2026 WORKSHOP & Mentoring Sessions
OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT
NC Plein Air Adult Workshops offer artists a choice: structured instructional workshops or immersive, mentored plein air experiences—each designed to support growth in different but complementary ways.
Russell Jewell
INSTRUCTIONAL WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP
Seeing Light Before You Paint
May 17, 18, 19, 2026
This watercolor workshop is designed to give participants more than technical instruction—it provides multiple ways of thinking, seeing, and problem-solving that can be directly applied to capturing light in watercolor landscape painting.
Russell Jewell teaches painters how to see into the future of their painting before they paint it. By learning to visualize the intended outcome—the “target painting”—participants gain the confidence to commit to strong decisions and paint with purpose rather than hesitation.
Russell’s primary medium is watercolor, but his teaching methods are grounded in his doctorate in art education and more than 35 years of experience teaching art. His approach blends visual analysis, physical application, and mental clarity, helping artists better understand why a painting succeeds—and how to make it happen intentionally.
About the Instructor
Russell Jewell is a nationally recognized watercolor painter and educator. He has served as a faculty member for the Plein Air Convention & Expo and is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America.
Best of Show, Edisto Plein Air (2025)
Best Light, Mountain Maryland Plein Air (2025)
Best Watercolor, Plein Air Easton (two-time winner)
Russell’s work has traveled with exhibitions of the American Watercolor Society and is widely respected for its mastery of light and atmosphere.
Jewell’s accomplishments include a doctorate in Art Education from the University of Georgia and a Fulbright Memorial fund scholarship to Japan. J Judged Baltimore Watercolor Society Mid-Atlantic Watercolor Society 2024, Judging North Carolina Plein Air at New Bern 2026. Jewell has a US patent on a his own plein air viewfinder
May 17-19, 3 Day Watercolor Workshop
TUITION - $400
Terms & Conditions of NC Workshops
TICEKTS TO ENROLL NOW
John T. Eiseman
MENTORED PLEIN AIR EXPERIENCE
Paint alongside. Learn deeply. See differently.
May 12, 13 & 14, 2026
With decades of experience as a professional artist and a distinguished history in plein air painting, award-winning painter John T. Eiseman offers a rare opportunity to engage in a mentored, immersive plein air experience. A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art (Magna Cum Laude, 1981), John has painted since his teens, earned numerous awards, and been featured in major national exhibitions.
This experience begins with one demonstration by John, setting the tone and shared visual language for the days ahead. From there, the focus shifts away from formal instruction and toward painting alongside the mentor—working on location together in an environment that encourages observation, experimentation, and personal growth.
Over three full plein air sessions across two days (morning and afternoon), participants will develop multiple paintings while receiving individualized guidance. John works one-on-one with each artist, meeting them at their current level and responding to their specific needs, questions, and goals. Rather than prescribing a single approach, he helps artists learn how to truly look, how to translate observation into mark-making, value, and color—and how to tell their own unique story through painting.
The experience concludes on Thursday morning with a gallery talk and group critique, offering thoughtful feedback and introducing the shared language of art in a supportive, conversational setting.
Designed for both beginning and advanced painters, this mentored experience invites artists to bring their own plein air setup and preferred media. The emphasis is not on producing finished works, but on deepening perception, strengthening visual confidence, and developing an authentic artistic voice.
" Painting is not just the celebration of vision but, rather a quest for experience. In this sense, my painting is not a recording of facts seen. It is the process of interpreting a fleeting muse."
May 12, 13 & 14, 2026
TUITION - $300
Terms & Conditions of NC Workshops