Painting the landscape en plein air in gouache with Manon Sander, March 26-27, 2024, Tallahassee

March 26 – 27, 2024

9am – 4pm

Price $280 (Cancellation deadline and full payment due by Feb. 20, 2024).

March 25th, from 6pm to 8pm,

we cordially invite you to a "meet and greet" reception with Manon. This will be an excellent opportunity to engage with the artist, as she gives a brief presentation and showcases her remarkable works. The reception is open to all, and there is no admission fee.

Kindly RSVP if you plan to attend. 

Learn how to capture the landscape in gouache en plein air while infusing your painting with luminous light. Manon will share her secrets to tackle a scene through simple shapes, correct values, mixing of accurate color, and impressionistic paint application. Demos and short lectures combined with plenty of fun painting time with Manon’s help will accelerate and fine-tune your painting skills. Gouache is a fun and very portable water medium, perfect for travel, and you will get acquainted with all its unique properties. The class will be taught in beautiful locations outdoors near Tallahassee.


Bio:

Manon Sander is an award-winning modern impressionist, born and raised in Berlin, Germany, who now resides in Southern Florida, which presents a cornucopia of inspiration for her. The effects of light on a subject and the feeling it evokes are of great importance to Manon as she puts down her impressions in interesting patterns, luminous color, and juicy brush strokes.

During years spent studying oil painting at the atelier-style Marin Art School in California and fine-tuning her skills under the tutelage of nationally known artists, Manon developed her own distinct, recognizable, and collectable contemporary impressionistic style.

Manon participates in invitational and juried nation-wide plein air events as well as in prestigious juried national shows. Her award-winning works are in galleries and private collections on three continents and have been included in publications such as American Art Collector, Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, and Fine Art Connoisseur. She has recently been awarded signature status with National Oil and Acrylics Painters’ Society and has been selected so serve as a mentor with the society’s mentoring program. Manon is a regular on the faculty of one of the nation’s premier painting conventions, Plein Air South.

Manon feels strongly about passing on her knowledge in national and international workshops and retreats to a loyal following of students who value her enthusiasm, passion, and ability to clearly convey her process while maintaining a fun and motivating atmosphere.

Ultimately, Manon aims to communicate her joie de vivre through paintings that reflect the color, light, and joy Manon feels surrounded by and is ever so grateful for. For more info: www.manonsander.com


Testimonials:

“Dear Manon. I just wanted to tell you what a great class this is. I have struggled so with Plein air and I’m understanding youSeagullr emphasis and values values values. This is probably the best class I have ever taken and can’t thank you enough. I never thought I would be excited about Plein air. Thank you so much!” Kit S.

“Dear Manon , you deserve every award and honor you receive! You are not only a great artist but also a wonderful, thoughtful individual. We are blessed to have you as an instructor, don’t ever leave Lighthouse ArtCenter!” Laurie B.

My husband just about had to pick me off the floor after your critique! You made my day. Thank you. Your instructions reminded me to include those "lost edges" & I did it. That little technique really makes a painting a painting. The most important thing I've taken away from your classes is the importance of that dang value study & to use it as a guide. I've heard the importance of the value study maybe 50 times but how you explained how to use it is possibly a gamechanger for me. I painted with our plein air group on Tuesday morning & using the mini-value study I did helped me immensely!

The other biggie I've taken from your class is "warm colors in the sun & cool in the shadows". As I was painting Tuesday, I found it very easy to use the correct temperature of colors. Thank you. Big breakthrough for me to understand when to use cool & when to use warm.” Maryann B.

“Just a note to thank you for a wonderful training!   You “exchanged in abundance!”  meaning I got much, much more for  my money than expected! You not only are a wonderful artist, you are an exceptional teacher.  You have enormous patience, no matter what the student’s skill level is and always made me feel like I was good.  (which is debatable!  Haha)  You make each person feel like they are special…and always pointed out the right things they did while gently correcting any area that needed to be corrected.  That is  NOT a common trait and congratulations on mastering it!I learned an enormous amount about temperature, values and color.  And that you drilled us over and over on it, I feel like I actually “got it” and was able to make this information “my own” so I can use it naturally into the future.You are a true joy to watch…taking a blank canvas to a vibrant and alive painting…and we didn’t  even do complete paintings…just exercises. But your display of certainty gave me confidence that I could do that as well…and often a skill comes from just changing your mind and deciding you can do it! While I am certainly not there yet as a great painter….I feel like I took a giant leap forward…thanks to you!” Claire T.
 

Useful info:

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Manon’s List of Suggested Materials

  • Holbein Artist Gouache
    Lemon yellow
    Cadmium Yellow
    Flame Red
    Primary Magenta
    Ultramarine
    Primary Cyan or Phthalo Blue
    Phthalo Green
    Transparent Red Oxide or Burnt Sienna
    Primary White

    (If you have another brand that’s perfectly fine, but I suggest not to get acrylic gouache or dry gouache that is pressed into little pans like water color. I prefer the kind you have to squeeze out of a tube…..)

  • Gum Arabic
    Transon Paint Saver Storage Palette Box 16 well portable airtight (Amazon, $11.99)
    Plastic palette or Sta-Wet Palette
    Variety of synthetic brushes like flats and/or filberts in various sizes
    You can choose from watercolor paper, watercolor cards, watercolor book, small gesso boards (Ampersand makes great ones, or you can get Masonite and gesso it yourself.), sizes like 5x7”, 6x8”, 6x6” etc. are great for gouache.
    Water receptacle to wash your brushes
    Cloth or paper towels
    Tooth picks
    Artist tape
    Pencil and small notebook. Value markers if you have any
    Umbrella and stool optional
    Trash receptacle
    Water, snacks

See a short video from previous workshop at the studio: