Plein Air Oil Painting with Nancy Takaichi

Have you wanted to try painting landscapes on location, but didn’t know quite how to start? Have you been outside to paint before, but want to learn more? This class is for you!

“Plein Air” is the French term for painting in the open air, directly observing the light and shadows of elements in nature, and this course is geared for those who have painted a little before but never outside, through intermediate plein air painters.

In this 2-day workshop, students will start indoors at Colibri Gallery to learn about the essential gear, what to look for in a scene, and tools and methods to put the scene on canvas. Nancy will demonstrate and then everyone will be painting, starting with black and white thumbnail compositions and working our way to a limited palette painting using just the 3 primary colors and white. More experienced painters can try some of these steps, and move more quickly to a “split primary” palette (a warm and cool of each primary plus white)

The second day, we will go outdoors, location to be announced. Instructor Nancy Takaichi will demonstrate her technique of finding composition, blocking in shapes, and simplifying to get to the essence of the scene. She will touch on value, temperature and how to get a painting done, "alla prima"- all at once.

Students will paint on their own with one-on-one feedback from Nancy. The goal of this course is set you up to be confident painting outside. You will learn a process and as you do, you'll discover a connection with nature, fellow artists, and the unparalleled inspiration of painting directly from the source.

Dates: Fri. March 8, 2024 - Sat. March 9, 2024

NOTE: Sunday: 3/10 will serve as a back up day in case of bad weather Saturday.

Time: 9 am - 4pm

Fee: $325

Early Bird Fee: $300

Register by Tuesday, February 27, 2024 to take advantage of the Early Bird Rate.

Student Capacity:

Min: 6 | Max: 10

This Workshop Requires Pre-Registration. If the minimum required attendance is not met by Sat. March 2, 2024, class will be cancelled and/or rescheduled. Walk-ins are Prohibited.

Skill Level:

This workshop is an Intermediate to Advanced course.

- An Intermediate student has experience working with oil paints, mixing color, and has an understanding of composition.
- An Advanced student is one that paints proficiently and wants to learn more about painting on location or outside.

Materials: Nancy Takaichi Material's List

Day 1 [Friday, 3/8] will held indoors at Colibri Gallery | 17505 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Day 2 [Sat, 3/9] will be held outdoor. Location to be determined one week prior to workshop.

About the Artist:

Nancy Takaichi is a plein air painter based in San Jose, California. She holds a BA in painting from DePauw University in Indiana. She spent a semester in New York City as an apprentice to Jack Beal and Jane Frelicher in the late 70s. Upon graduating, she traveled cross-country to San Jose, CA, with the hopes of getting her MFA, and teach art while also maintaining her robust painting practice. However, life happened, where she found herself needing a job and made a 30-year career in event planning and marketing in Silicon Valley, while raising a family. In 2012, she returned to painting.

Nancy has participated and won many awards in local plein air painting events, including, Lake Tahoe Plein Air, Frank Bette Plein Air Paint Out, Los Gatos Plein Air, Carmel Art Festival and The Morgan Hill Plein Air Paint Out with Colibri Gallery.

https://www.colibrigallery.com/event-info/plein-air-painting-in-oils-with-nancy-takaichi-1-2