Plein Air and studio painting are enjoyable.  However, a little knowledge of materials and understanding a few principles of  painting from life is essential.

John will begin each painting session with a short demo. This workshop will  focused on learning to see color and making simple color choices that help identify large shapes. Learning about different light keys and understanding value control is essential for creating expressive light filled paintings.

John primarily works with a painting knife and will demonstrate this approach . Students may use either a painting knife or brushes if they choose.

The class is a combination of outdoor painting and studio painting. 

We will go over our work in the studio each day. John will give personal attention and  insightful direction to each artist.

There are some inspiring landscapes scenes locally that we will  visit as well a lesson on painting the figure using color.

There be an outdoor lesson on Still life helping to see simple color notes.  Experience with the painters media of choice is recommended.

About John Clayton

John Clayton, searching for of his own artistic voice, left the grey walls of The Art Student’s League of New York. Clayton’s journey lead him to the Cape School in Provincetown where he embraced the “Art of Seeing Color” as taught by the late Henry Hensche, and Charles W. Hawthorne.

Clayton would paint outdoors as often as he could. Over many years Clayton matured into a devoted plein air painter. He now makes his living painting and teaching throughout Cape Cod in the Summers and the streets of Key West in the Winter. “Color is the vehicle I use to express my own sense of nature. I am inspired by nature and light; its ever changing conditions are challenging to me.

His work is about the light key, and expressing it through paint. Among the many teachers with whom John Clayton has studied, include Harvey Dinnerstein, Marybeth McKenzie, and Cedric Egeli.