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(Didn't see a date that works for you? Visit Paint Campobello for summer workshops or see Michael's full workshop schedule.)
Have a question? Ask Michael and he'll post the answer here. 1. What are the different workshop types? back to questions Three different types of workshops are offered, as follows:
Each week features a different workshop. Please see the schedule. Workshops are scheduled so that students can attend multiple workshops that are in a natural progression - basic to advanced to mentoring. You are invited to take more than one week! Some students have done so and have really grown in their work. Traditional Plein Air Workshop
Advanced/Mentoring Workshop
Painting Retreat
2. How do I get to Sedona? back to questions Sedona is 2 hours (121 miles) by car from the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport (PHX). It's an easy drive, mostly in Interstate 17. Here's the map from Google:
By the way, if you are renting a car, know that it is expensive to rent a car at the Phoenix airport. It is much cheaper to rent one in Sedona or Cottonwood. You can take a shuttle from Phoenix to Sedona or Cottonwood to pick up a car. Shuttle: http://www.sedona-phoenix-shuttle.com/ 3. What about travelling with paints? back to questions Oil paints you can either ship ahead or put in your checked luggage. You shouldn't have any problem with them, since they are "artist's oil colors" made with vegetable oil and have a very high flash point. However, don't take mediums (e.g. Liquin) or solvents (e.g. Turpenoid), all of which are highly flammable. These you will need to ship ahead or purchase at Sedona Art Supply. (Michael will have a quantity of Turpenoid available at the studio.) For details on traveling with paint, see Robert Gamblin's Studio Note #14. Pastels you should take in your carry-on luggage. Put them in a container that will be easy for security to open, such as the Heilman Pastel Box. Make sure the container can be easily secured again so your pastels don't go spilling down the aisle. If you need to ship your materials ahead, you are welcome to - just let us know. 4. What's the weather like? back to questions Sedona sits in a valley at 4,300 feet, halfway in elevation between the Colorado Plateau to the north and the Sonoran Desert to the south. It has a generally mild climate. Nighttime temperatures may dip below freezing in winter with occasional snowfall on the surrounding mountains. Days are often bright, sunny and not too cold. It makes for great hiking and painting weather! We may have a cool start to the morning, so you should bring layers, plus a warm hat and gloves you can paint with.
5. What if I'm not doing oil or pastel but using some other medium? back to questions One of the great things about plein air painting is that you can work in almost any medium. Michael will use oil or pastel, but you may use acrylic, watercolor or gouache. Michael teaches painting principles that apply to all media. 6. Do you have lodging suggestions? back to questions We'll be meeting in the mornings either in West Sedona or in Uptown Sedona. Although Sedona isn't very big, try to avoid staying in the Village of Oak Creek (VOC.) VOC, on Route 179 and near I-17, is considered part of Sedona, but it's about 5 miles out and can be a very slow drive. There's lots of lodging in Sedona. Below are some suggestions. Craigslist for Sedona vacation rentals: Weekly rentals are available in time share places like Sedona Pines through B&Bs such as the Sedona Bed & Breakfast Guild: Come with a friend, spend some time, and rent a house through a Sedona Property Manager such as: Then there are traditional hotels and motels and all other types of accomodations listed through the Chamber: http://www.visitsedona.com/article/71 This list is very comprehensive! If you have particular lodging needs, we'll be happy to discuss options with you. 7. What's the daily schedule for the class? back to questions The workshop consists of four days (Tuesday-Friday unless otherwise noted.) Two days are "long" and run 9-3; two days are half-days and run 9-1. Tuesday and Thursday are "long" days, and Wednesday and Friday are half-days. You get 20 hours of instruction. Each day, we meet promptly at 9. By agreement, we may meet at other times. We recommend that you take advantage of your stay in Sedona and fly in on Saturday or Sunday to give you a couple days in which to explore the area before the workshop. Not only will this give you time to become acclimated to the somewhat higher altitude, it will give you time to become familiar with the "motifs" of the area - the beautiful red rocks, the cottonwoods and sycamores, and the rushing waters of Oak Creek. 8. Can I get wi-fi access? back to questions Yes! Sedona is a full-service community, and you'll find that many locations have wi-fi. Certain restaurants, most coffee shops and the public library have it. 9. What should I expect? back to questions Read the workshop descriptions carefully, and if you have specific questions or concerns, please ask Michael. 10. Who is Michael Chesley Johnson? back to questions
11. Where can I get more information about the Sedona area? back to questions You might check out the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, the Sedona Tourism Bureau and the Sedona Gallery Association. 12. Can I see more pictures of the area? back to questions Click on image for larger view
See our video on plein air painting in Sedona:
13. What's a good way to prepare for the workshop? back to questions One of the best ways, of course, is to simply - paint! William F. Reese said, "If you paint 3 days a week, you stay the same; if you paint 4, you will improve." I also recommending reading some good books on plein air painting. If you've not painted en plein air or outdoors before, I recommend my online course, Prepare for Plein Air. 14. Can I stay longer and take a second week? back to questions Of course! We've arranged the schedule so the weeks make a natural progression, from basic to advanced to mentoring. You can take one week - or several! 15. Why do you have "long" days and half-days? back to questions As noted above, the workshop runs Tuesday-Friday unless otherwise noted. Tuesdays and Thursdays are "long" days that run 9-3. Wednesdays and Fridays are half-days that run 9-1. The "long" days allow for longer demonstrations and more student painting time. The half-days give you afternoons to either paint more on your own or to explore the area. 16. What about rainy days? back to questions We'll do our best to paint every session outdoors, but once in awhile, we may have a day that will force us indoors. We will have a backup location. 17. Can I get a supply list? back to questions We have two supply lists, one for oil and one for pastel. If you are working a different medium, just bring whatever you usually use for outdoor painting, unless you're taking the optional advanced option in a mentoring workshop. You also might just look at the supply lists to get an idea of what else you might bring, such as umbrellas, etc. Click here for the oil supply list. Click here for the pastel supply list.
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Landscape
painter Michael Chesley Johnson was named a Master Pastellist of Pastel Artists
Canada in 2008. In addition, he's a Signature Member of both the Pastel Society
of America and the Pastel Society of New Mexico and a juried member of Oil Painters
of America. He's the author of Backpacker Painting: Outdoors with Oil &
Pastel, Through a Painter's Brush: A Year on Campobello Island and The Art of Ann Templeton. A regular contributor for The Artist's
Magazine, The Pastel Journal and Watercolor Artist, he is a popular
workshop instructor in both the US and Canada. He has been invited six times
to the prestigious Sedona Plein Air Festival. His partner and workshop facilitator
is Trina Stephenson. For more, please see his website: 
