Weekend Programming Schedule

Friday, September 27

Wonder Walk | Susan Patrice
1:00 – 2:30pm | Skyland Amphitheater (mile 2)
During this creative walk, Susan Patrice will share simple contemplative photography practices designed to awaken curiosity and inspire wonder. As we practice together, our photographs will come alive with new meaning and beauty. Smartphones are welcome.
Rain location: Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Field Sketching | Nina Grauley
1:00 – 2:30pm | Tent at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51)
Train your hands, eyes, and “wonder muscle” in this introduction to field sketching with simple watercolors. Nina will share tips & tricks, then guide the practice of observational drawing in the wild.
Rain location: Great Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Nature Notes | Alexia Scott
3:00 – 4:30pm | Tent at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51)
Fill a sketchbook with the study the lines and edges of plants and landscapes with Alexia. These sketches can become reference material for future paintings, drawings, and compositions.
Rain location: Great Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Sip & Paint | Jamie Schwartz (Pikasso Swig)
4:00 – 6:oopm | Skyland Lodge Terrace (mile 42) 
Enjoy a beverage and a guided painting experience with Jamie from Charlottesville’s Pikasso Swig.
Purchase tickets here.
Rain location: Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Saturday, September 28 (Public Lands Day – fee-free park entrance)

Capturing Quality Photos in Nature | Ben Greenberg
9:00 – 10:30am | Blue Ridge Conference Center Picnic Area (mile 42) 
This workshop will provide a foundation on the most important elements, both technical and aesthetic, for capturing quality images of the natural world and provide an opportunity to apply these elements photographing in the field.
Rain location: Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Inspired by Big Meadows | Ann Cheeks
10:00 – 11:30am | Tent at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51) 
With Big Meadows as inspiration, participants will capture the time and place in uniquely, using written words, drawing with crayons and water soluble crayons, followed by watercolor. Ann will demonstrate and encourage each person to find or remember something to focus on, then demonstrate one or several ways of going about creating a mixed media painting to remember the day by.
Rain location: Great Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Field Sketching | Nina Grauley
10:00 – 11:30am | Skyland Amphitheater (mile 42)
Train your hands, eyes, and “wonder muscle” in this introduction to field sketching with simple watercolors. Nina will share tips & tricks, then guide the practice of observational drawing in the wild.
Rain location: Taproom, Skyland Lodge (mile 42)

Watercolors and the Elements | Asia Anderson 
11:00am – 12:30pm | Blue Ridge Conference Center Picnic Area, Skyland Resort (mile 42)
Explore the shapes, textures, and forms of Shenandoah through watercolor and cut-out collages. Layer the pieces of your artwork to create a final painting.
Rain location: Skyland Office Lobby (mile 42)

Memory Mapping | Sandy Kessler-Kaminski
12:00 – 1:30pm | Tent at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51)
Create a collage of elements to capture your experience in the park by drawing on trail maps. Sandy will discuss her own artistic process and encourage participants to draw from life and life experience.
Rain location: Great Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Portrait of a Tree | Rachel Hodge
1:00 – 2:30pm | Skyland Amphitheater (mile 51) 
Become immersed in the process of painting, beginning with brainstorming through thumbnail sketches and culminating in expressive gouache painting.
Rain location: Skyland Office Lobby (mile 42)

Shenandoah Flat to 3D | Carolina Mayorga
1:30 – 3:00pm | Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)
Experiment with dimensions in response to environmental themes and natural materials sourced from the park.

Watercolors and the Elements | Asia Anderson 
2:00 – 3:30pm | Tent at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51)
Explore the shapes, textures, and forms of Shenandoah through watercolor and cut-out collages. Layer the pieces of your artwork to create a final painting.
Rain location: Great Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Art Auction & Cocktail Reception
5:30 – 7:30pm | Quièvremont Vineyard & Winery, Little Washington, VA
Pieces by Plein Air Artists and Artists-in-Residence will be sold in a live and silent auction. Purchase tickets here. 

Sunday, September 29

Memory Mapping | Sandy Kessler-Kaminski
10:00 – 11:30am | Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)
Create a collage of elements to capture your experience in the park by drawing on trail maps. Sandy will discuss her own artistic process and encourage participants to draw from life and life experience.

Making Murals | Ver Ikaseh
10:00 – 11:30am | Tent at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51)
Experience the process of mural painting hands-on as Ver discusses surface preparation, mediums, referencing, contrast, scaling, grids, transferring images, and how to think about setting, logistics, and preservation.
Rain location: Great Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)

Photographing Shenandoah | Andrew Sentipal
12:00pm – 1:30pm | Great Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)
Inform your Shenandoah photography through the park’s unique history, fall foliage, flora & fauna, and more.

En Plein Air | Kenneth Heyman
12:00 – 1:30pm | Tent at Byrd Visitor Center (mile 51)
Paint alongside Ken and learn how to capture an expressionistic representation of the park through color and light.
Rain location: Massanutten Room, Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51)