’re flat, without mood, and less interesting than they could be.
But how is light in painting created? It isn’t enough to vary its relative darkness, or to add white. Hue alone won’t do it, or saturation, or brightness. But used in relationship with each other, the essential characteristics of colour can be used to bring new life to everything you create.
From June 13 to 14, 2020, artists of any level, from beginners to experienced, will find inspiration and learn new ways of working with painted light during a weekend workshop with well-known Saskatchewan artist and teacher Laureen Marchand. This workshop is designed to adapt to each individual’s needs, and Laureen will help participants communicate their own vision and particular challenges. There will be plenty of time for one-to-one interaction with your instructor.
The weekend, beginning at 9:30 am on Saturday morning, June 13, and continuing to 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, June 14, will concentrate on bringing your own unique personality and gifts to your creation of art. Initial direction will be given with regard to subject matter. If you also have specific subjects you want to use, such as objects, photographs, or ideas, please bring them. Whether you want to try a new medium or delve more deeply into a familiar one, you’ll be at home.
Laureen’s home studio, private and quiet, is located in the village of Val Marie, next to Grasslands National Park. Coffee, tea, water, kitchen facilities and a fridge for storage will be provided. We’ll go out for lunch on both days, to Val Marie’s charming coffee bar, the Tumbleweeds Cafe. In the evening, Val Marie has one restaurant, in the Val Marie Hotel, offering good and reasonably priced Chinese and Canadian cuisine. (Lunches and dinner are not included in the workshop fee.) Weather and interest permitting, we can go for a short hike in Grasslands National Park after Saturday’s session.
Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Gateway to Grasslands National Park, is set in an extraordinary landscape of rolling hills, dry coulees, flat-topped buttes, a river valley, starry skies, and dramatic weather. Though we will paint indoors, the beautiful hills, with the beautiful creatures who live there, are available for hiking, photography, and inspiring views. Val Marie is 120 km south of Swift Current, 400 km west and south of Saskatoon, and 365 km west and south of Regina.
Accommodation is available at the Convent Inn, a few minutes from the workshop site. Rooms and bathrooms are sparkling clean and a delicious home-cooked breakfast is included. Each room has a sink and bathrooms are shared, with sufficient bathrooms to make this easy. Please make your own booking at http://www.convent.ca. Note that during the winter, reservations are available by email only (not by phone) at conventinn@sasktel.net.
Class size: Registration is limited. Please book early.
Materials: Oils or acrylics are recommended. Participants will provide their own materials and supplies. A suggested materials list will be provided on registration. Sessions will be held classroom style with participants working on tables. If you require special personal equipment such as easels, extra lights, etc, these should be brought with you.
Workshop fee: $180. A non-refundable deposit of $75 will secure your place. The remainder is due by May 30.
To book: Email laureenartist@gmail.com and you’ll be sent an invoice, payable by major credit card or PayPal.
About Laureen Marchand: “I have taught studio classes at the university level, led a variety of artist retreat workshops both in Canada and Ireland, offered art class teaching on contract in many settings, taught in my home studio, acted as a mentor to other artists in the development of their careers, and led artist career workshops, for over 30 years. More than anything, I believe that each of us sees from our own personality and our own experience. My role as a teacher is to help develop that unique vision.”
And to help you enjoy your experience of travelling and painting, I’m delighted to offer Travelling for Art Retreats: Why and How, a guide to exactly that. Please click here and it’s yours.