Plein Air classes at the FLAX Fort Mason store!
Stay tuned for classes to start up again in the Spring of 2018!
ABOUT
FLAX art & design is happy to be partnering with Beyond Canvas to present our Plein Air workshop series designed to bring you the full outdoor painting experience. It is the perfect excuse to grab a few friends, slather on the sunscreen and drink in some of the best views the Bay Area has to offer. You will get settled in front of one of our plein air box easels and relax with an afternoon of light guided instruction, soothing bay breezes, and painted bliss.
Follow along as one of our instructors breaks down a scene into easy-to-follow steps, or turn your easel to the view of your choice and go rogue. There is no experience necessary in this all level class and you will get to keep your very own Paint Kits to continue creating beautiful works of art on your own.
VIEWS
All viewpoints are within a short walk of the meeting location, the FLAX art & design art store, where you will pick up your paint kits and meet your instructor. From here you navigate to some of the best views in the City.
This workshop provides up close and personal views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Meadow Park, Alcatraz, downtown San Francisco, old Fort Mason Firehouse, twisted cypress trees overlooking the bay, Fort Mason Center architecture, and sailboats in the harbor, just to name a few! Your instructor will use the best view of the day to provide instruction with an example painting, but don't feel obligated to follow suit. If you want to paint a different view, we encourage you to explore.
MATERIALS AND LOGISTICS
The meeting location and materials for the Plein Air workshops can be found at FLAX art & design in Fort Mason Center located at 2 Marina Blvd, Landmark Building D, in between Crissy Field and Fisherman’s Warf on the waterfront.
Your RSVP covers art materials from FLAX, easels, aprons, and instruction from your Beyond Canvas teachers. You will pick up your Paint Kits and easels the day of your workshop and meet your instructor just outside the FLAX store. The Paint Kits are yours to keep and the easels and aprons must be returned. Workshops, including materials, easel rentals, and instruction range from $65.50 - $119.75 (plus surcharges).
Please arrive 15 minutes early at FLAX to pick up all your materials and meet your instructor!
Paint Kits come in two grades: BASIC and PRO. Basic kits provide a unique experience for novice and one-time painters, while Pro kits are suited for individuals looking to expand their practice with the highest quality pigments.
CLICK HERE to take a closer look at the materials in the STUDENT and PRO KITS.
DURATION
Workshops are three hours of light guided instruction in acrylic plein air painting starting at noon. Participants are welcome to stay a little longer to get the details just right. All easels must be returned to the FLAX art & design, Fort Mason store by 5:30pm. The paints and other materials are yours to keep!
ATTIRE
Wear layers in preparation for those pesky San Francisco microclimates and windy days. Don't get fancy for us. A hat and sunglasses make a huge difference, and don't forget the sunscreen!
WEATHER
We do our best to schedule our workshops on the sunniest of days, but sometimes the fog and wind roll in. We'll keep an eye on the weather and send an email the morning of the scheduled class on the off-chance that we need to cancel.
MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
CANDACE HOPKINS
BEYOND CANVAS FOUNDER / INSTRUCTOR
Candace grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia. She received her BFA in Painting and 2D Design from Georgia Southern University, and further studied traditional painting and drawing in Ireland and China. Candace went on to paint murals and teach in Korea. Her work has been displayed in public spaces all over San Francisco, including The Palace of Fine Arts.
In 2012, Candace caught a ride in a van across the country and moved to San Francisco. Beyond Canvas came to fruition one year later, when Candace began teaching painting classes out of a Yoga studio in the North Beach district. She's since moved the business to our current location on Valencia, and spackled, painted, and drilled the Beyond Canvas loft into the beautiful studio it is today. Outside of Beyond Canvas, Candace is a devoted cyclist.
ANNIE THIBODEAU
BEYOND CANVAS STUDIO MANAGER / INSTRUCTOR
Annie studied Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.
Annie met Candace through a couchsurfing friend in early 2014. She's since become our all-star Studio Manager.
Annie's a new cat mom, a paint splatterholic, and a die-hard burner. Burning Man loved her so much that now we have to share her, but we still call dibs.
KATO LAWTON
ARTIST / INSTRUCTOR
Kato Lawton is a Californian artist educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her interests and skill sets are broad, ranging from large scale theatrical set design, mural work and acrylic painting, to more technical work such as jewelry making, scientific illustration, and printmaking. With a penchant for creating other-worldly environments, she currently prefers abstraction to realism, working in a pointillist form. The subtle seasons of our California landscape remains one of her greatest sources of inspiration.
LISA RIGBY
ARTIST / INSTRUCTOR
Lisa Rigby is an Oakland-based artist and writer. Raised in Winston-Salem, Lisa attended the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts and received her BFA in Painting and Art History from Baltimore’s Maryland Institute College of Art. Primarily working in acrylic, watercolor and mixed media, her current work explores nostalgic figurative imagery and the beauty of the natural landscapes that surround us.