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!