Register for my July-Aug Plein Air Painting Class

Fridays, July 11. 18, 25, and August 1 and 8. From 11-2 pm at Various East Bay Regional parks

Spend five Fridays painting au plein air at several beautiful outdoor locations. Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced painting student, you'll enjoy discovering beginner-friendly painting spots, and improving your technique in the company of new friends. You'll receive much or as little feedback as you desire. Use the media of your choice. We'll spend one session at each painting location, so that students can have sufficient time to complete a painting.

A Typical Session

We will get together promptly at 11:00 AM so please arrive at 10:30. More experienced students may choose to scout a spot and and begin painting immediately. I will help you pick a spot that matches your abilities if you are a beginner. Everyone is welcome to join me as I demonstrate topics related to outdoor painting in a variety of media (watercolor, gouache, oil or acrylic) for a total of 20-30 minutes. Then, individual painting begins and I offer as much or as little assistance as you need as I make the rounds. Here is a list of favorite topics:

  • How to begin a plein air painting

  • Composition basics

  • Thinking in layers

  • Mixing California summer colors

  • How to avoid overpainting

  • How much detail to include (when do you know you are done)

  • Expressive brushwork

By 11:45 everyone will be painting. Bring a lunch you can eat on the go. Students who don’t feel they will finish by 2:00 pm are welcome to take a photo and continue at home. We will continue painting until 1:45 pm, when we will meet to celebrate our accomplishments and share your work.

Where will we go?

Locations may change depending if a heat wave or extremely cold & windy weather is announced. Below is a menu from which we will choose five locations. Detailed instructions will be emailed two days before our painting dates. Always check your email!

  • Upper Alvarado Park, Richmond. Park at the end of Crest View and hug the hills as you walk up a shaded path that lets you see the bay. No bathrooms but plenty of privacy!

  • Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Not the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. This one is free and located at 1550 Wildcat Canyon Rd. Parking lot is to your right, across the road. Directions We will go here if there is a heat wave.

  • Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. A ten min easy hike through the trees is the only way to see Sibley’s crater views, framed by golden hills. There is some shade but no bathrooms.

  • Point Richmond Outer Loop Trail. Right next to the Golden Bear transfer station in Richmond is a completely flat trail that allows you to see the marsh up close. There are many benches, but no shade or bathrooms.

  • Point Molate Lagoon. The lagoon may be dry in July, but that does not take away the quiet beauty of these parts. Shaded, and very little walking required but no bathrooms.

  • Point San Pablo Harbor. The food has greatly improved with the arrival of the Sailing Goat. Lots of choices, from hills, to the harbor, to the structures on it. There are bathrooms and running water, yay!

  • Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden in case of a heat wave. Not the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. This one is free and located at 1550 Wildcat Canyon Rd. Parking lot is to your right, across the road. Directions We will go here if there is a heat wave.

How To Pay

This class is sold as a package of five sessions that cannot be prorated. Please consider that you will not be reimbursed if you miss a session. The fee is $275. Spots are reserved at the time of payment.

  • Checks are welcome. Just email me and I will send you my address.

  • I prefer if you use the register button below and pay with your credit card.

  • Paypal and Venmo charge me a fee, but if you don’t have another way, look me up: Rebeca Garcia-González

Cancellation and Refund Policy
Only enroll after you are sure you can take all five classes, or buy the package with the understanding that there are no refunds for classes not taken. $50 for each lost session will be reimbursed to you, if wildfire smoke is forecast and air quality becomes “unhealthy for sensitive groups” at our painting location.

I will make every effort to accommodate your needs, but please keep in mind that when you cancel last minute I am often unable to find another person to take your spot. Full refunds for workshops and classes are made up to five business days before the first day of instruction, upon receipt of an email request. A 50% refund will be given if request is made less than five business days before the first day of instruction. You can also find someone else to take the class in your place and have them pay you.

After You Enroll

You will get:

  • An email with the password for enrolled students to access a page with the class details

  • A week before class starts you’ll get an email with last minute instructions

  • On the first day of class you’ll get an invitation to Classroom, the online space where you can access all of the resources that complement this class.

Questions?

If you need to get a question answered in order to decide whether to enroll, please email me.