Plein Air Landscapes in Oil with Paul Pietsch

Plein Air Landscapes in Oil with Paul Pietsch

Short Class | Available

Intermediate
7/3/2026-7/24/2026
1:00 PM-4:00 PM EDT on Fri
$250.00

Plein Air Landscapes in Oil with Paul Pietsch

Short Class | Available

Through this four-week course students with previous painting experience will develop their plein-air painting skills as they work at various locations within Washington, DC. (Not all locations will be Metro accessible and some will require walking on unpaved surfaces.)

Students will hone their perceptual and interpretive abilities as they distill the impossible complexity of a summer landscape into clear and personal painterly statements. Students will learn through guided instruction, demonstrations, and individual and group critiques, focusing on composition, light and color, mark-making, confident revisions, texture, and the structure plastic space.

A limited color palette is sufficient, but students may use additional colors as they wish. A portable easel is required. 

  • Painting Surfaces

    • 5 painting surfaces—stretched canvases, wood boards or watercolor paper, all prepared with primer and gesso or just gesso—each between 8" x 10" and 16" x 20"

    Palette

    • One flat palette 11”x14” or larger in size. Students may use a wood, paper, or glass palette. (Do not buy a plastic palette or a palette segmented into multiple smaller palettes.)

    Brushes

    Students may use a range of hog-hair and/or nylon brushes, but should at minimum have the following brushes:
    • 1 bright brush, size #8, #10 or #12
    • 1 flat brush, size #8, #10 or #12
    • 1 round brush, size #8 or #10
    • 1 filbert brush, size #8 or #10

    Paint

    Students should have at least one tube (37ml or 40ml) of each color:
    • Ivory Black
    • Titanium White, Zinc White, and/or Flake White
    • “Warm” yellow: E.g., Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Deep
    • “Cool” yellow: Cadmium Lemon, Hansa Yellow Light, Cadmium Yellow Light, or Bismuth Yellow Light
    • “Warm” Red: E.g., Cadmium Red Light, Naphthol Red, Perylene Red, Pyrrole Red or Winsor Red
    • “Cool” Red: E.g., Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Red, Cadmium Red Deep,
    • French Ultramarine Blue
    • Viridian

    Additional optional colors include:
    • Burnt Sienna
    • Raw Sienna
    • Raw Umber
    • Venetian Red
    • Transparent Red Oxide
    • Cerulean Blue

    Solvent
    • Gamblin's Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits (no turpentine or other mineral spirits allowed due to hazardous fumes)
    • Two shatter-proof jars (16oz or larger) with a secure lid for the Gamsol.

    Other Necessary Supplies
    • Travel easel
    • Palette knife
    • Viewfinder
    • Bar soap or dish detergent for washing brushes
    • A bag or other container for transporting supplies
    • 1 roll of paper towels

    Optional Supplies
    • Apron/smock
    • Nitrile/latex/vinyl gloves
    • Notebook (any size)
    • Travel stool

Paul Pietsch

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