If we engage in something as a beginner, experiencing an activity as if for the first time, then we are truly able to learn.  Come along on this journey as you explore the unique nature of pastel, one of the most versatile, spontaneous and permanent of all painting mediums.  Daily demonstrations will include how to begin, proceed with and finish a painting, how to achieve various painterly and drawing effects, and how to avoid and overcome common problems.  By working on specific exercises as well as complete paintings, you will improve fundamental drawing and painting skills, focusing on still life setups and elements of the landscape such as buildings, trees, flowers, skies and water.  You will learn how to create successful compositions from photos using perspective and simplified shapes, and how to work with color, values, light and shadows, with the goal of making successful and beautiful paintings.  As you work on your own paintings, Sandra will give ample personal attention and helpful suggestions to each student, encouraging the development of individual painting styles and personal ways of looking at the subject matter. Sandra will also discuss the different approaches and materials required for plein air painting. Weather permitting, the class will do some painting outdoors. 

Sandra Place received her formal art training at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Her work is inspired by nature and by foreign travels and cultures. She has taught studio and plein air workshops for over 30 years, including 20 years at The Clearing. She is a Signature Member of The Pastel Society of the West Coast and of Artists for Conservation, an international organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2017, her pastel of Heins Creek in Door County was selected to be part of the first International Exhibition of Artists for Conservation at the LanWan Art Museum in Qingdao, China. In addition to many national juried and invitational exhibitions and awards, Sandra has had over 20 solo gallery exhibitions. Her work is in national and international collections, including The Miller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and the Rahr-West Art Museum in her hometown of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It’s also featured in the juried books Celebrating Door County’s Wild Places, Artists for Conservation 2015 and Visions of Santa Fe: Photographers See The City Different. Sandra is represented by fine galleries in the West, and in Door County by The Paint Box Gallery in Ephraim and Clay Bay Pottery in Ellison Bay. Sandra lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.