Plein Air Painting Workshop

The Howard County Arts Council will hold a three-day plein air workshop July 6–8, 2012 in conjunction with its juried plein air event, Paint It! Ellicott City. The workshop will run from 9am–12pm each day. Participants will be guided through the basics of outdoor painting in the morning, then have the opportunity to take their newfound skills to the streets of Ellicott City and paint alongside other Paint It! artists in the afternoon. At the end of the weekend, workshop participants’ art will be included in the Open Paint Artists exhibit at the Arts Council and later at the Howard County Tourism Welcome Center. The workshop will be led by three-time Paint It! Ellicott City juried artist, Heather Leatherman, who was awarded an Honorable Mention in 2011’s exhibit. She is a graduate of MICA and currently a Howard County high school art instructor.

Presented by the Arts Council, Howard County Tourism, and Howard County Public Schools, Paint It! Ellicott City is a three-day plein air paint-out taking place in Ellicott City’s historic district. The juried painters, along with artists from the community registered as “open paint-out” participants, will set up their easels for three days to paint the picturesque mill town.

The weekend’s artwork will be exhibited at the Howard County Center for the Arts beginning July 9. The juried artists will be featured in HCAC’s Gallery I through August 17; open paint-out artists’ work will be displayed in the Center’s lobby on reception night, then moved to the new Howard County Tourism Welcome Center in Ellicott City through the end of July. Artists and visitors may view and purchase the finished pieces during the free opening reception on July 9 from 6-8PM, when the juror will hand out awards to the artists.

The cost of the workshop is $150, with a discounted price of $135 for current Arts Council members. The workshop is open to ages 14–adult.

To learn more about this and other HCAC programs, visit www.hocoarts.org or call 410-313-ART (2787).