PLEIN AIR PAINTING IN THE VINEYARD

Due to the response to our Wine Country Weekend, we have added a day trip for those of you who can't commit to a whole weekend. We are planning a day of Plein Air painting at Elk Cove Estate Winery near Yamhill, Oregon on Saturday, October 11, 2008! The day will begin at 10:00 AM at the winery where we will set up in the vineyard to paint and sketch. You will be served a picnic lunch in the Gazebo, and then tour the winery at 1:00 PM. This will be followed by painting the afternoon away in the vineyard, or sampling more wine....as you wish.

We will also be caravaning down from Vancouver, so if you want to join us, or need a ride, be sure to call. We will leave Vancouver at around 9:00 AM on Saturday morning, and return at approximately 6:00 PM.

This fun day of painting for only $50! This covers the cost of the tour, the lunch, and the personalized painting instruction by Sharon.

Contact us for more details. Or call 360-721-1621!

Oregon Art and Wine Weekend Getaway

Sharon is busy planning the annual Oregon Wine and Art Weekend Getaway on Oct. 17-19th. This exciting event this year is a whole weekend of pampered relaxation and plein air painting! Elk Cove Vineyards near Gaston has invited us to paint in their vineyards during harvest time, and to share our vision with them.

To accomplish this in style, we have rented The Lake House in rural Yamhill, a gorgeous private residence, as our headquarters. Sharon has opened up the group for reservations for the weekend retreat complete with 5 hour wine tour, 10 hours of plein painting instruction in both the vineyard, and around the gorgeous Monet-like lily pond at the Lake House, and seasonal gourmet meals a la Northwest, planned by her and her daughter, Lori - who we affectionately refer to as the "Martha Stewart" of the Northwest. With Lori on board, you can be guaranteed that everything will not only be fresh, delicious, and home-made, but prented artfully with plenty of local wine pairings and extras.

For more information on the weekend, see www.visualvoyages.net or call Sharon at 360-721-1621!

NEW FALL CLASSES BEGIN SOON

NEW Beginner's Painting Classes this Fall
Acrylic Beginner's classes start in September - Beautiful Sky Series!

Classes for Beginners: Wednesdays 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Beginners: Learn to paint in a relaxing and gentle atmosphere where process is more important than product. You will learn to paint, but you will also learn to relieve your stress, find your inner artist, and discover something new about yourself.

Sign up for 4 weeks or 8 weeks. $100 for 4 weeks, $180 for 8 weeks. Call for more information and supply lists. 360-721-1621

Classes Start: Wednesday, September 10th, Evenings 6:30-8:30PM at Escape Therapy Studios, 120 NE 117th Ave., Vancouver, WA.

Art & Music LIVE in Camas August 1st

Camas Art & Music LIVE!








Come to downtown Camas on First Friday, August 1st, for camLIVE!
This Special First Friday celebration in downtown will be unlike
any other First Friday Event. Expect up to six live music stages to be peppered into the mix of an excellent artist line up. Nationally recognized artists like Bev Jozwiak, and Vicki
Nelson, who have both been featured in the prestigious Lawrence Gallery in Portland will be present. Additionally, art
by Rio, an outsider artist, and local favorites like Sharon Whyte, Elida Fields and Barbara Matkowski will round out the display of fine artists on the street. Thirty talented artists are
signed on, and over a dozen musical acts ranging from jazz, indy to classic guitar are scheduled for the event. Do not miss this opportunity for ART, MUSIC and FLAVOR! The event will be from 3
pm - 9 pm, in downtown Camas (4th Avenue, from Dallas to Adams).

English Estates Wine and Art Festival

Our Art Fair was a huge success this past weekend. English Estates is a small private vintner here in Vancouver that has been around since 1903, but only in the past 20 years have their wines begun to catch hold and mellow to produce some really nice Pinot Noirs. Their English Estate Black Pinot Reserve 2003 is an award winner and one of my favorites.

The art in the vineyard was so enticing with beautiful jewelry artists, potters, painters, photographers, and wire sculptures. Most every artist had sales, some more than others, and I am happy to say that I did very well selling several of my large acrylic paintings of French and Italian landscapes. My prints were also a hit and we came home Sunday exhausted but richer in both experience and profits! I will definitely go back again next year!

I guess my biggest news is that a gallery owner in a very tony part of town saw my work and has asked to represent me! That is good news indeed, and I will be meeting with her in the near future. So I will have to get busy and keep painting!

Art Show

I will be participating in an art show at English Estate Winery on on July 12 & 13th. The venue is an historic, family-run vineyard and winery near Vancouver. The grounds are lovely, flowers abound, and the buildings are quaint. It's a bit impressionistic, in fact. Artists will be displaying their works both indoors and out, and at this time of year, outdoors is optimum.

Besides having works of art for sale, I will also be advertising our upcoming workshops and European Holidays, so if you are around, come by for a taste of an old fashioned street fair and sample the wine and the art!

English Estate Winery
17806 SE First Street
Vancouver, WA

WELCOME SUMMER!

On the eve of this Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of summer, I am really looking forward to some warmer weather. Here in the Northwest, it tends to be damp and chilly a lot longer than elsewhere. I grew up in the Midwest, where spring meant Tornado season, and I see that they are getting hit by a record number of storms this year, so I guess I shouldn't complain about a few drizzly days.

In June, I am starting a new series of classes both in the studio and at the local Community College here in Vancouver. These are always fun and I love watching the light bulb go off when one of my students has a breakthrough! Hopefully everyone who takes classes comes away with a new idea, more inspiration, or at least a better appreciation of their own talent and skill....for painting is a learned skill, like playing the piano! If you are a child prodigy, of course you will be brilliant, but that does not mean that many, many people who practice can't become excellent pianists. It is the same with painting. Practice gives you the tools to continue to improve your technique as well as giving you hours of entertainment! With that in mind...

I invite you to come paint with me!

New classes starting in June and July! Watercolor and/or Acrylics. Beginning classes will help you discover your inner artist! For those of you who are already painting, there is an intermediate class in acrylcs beginning in July. Here are the details:

Tuesday Evenings: 6:30 - 8:30PM Beginner Acrylics at Clark College with Sharon
Call 360-721-1621 for more information.

Tursday Evenings: 6:30 - 8:30 PM Beginning Watercolor at FCC with Sharon
Call 360-721-1621 for more information.

Wednesday Evening: 6:30 - 8:30 PM Intermediate Acrylics with Sharon at Escape Studio
Call 360-721-1621 for more information.

Happy Painting!

CLOUDSCAPES!

Open Studio Classes

Beginners Painting Classes
Sign up for regular 4 week sessions at the cottage studio in Vancouver.
    
Learn to paint in a relaxing and gentle atmosphere where process is more important than product. You will learn to paint, but you will also learn to relieve your stress, find your inner artist, and discover something new about yourself. Call for Class Times and Dates.   


Tuesday Open Studio Classes* – Learn to paint with your favorite medium whether in acrylics that allow you to get the results of oils with soap and water cleanup, or in water mixable oils, or even watercolor. This class will focus on cloudscapes and beautiful skies in the landscape for true beginners. Or bring a project you have been dying to work on and get one-on-one direction and help. Learn perspective and color mixing and other painting techniques in your medium of choice while discovering your creative inner core. Finished painting in 4 weeks. Class time: 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Drop in artists welcome! Want to visit once to see if we have an atmosphere conducive to your creative spirit? Then come by and try it out - no reservation necessary. One time visit $35. Regular space in our classroom $100 for 4 weeks, $180 for 8 weeks. Come join our happy group!

New Website

At long last our new website is up and running. Please go to http://www.visualvoyages.net and check it out!

New March Classes

Continuing March Classes

Beginners Painting Classes

Evening Acrylic Classes* – Learn to paint with a very forgiving medium that allows you to get the results of oils with soap and water cleanup. This class will focus on landscape and still life for true beginners. Learn perspective and color mixing while discovering your creative inner core. Finished painting in 4 weeks. Class time: 6:30-8:30 PM-Tuesdays.

Art Journal Classes* – Join me in the studio with pen, pencil, watercolors, magazine cut outs, stamps, photos and other ephemera to create an "extraordinary" keepsake from "ordinary" items bound together and re-imaged in an art journal. This is not just a workshop for the artist or writer, but is an experience open to all who seek a more creative relationship with your inner artist. Class time: 6:30-8:30 PM Wednesdays.

Classes held at Escape Therapy , 120 NE 117th Ave, Vancouver, WA

Learn to paint in a relaxing and gentle atmosphere where process is more important than product. You will learn to paint, but you will also learn to relieve your stress, find your inner artist, and discover something new about yourself. Call for Start Dates.

For Further Information on Classes, Supplies or Travel Workshops

Sharon McCameron Whyte, MFA
Vancouver, WA

ladyartprof@yahoo.com • www.visualvoyages.net

Ask about Spring 2008 Plein Air & Journal Workshops on Whidbey Island
And
Summer Workshop in Provence, 2008

Whidbey Island Art Retreat -Tulip Festival --April 25-28, 2008--


Spend four luxurious days unwinding in Langley by the Sea during the rhododendron & tulip festival on scenic Whidbey Island, Washington. This small seaside village is home to art galleries, restaurants, spa treatments, and antique shops and is surrounded by tulip gardens.
Stay at an elegant English country inn with a fireplace in every room, wander through gardens to the Monet style lily pond, take a bike ride on the path to the salt water beach through old growth forests, or just sit in the sun and enjoy the sounds of nature from the scenic patio.
Studio lessons daily, with side trips to Meerkerk Gardens, spas, antique hunting, and nature walks with breathtaking views of Saratoga Passage and the neighboring islands Take this private time to indulge your artistic dreams. Learn to use watercolors to sketch the natural beauty of your surroundings, join photography hikes to record the awe inspiring scenery, or attend art journaling workshops that explore your own stories. Aroma therapy and spa products included in the price.


For Beginner or Experienced Artists. Open studio or guided instruction, enjoy the camaraderie of other artists and learn a new medium or hone your skills.

Your instructor/guide is: Sharon Whyte, MFA, who has been painting and teaching for over 25 years. She will guide daily sessions, make suggestions, and motivate your best work yet!



Itinerary:
Arrive at your country inn on Friday, April 25 in time for dinner with the group and introductions. Late painting session for those who care to.


Saturday wake up to the best breakfast you’ve ever had! Eat hearty because we will be spending the day at Meerkerk Gardens taking photos and capturing the beauty of the day with your watercolor sketchbook. Lunch on your own at the garden, then on to the tulip gardens. Lessons on site in the afternoon, and dinner back at the inn.


Sunday, after your inn breakfast, we take a trip to the shore and see the eagles and wildlife from a bird’s eye view. Sunday afternoon, try a spa lunch and get pampered Whidbey Island Spa with aroma therapy and massage. Then back to the inn for studio or free time followed by a farewell dinner prepared by our hosts.


Free Time on Monday to meander by the Inn’s Lily pond and gardens or take a walk into town. Get some last minute sketching done. Check out is by noon. Then you will wend your way back home and take your beautiful art work and memories with you!



All Inclusive Price: $500 50% deposit due March 1, 2008. Balance Due April 1, 2008. Includes: Accommodations, all breakfasts and dinners. Art instruction, guided tour through gardens and event sites, free spa products, and tax. Does not include lunch or gratuities. Single occupancy is an additional $200. Couples discount: $850. Day students $100/day.



Art Supplies:
Bring your sketchbooks, journals, paints & brushes, cameras, drawing pencils, and a support to paint or draw on. Portable camp stools or three legged stools are handy if you want to sit and sketch, but not required. Bring extra paper towels and a hat for sunny days, a raincoat or umbrella for sprinkles. If you have a French Easel…this would be ideal. Don’t forget to bring your imagination!
If you are a birdwatcher, you may want your binoculars. Eagles are plentiful in the area.
Enough extra cash for souvenirs, lunch out, any spa extras you might want to purchase.
Each room has a fireplace, private bath with spa tub, WI-FI connections and satellite TV.


Contact
Sharon McCameron Whyte, MFA
120 NE 117th Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98684
(785) 840-5390 (Cell) • (360) 944-6692 (Studio)
ladyartprof@yahoo.com • http://visualvoyages.blogspot.com/