Sold out, but please email me to join the waiting list. Folks' plans change!

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A group of artists and learners has been meeting weekly via Zoom since summer of 2020 when Covid shut the world down. We have met on Wednesday evenings via Zoom more than 250 times, and become something of a community! In what might turn out to be a tradition (the 2025 edition is the second time we're doing it) we are dedicating a weekend to being together "In Real Life" for in-person learning and fun activities with friends we've made during the five years we've nurtured this community. 

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Weekend headquarters is the Connie Hansen Garden (1931 NW 33rd St, Lincoln City, OR 97367). The actual classroom is in the former residence (and we will need to squeeze a little to get us all in), which is surrounded by a glorious garden that is now a conservancy managed by dedicated volunteer gardeners. It is truly a gem of a location, and will give us inspiration and material from which to work.

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As we're meeting in a garden, so there will be a mild emphasis on botanical subject matter this year. (I've also had folks requesting info on illustrating fish and other shiny critters, and we're going to the aquarium, so we can spend some time on that as well.)

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This weekend is only open to folks who have attended workshops with me. (That includes people who might have become part of our learning community in the last few months.) It's action-packed but you absolutely don't have to participate in every session, outing and social event.

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(There are 15 spots available. If we suddenly have a lot more demand than that, let's consider scheduling another weekend for overflow. The space we're in this year just won't accommodate more than 15.)​​ 

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In preparation for the weekend, if you would like, please prepare one botanical drawing to bring with you. If you have a project you're working on, please feel free to bring it, regardless of subject matter. I'm happy to offer help and advice, especially during the individual portfolio reviews.

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Schedule

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Friday, Aug. 15 

• Arrive by 6pm - Group dinner, overview of weekend

• 7:30-9pm - Individual portfolio review*

 

Saturday, Aug. 16

• 8-10am - Hostetler Park bird walk with Seven Capes Bird Alliance. Not particularly strenuous, but we will walk on unpaved pathways and probably on a boardwalk. Binoculars and a couple of experienced Seven Capes bird walk hosts included! A botanical themed weekend definitely requires some inclusion of birds as they make great garden-related subject matter.

• 10-11am - Head over to the Connie Hansen Garden for docent introduction and tour. 

• 11am-Noon - Introduction to botanical sketching: warm-ups, measured drawing, observation skills, etc. 

• Noon-1pm - Catered lunch 

• 1-5pm - More on botanical illustration including focusing on technical tips on shapes, rendering form and composition. Mini-tutorials as needed, we can keep a running list. You can work in graphite, pen and ink, colored pencil or watercolor. Feel free to work in the garden as well, if you want a more "nature sketching" experience. I'll circulate and offer assistance.

• 5-6pm - Free time

• 6pm - Group dinner

• 7:30-9pm - Individual portfolio review*

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Sunday, Aug. 17

• 7:45-10:30am - Oregon Coast Aquarium visit/nature sketching. We will have the aquarium to ourselves until 10. The aquarium is an Oregon coast gem, with extensive exhibits of live animals including invertebrates, fishes, aquatic mammals and birds. I'll circulate to help with your sketching. We will meet at 7:45 at the OCCC north campus parking lot to carpool to Newport (about 40 minutes). We'll depart at about 10:20, back to the Connie Hansen Garden.

• 11:15am-Noon - Tutorial and exercises on illustrating fish and other shiny aquatic creatures.

• Noon-1pm - Catered lunch

• 1-2pm - Color theory in botanical illustration, focusing on watercolor pigment characteristics, how to make color work for botanical illustration (watercolor and colored pencil - layer, layer, layer!), etc.

• 2-5pm - Open-ended creative time to work on your preferred subject matter and in your preferred medium (graphite, pen and ink, colored pencil, or watercolor). I'll circulate to offer individual tips and advice, and we'll also work mini-tutorials as subject matter suggests and based on your needs. You could work on a project you started, or brought with you. You could work on something inspired by the garden or the aquarium. If inspiration hasn't hit you, I'll have suggestions of projects for you, including reference photos. If there's something you want to work on, and you need my help with planning and reference photos, please let me know in advance. I will bring taxidermy birds and an articulated bird skeleton or two, if you'd like to work with those.  

• 5-6pm - Free time

• 6pm - Farewell group dinner

• 7:30-9pm - Individual portfolio review*

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Registration includes all classes, use of the Connie Hansen Garden classroom, the birding and aquarium visit and catered lunches. We can make coffee and tea in the facility's kitchen, and put a few items in the refrigerator. Lodging, transportation and group dinners are not included.​​

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A few more items of interest:

 

1. Padlet. In order to encourage you to finish what you started during the weekend, I'll host a Padlet where you can post your work after the IRL weekend, and I and other members of the group can give you feedback and offer suggestions.

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2. Here's a link to my materials page – what you bring is up to you, this is just for you to get some ideas on investing in yet more art supplies...

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​3. ​New this year! Do you have art supplies that you tried but didn't like, and now they're just taking up limited storage space and cluttering up your life? Bring your surplus art supplies, let's see if somebody else in our group can make use of them! (Items that are left over will be donated to Goodwill.)

 

*A portfolio review is an opportunity to bring 5-10 current pieces of artwork that we can look at and discuss what things you'd like to get better at doing and what would be a good strategy for acquiring the skills you need. 

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