Come learn how to add a variety of atmospheres to city, land and marine scenes painted in watercolor. This 3-day workshop will focus on developing a vision for your paintings, simplifying and improving the subject, learning watercolor techniques used to create atmosphere, and more. General art topics are covered, including composition, values, edges and color choices. The workshop includes daily demonstrations, discussion and individual student attention. Reference photos provided, students can also bring their own. Experienced beginners to advanced students welcome. Experienced Beginners should have some experience using watercolor with a basic understanding of how it works.
 
Location: Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin
Instructor: Judy Mudd
Cost: $375
Sponsor: River Arts Inc
Website, email, 608-643-5215

Looking for ways to progress on your artistic journey? Join other motivated pastel artists in this four-day workshop as you challenge yourself to explore creating paintings from your unique landscape photographs. Emphasis is placed on building skills and finding approaches that best assist you to give form to your vision. Through demonstrations, numerous examples, and one-on-one discussions, Colette provides individualized instruction keyed to your intent. The four days are loaded with lots of painting time, tips, techniques, and supportive group critiques to guide your next steps beyond the workshop setting. Previous pastel experience is required for this workshop.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Colette Odya Smith, www.ColetteOdyaSmith.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Friday mornings are set aside for drop-in art making for children ages 4 to 12. Participants explore the world of plein air painting and learn new techniques through hands-on activities. No pre-registration required. Cost is $15 per person and includes all materials.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Cost: $15
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Designed for painters of all levels and media, this workshop moves beyond local color to investigate how an imaginative approach to your palette can result in landscape paintings that are expressive and readable. Beginning with the nuts and bolts of value and color, complete a series of small exercises that strengthen your observation and drawing skills, introduce you to color theory and color harmonies, and dive into emotional associations of color. On the second day, begin working on a larger landscape painting of your choosing, using underpainting, contrast, expressive color, and color interaction to create the mood you want to evoke. The workshop concludes with a group critique. Open to all levels and all paint media.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Shannon Estlund, ShannonEstlund.com
Cost: Members: $225, Non-Members: $250
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Build upon your foundation in soft pastels in this four-day workshop. With an emphasis on layering, learn how to draw on sanded paper and take advantage of its unique ability to hold lots of color. The first day begins with a refresher of the basics, using a technique from the 1600s to build a painting from a tonal sketch to the final strokes of color. The following three days are devoted to colored underpainting. Discuss the color effects used by the Impressionists, including fragmenting color and optical blending, and gain hands-on practice applying those techniques to your work. Leave this workshop with confidence in the handling of materials, use of color, and interpretation of light. Previous pastel experience is required.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Dan Mackerman, DanMackerman.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Capture images and memories in a personal manner as you learn how to create and use a plein air journey sketchbook for your travels near and far. Put aside expectations and let your hand record what you see; unleashing your creative spirit to explore new media, ideas, and possibilities. Discover how your journey sketchbook can be a springboard for creating new works in the studio. Spend half of each day outdoors using a variety of art tools and prompts, including viewfinders, value sketches, vignettes, sketch walks, 10-minute images, written recordings, and more, to fill your journey sketchbook. Use pencil, watercolor, ink pens, and watercolor pencils for your plein air work. The second half of each day is spent in the studio.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Kate Borcherding
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Start outside painting plein air, then move into a studio setting to work out composition and design. The beginner and advanced-level student is welcome; attendees should have a basic knowledge of painting and drawing. Enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior, healthy, locally-sourced meals and retreat amenities, all in peaceful surroundings in the woods and on the water, Lodging packages available.
 
Location: Bayfield, Wisconsin
Instructor: Kim Casebeer
Cost: $675
Sponsor: Wild Rice Retreat
Website, email, 715-779-0178

Discover new photographic possibilities while immersing yourself in the scenic landscape of Door County. Whether you’re new to the medium or a seasoned photographer looking to enhance your skill set, this workshop explores how to interpret and respond to a variety of lighting conditions, control unfavorable situations, and prepare for the moment when beautiful natural light occurs. Through a balanced curriculum of studio instruction, group discussion, daily explorations in the field, and out-of-class assignments, core photographic principles are reinforced and new technical and conceptual skills developed. Leave this workshop with confidence shooting in a variety of environments and lighting situations. Open to all levels. A DSLR camera is required for this workshop.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Travis Roozée, www.TravisRoozee.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Discover how quick studies made using basic drawing and watercolor supplies can enrich your studio practice. Create small works that document the places and moments around you before returning to the studio to reinterpret and expand upon those observations through larger, more finished paintings. This workshop begins with an overview of materials and best practices for small, quick studies. Beginning students are introduced to the process and tools of watercolor, while more advanced students head out into the Door County landscape to create their first works in the “travel spirit”. The rest of the week alternates between dedicated time to document places of inspiration and time in the studio creating new works based on your studies. Open to all levels.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Brian Frink, www.BrianFrink.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

During this retreat, outdoor experiences in local, natural areas take you through important steps to enriching your photographs in the natural world as you find yourself less focused on objects and things and more on the magic of moments and essence of places. Enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior, healthy locally-sourced meals, and retreat center amenities, all in peaceful surroundings in the woods and on the water. Lodging packages available.
 
Location: Bayfield, Wisconsin
Instructor: Eddie Soloway
Cost: $650
Sponsor: Wild Rice Retreat
Website, email, (715) 779-0178

Explore the natural beauty of Door County with brush in hand in this workshop focused on the creation of small plein air studies. Learn how to see your subject more clearly, create compositions that are structurally sound, mix accurate color, and work efficiently and confidently. Through demonstrations, painting time, individualized instruction, and group feedback, Bethann shares a new set of skills each day, including how to select a composition, capture light, and develop nuanced brushwork. As a bonus, one night, join Bethann in painting a nocturn study. Expect to leave this workshop with at least three alla prima studies from each day, a pile of notes from demonstrations and critiques, and a sense of accomplishment that carries your practice forward.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Bethann Moran-Handzlik
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Delve into the unique characteristics of pastel in this two-day workshop designed for beginners. Learn about the tools and materials specific to pastel and build confidence in using them. The first day begins with a presentation of the history of pastel and examples of artist’s work from 1600 to present day, followed by an introduction to the different types of pastels and pastel papers. Gain hands-on practice through guided exploration of mark making, layering, and color mixing. The second day addresses how to start a pastel painting using a line stroke or side stroke and creating a sense of space and volume. Plenty of time is dedicated to drawing from landscape photo references with individualized instruction from Laverne throughout.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Laverne Bohlin, www.LaverneBohlinArt.com
Cost: Members: $225, Non-Members: $250
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Success in watercolor has deep roots in mindset. When you are in the midst of a wash, whether controlled, free, or anything in between, the key ingredient is managing your mindset by redefining results as opportunities to be enhanced and any issues as puzzles to be solved. Explore watercolor’s full potential by using a photograph’s essence as a reference to be captured, rather than copied. Each day, work toward completing a series of remarkable scenes with Steve as your guide. More importantly, build skills in mastering a watercolor mindset that serves you well for a lifetime of painting. This workshop consists of demonstrations and discussions done throughout the day as challenges arise, and plenty of hands-on practice. All levels welcome.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Steve Puttrich, www.StevePuttrich.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Broaden your language of painting by exploring new methods of working with oil and cold wax medium. In this workshop, you are encouraged to experiment and add unique texture, mark-making, and layering to your process to create surfaces that are rich, complex, and engaging. While demonstrations introduce a variety of techniques, the majority of class time is reserved for hands-on experimentation through prompts and individually driven explorations. Mark provides one-on-one critiques to help connect group exercises with each student’s unique goals. Demonstrations and examples are landscape-based, however artists with a focus on abstraction or other imagery are welcome.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Mark Russell, MarkRussellStudio.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

For the artist, the forest is a peaceful retreat of dancing shadow. In this two-day workshop, venture into the forest with your easel and capture the play of light and shadow during the early autumn color change. Learn how to see the forest as broad areas of value and color opposed to overwhelmingly complex information with Kyle’s guidance. Kyle presents a process to paint the large masses and shapes first, which acts as a foundation to place your dappled light onto. Discuss modern color theory, including the strengths and limitations of modern organic pigments, mineral pigments, and earth pigments. Plenty of time is dedicated to hands-on practice with Kyle available for individualized instruction. Open to oil and acrylic painters.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Kyle Martin, Kyle-Martin.blogspot.com
Cost: Members: $225, Non-Members: $250
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Using Door County’s scenic towns as a backdrop, hone your skills in sketching structures and street scenes with a simple set of portable tools in this four-day workshop. Leave this workshop with new techniques and strategies to create more interesting compositions in any setting. Through demonstrations and discussions, Ann shares pen and ink and watercolor techniques, how to zoom in on the most important elements for dynamic compositions, and how to achieve convincing, yet simple perspective in the field. Plenty of one-on-one assistance is provided. An encouraging critique closes each day. Expect to work outside as much as possible, weather permitting.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Ann Thomas, AnnThomasIllustration.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Using the colors of the autumn season as your muse, learn how to compose and edit a landscape composition, mix brilliant fall colors, and create transitional color movement. Capture the essence of the landscape by painting shapes and values and eliminating excess detail. Use the concepts of value, intensity, and color temperature to problem-solve, develop, and complete your paintings. Each morning begins with a demonstration designed to highlight the concept of the day. The first day includes a step-by-step painting to guide you through the process. Spend the rest of each day gaining hands-on practice painting trees, rocks, water, and other landscape elements. Individualized instruction is provided throughout the week to help you build confidence in the watercolor medium.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Catherine Hearding, www.CHearding.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Discover the magic of one of the earliest photographic processes – the cyanotype. Explore the local terrain, collecting and using objects from the landscape to create cameraless images, as well as capturing conventional lens-based photographic images using your digital camera. Emphasis is placed on experimentation in this hands-on workshop. This workshop balances time in the field and time in the studio. Learn the fundamentals of contact printing, including preparing chemistry, paper, and digital negatives. Edit and prepare files for digital negatives and use both the sun and an exposure unit to create cyanotype prints. Demonstrations, discussions, and individualized instruction address technical, formal, and conceptual concerns. This workshop requires a digital camera and laptop with Photoshop. Open to all levels.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Tomiko Jones, TomikoJonesPhoto.com
Cost: Members: $480, Non-Members: $520
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455

Pastel is an intuitive medium with a wide range of possibilities. Explore color, mark-making, and technical application in this four-day workshop focused on the landscape as subject. Learn the importance of composition, accurate values, and confident linework. Demonstrations introduce you to the different types of pastel, paper options, application methods, and other technical information, while hands-on work puts these concepts into practice. Personal exploration is emphasized throughout the process. Break for critiques each day to better understand the bigger picture of composition, value, color, and mark-making. Bring a selection of personal photo references of the landscape. Open to all levels.
 
Location: Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Instructor: Tara Will, www.TaraWill.com
Cost: Members: $450, Non-Members: $490
Sponsor: Peninsula School of Art
Website, email, (920) 868-3455