En Plein Air - Watercolor

Date: May 30, (no class June 6) June 13, June 20, June 27 / Saturdays 

Time: 11:00 am to 1:30 pm  (meet no later than 10:45 am)
Note: Class will be cancelled and rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Where: Each class we will paint in different locations outside. Please meet in the Marlborough Arts Center parking lot no later than 10:45am to allow for travel and set up time.

Cost: $60 per class

Instructor: Alan James

Level: Advanced beginner to Intermediate.  

Class Policies: Be sure to read the Class Policies here before registering

Registration: Will be open to the general public Sat. April 25.

Members receive advanced notice of class info & registration. 
Send an email to info@marlborougharts.org if you're a member and have not received notice or if you've joined recently and would like to request registration access.

Welcome students! Thank you so much for your interest in the Alan James' En Plein Air classes.

Alan will choose the scene to be painted and do a demonstration of the scene in one go.

With Alan’s guidance, students will then take this knowledge and create the same painting with hands-on instruction and guidance. At the end of each class, students will have a completed painting! 

👉 To allow for travel and set up time, we will meet at the Marlborough Art Center no later than 10:45 am.

Materials

It is highly recommended that students use portable materials, such as: 

• Portable fold up easel
• Collapsible water cup
• Small fold up palette
• Minimal brushes
• Scale down paints to around 8 tubes
• Paper sizes from 9x12” to 12x16”. 

Best En Plein Air Easel and supplies can be purchased at: enpleinairpro.com.

Important: Please strictly adhere to the materials list provided here. It is strongly advised to bring professional grade materials to this workshop.The best supplier for professional grade art supplies is Jerry’s Artarama in West Hartford, CT. Craft stores, such as Michael’s, are not recommended for professional grade materials and should be avoided.

Explanation of Level Designations

The level for this class is listed as Advanced Beginner to Intermediate, however, it is strongly advised that beginner level students have basic drawing skills and some prior experience in creating art.

Level Definitions

Beginner: Students who have some experience in art and desire to take their art to the next level.
Intermediate: Students who are somewhat accomplished and want to take their art to the next level.
Advanced: Professional artists who love to learn from other artists.

About the Instructor: Alan James

Alan James is a highly respected award-winning watercolor artist and teacher. His art graces the walls of many private and corporate collectors worldwide. Alan is the East Coast America host of the internet TV show Colour In Your Life, and currently teaches watercolors at his studio in Deep River, CT, and many art associations throughout New England. 

Alan’s work is literally on the moon! As a part of the Lunar codex mission, a Lunar module library featuring artists throughout the world, including Alan’s TV show appearances, landed on the moon in the spring of 2025. 

Some of his influences include: Joseph Zbukvic, Herman Pekel, John Yarldley, Edward Seago and Edward Wesson. He was greatly inspired by workshops taken with Alvaro Castagnet. His style is impressionistic and traditionalist with emphasis on purity of design and clear, transparent colors.

The art of Alan James captures the very soul of his subjects with passion, boldness and elegance. His paintings are imbued with a mood, a mystery that engage and lure the viewer into the magic. In 2018, Alan released his first instructional video called “Letting it Flow” including five demonstrations, with emphasis on how to capture the essence of a scene, designed with beginners and intermediate students in mind. Filming on his episode for the TV program Colour In Your Life with host Graeme Stevenson took place on August 31st, 2019 and aired worldwide on October 18th, 2019.

Alan James’s work is currently or has been represented at the following galleries:
Nantucket Artworks -Nantucket,
MA; Trinity Collection – Nantucket, MA;
Richard Stravitz Fine Art – Virginia Beach, VA;
Alan James Gallery – Deep River, CT. 

Memberships: Lyme Art Association, American Watercolor Society, New England Watercolor Society. Current Exhibitions: Lyme Art Association.