YOUR NEXT CREATIVE ESCAPE

Unplug and Recharge: Leave behind the noise of daily life and step into a world of serenity, where your creativity can flourish undisturbed.
Creative Immersion: Spend your days deeply engaged in your chosen medium, learning from expert teaching artists who are passionate about helping you grow. Whether you’re a seasoned creator or just beginning, this retreat is designed to elevate your skills.
Inspiring Connections: Join a community of like-minded creatives who share your passion. Exchange ideas, build friendships, and leave with more than just art—leave with memories that will last a lifetime.
Nature as Your Muse: With panoramic views of rolling mountains and peaceful trails to explore, every moment here is a reminder of the beauty that fuels your imagination.

Once you click 'Reserve Your Spot' and submit the form, you will receive an invoice via email with payment options. You can conveniently pay online using a credit card or mail a check. If paying online, the full amount will be due at the time of payment. If paying by check, tuition can be divided into two installments, with half due upon registration and the remaining half due one month before the class start date. Refunds are available if a request is made in writing via email at least 30 days before the class start date.

QUESTIONS / COMMENTS:

For questions about classes, payment, or any other inquiries, email mscarpenter@mayland.edu.

All classes are available on a first-come basis so submit your application/registration as soon as possible! If the class is filled when you apply, we will notify you that your name has been added to the wait-list.

BEGINNER OIL / ACRYLIC STUDIO PAINTING

Cost: $950

Instructor: Bob Nulf

So you’ve wanted to learn to oil paint for how long? Or, you’ve gotten to a certain level in your painting and are looking to “take the next step”. Maybe you’re an accomplished painter looking for a chance to get away and “just paint.” This is your workshop!!!

Here’s the perfect opportunity to learn basic oil painting skills with a group of other creative folk enjoying a week-long getaway in the mountains. Perhaps you haven’t painted since high school (or earlier), this workshop provides a supportive atmosphere for artists at all levels of experience. We’ll be working with a limited non-toxic palette; the limited palette makes it much easier to mix the colors you’ll want for your painting. While all Bob’s demonstrations will be done in oils, his murals are acrylic paintings so he’s prepared to help you take the next step in whatever medium you’re working. The workshop will cover the basics of creating a meaningful painting: drawing, composition, values, color and criticism.

Here is your opportunity to try a new painting medium, exercise some old skills or just kick back and paint for a week! Come be a part of this workshop!

INSTRUCTOR

Bob Nulf brings a lifetime of work in the arts to the Wildacres Art Workshop. A Fine Arts and Art Education graduate of Florida State University, in recent years he has taught in a variety of public and private settings: the Penland School of Crafts, the Ringling College summer workshops at Wildacres Retreat, Story Slam Arts Center, and the NC Lions Camp Dogwood for the Blind and Visually impaired. His murals and work on canvas are included in collections throughout the region and have been featured on several PBS television shows.

CAPTURING LIGHT & ENERGY IN OIL

Cost: $950

Instructor: Michelle Held

Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of Wild Acres, North Carolina, for an unforgettable painting experience with Michelle. This workshop blends the precision of studio work with the spontaneity and vibrancy of painting from life.

Working in oil, Michelle will guide you through essential techniques, helping you build strong compositions while mastering light, atmosphere, and luminous color harmony. Through expressive brushwork and rich layers of paint, you’ll learn to infuse your work with depth, emotion, and movement, elevating your paintings beyond mere representation into something truly radiant and alive.

Whether you’re looking to refine your skills or break free into bolder, more intuitive painting, this workshop is designed to ignite your passion and elevate your artistic voice.

INSTRUCTOR

Michelle Held Much like a pink spoonbill soaring through the dusky evening twilight, Michelle brings with her a splash of vibrancy, a flutter of unique perspective, and the bewitching song of nature in its truest form.

Born and raised in Maryland, Michelle knew from a young age that she was meant to fly the vast skies of the art world with a palette and paints tucked beneath her eager wings. Passionately working as an artist and business owner for the past 25 years, Michelle has been living out her dreams in Sarasota, Florida. Michelle currently participates in invitational paint-outs and is widely collected throughout the United States. She is also represented in three thriving galleries.

Her success in the art world has come from her winning combination of creative spark and imaginative nature along with her meticulous attention to detail. Often commissioned for custom paintings as well as murals, Michelle’s  passion for wildlife and its ecosystems brought her to embrace the natural world through painting from life.

From serene, swampy marshes draped in ancient Spanish moss to tiny, rickety oyster towns bursting with rainbow buoys and boats, there is always a sight to behold. Michelle is passionate about the morning glow of a waking sun illuminating an observant egret, the conversation between a fisherman and a hungry pelican testing its luck, or the simplistic beauty of a half-peeled clementine bursting with flavor and juicy color.

Michelle believes that evoking a feeling of light, space and passion is the key to any successful contemporary painting. Michelle gives attention to composition, design and value and gives credence to a “go with the flow” attitude as well, and lets the painting direct her, instead of imposing her will on it throughout the entire process.

Plein air has set flight to many paint-outs, including Easton, Forgotten Coast, Lighthouse Art Center and many more. Achieving many awards throughout this journey, her favorite ones are the artists' choice awards, voted on by her peers. The real victory, however, has come with her love of teaching. There were so many who encouraged her, Michelle finds that paying it forward is the best way to fulfill the soul. 

Taking a note from the birds she so loves to paint, Michelle approaches painting like flight, letting the swells and surges of the wind carry her and her brushes through those brilliant beautiful skies.

CREATING A VISUAL DIARY

Cost: $950

Instructor: Kari Waltz

(An Artist’s Journey Recording Memories and Documenting Travel) The class will be taught primarily in watercolor with some gouache, but you can work in whatever media you choose. All ability levels are welcome, but It will be easier for you if you have some experience in drawing or painting. Regardless, bring your cell phone and use drawing aps if needed.

Even if you have never worked with watercolor or gouache before, you will be able to create memories in your journals. This class is more about remembering experiences than it is about making masterpieces. You can make it as serious as you want to, and you can incorporate scrapbooking too!

Since most of Kari’s journaling work is small, she uses technology for her daily demonstrations and the image is projected to the 42-inch TV so students will be able to see. She will begin each morning with discussion/demonstrations and be available the rest of the afternoon for assistance and guidance.

Since journaling is often done while traveling, she likes to give the class the opportunity to take optional field trips during the week. Minimum walking is required.

This class is for anyone who wants to learn lightweight and convenient ways to paint and create on the go. It provides opportunities to improve the following skills: observation, sketching practice, understanding of value, perspective, proportions, reinforcing color theory, and the importance of planning.

The development of these skills will help participants in their other art endeavors as well.

KARI Waltz

INSTRUCTOR

Kari Waltz has been teaching art since 2003, and she started working in journals in 2016. She had no idea how painting small watercolor entries on a regular basis would impact her overall artistic journey. Kari primarily worked in oils and pastels in her studio and was not comfortable with plein air painting. She fell in love with the Water Brush (Pentel Large Aquash Brush), and the freedom this tool gave her was invigorating! It made creating on the go convenient, so she no longer had the excuse NOT to create.

Kari has witnessed how working from life will improve anyone’s work. Using her light-weight setup allowed her to paint on location without having to lug the traditional plein air painting setups that are often heavy and cumbersome. She takes her art with her everywhere, and she has learned to relax and play.

Waltz’s larger studio work has been positively influenced by this practice because she has honed her observational and drawing skills. She recently returned from an art trip to Italy where she documented the entire trip. Kari treasures the collection of experiences that have been captured in her journals.

She creates visual diaries. Of all the work she has completed over her lifetime, her journals are what her two daughters want. It’s a record of their mom in picture/word form. Journals are personal: what was important to you, things you experienced, places you visited, quotes that spoke to your heart, and your journey. If you take this journey with her, you will eventually find your own voice. You will be exposed to various ways to approach a scene, choices to contemplate, tools to use, and options to capture your personal story.

If you have ever wanted to sit and capture the scene in front of you, be creative while traveling, learn to embrace your mistakes instead of being panicked by them, or just wanted to try something new, then this class is for you. In 2016, Kari was a novice when it came to watercolor, but she gave herself permission to learn without the pressure of perfection. Let Kari her journey with you.

FIGURE DRAWING

Cost: $1,000

Instructor Katelyn Chapman

In this intensive, we will explore a variety of ways to draw the figure that capture both the liveliness and expression of each model as well their likeness and personality. We will work with traditional and contemporary mixed-media techniques to link representation and abstraction. With art historical references, instructor demonstrations, and careful observation, emphasis will be placed on experimenting with light, line, and form to gain understanding of gestures and human anatomy that is essential to the artist. This class is great for folks new to figure drawing and those with a little more experience.

INSTRUCTOR

Katelyn Chapman received an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Georgia in 2018 and a BFA with an emphasis in Drawing from Clemson University in 2014. Her work is largely inspired by her deeply rooted familial and rural ties to the American South and has been in both national and local group exhibitions and published internationally. Chapman is a three-time grantee of the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant ('19, '21, & '24) and has been awarded residency fellowships to attend several artist residencies in the US and abroad. Most recently she was a Visiting Artist in Residence at The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC. She exhibits her work regularly with Southside Gallery in Oxford, MS. Chapman currently lives and works in Charleston, SC where she paints from her home studio and leads workshops both online and regularly at Redux Contemporary Art Center.

FORMS, FINISHES, AND FIRE

Cost: $1,050 + supply fee

Instructors: Annette Sidner–Carlson and Seth Barendse

Come make clay art with us atop a beautiful mountain in North Carolina, while learning or advancing your skills in hand building, wheel throwing, glazing, and firing. Your team instructors, Annette, and Seth will inspire you to push your creative ideas and advance your skills in clay. In this fast paced and energetic workshop, you will create three to five pieces from start to finish. You will experience multiple Raku firing techniques, and low fire options. All skill levels are welcome. We’ll work hard, create Art and have a great time.

INSTRUCTORS

Annette Sidner–Carlson began her career working for Feld Productions as a scenic artist in 1978. During the years of employment with this corporation she developed and utilized a variety of skills, giving her an abundance of hands-on experience building three dimensional theatre.

Annette worked 13 Ringling Brothers Circuses,12 Disney On Ice Shows as well as created props for Clown College and Siegfreid and Roy shows in Las Vegas. She was the Senior Staff Artist in 1993 before leaving the company to pursue further education.

Annette holds a BA from Eckerd College and an MFA from the University of South Florida. She has been a faculty member at the State College of Florida for the past 19 years, managing the Ceramics and Sculpture Departments on both the Bradenton and Venice campuses. She taught a variety of courses: Ceramics 1&2, Wheel Throwing 1&2, Three Dimensional Design and Sculpture 1&2. She retired from the Venice campus in May 2018.

Annette taught 18 years with Seth Barendse at Wildacres Retreat for Ringling College of Art and Design. They continue to team-teach the Clay Studio at Wildacres in the Summer and Fall secessions recently under directorship of the Redux Art Center of Charleston, South Carolina.

Annette Sidner has shown her art work in several Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice Faculty shows, and has participated in local galleries in those cities. She attended a residency at Watershed Center for the Arts and is published in Lark Books 500 Figures In Clay Vol. 11. After retiring Annette moved to Winter Garden where she continues to produce work at her home studio and is a participating member of the Sobo Art Gallery.

Seth Barendse received his BFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2011. During the past 25 years he has taught ceramics at two high schools, Booker High Schools Visual Performing Arts Program, and Sarasota High School, and worked on four different continuing and higher education school campuses, Ringling College of Art and Design, State College of Florida, Art Center of Manatee, and Penland School of Craft. Currently, Seth can be found on the Sarasota High School campus teaching students 3D Design and Ceramics. He also makes two annual trips to teach 3 workshops at Wildacres in Little Switzerland, NC, where he has had the pleasure of teaching for almost 20 years. His work has been exhibited in Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Tennessee, Oregon, and California.

METAL AND JEWELRY

Cost: $950 + supply fee

Instructor: Olivia Cramer

In this workshop we will cover all of the essential skills for metalsmithing including; sawing, piecing, filing, soldering, and polishing. Through project based hands on instruction each student will learn to add a variety of textures to metal using the rolling mill to make a set of stacking rings or pair of earrings, how to fabricate hollow forms, and how to create a bezel setting for a stone to add to a ring or pendant. Each student will leave with at least three finished pieces and a vast knowledge of creating handmade jewelry. This class is great for someone who has no prior metalsmithing experience or someone who is looking to expand their skills in the studio.

PLEIN AIR WITH PASTEL OR OIL

Cost: $950

Instructor: Greg Barnes

Get ready to dive in head first in this exciting 5 day immersion of landscape painting techniques, demonstrations, and artistic camaraderie. Explore in either pastel or oil with award winning artist Greg Barnes as your personal guide. Topics covered will range from beginning composition and color theory to more advanced techniques. Weather permitting, each day will consist of one or two plein air demos mixed in with individual painting sessions on location. Whether your medium of choice is pastel or oil, it is Greg’s goal that you will continue to learn from the experience long after the workshop has ended.

INSTRUCTOR

Greg Barnes received a BFA from Wake Forest University in 1985. He began painting full time following the 911 incident of 2001, when he realized “life is short”. He studied with Albert Handell and Scott Christensen early in his professional career. Currently he tours the country displaying his paintings in national art festivals, participating in plein air events, and teaching pastel and oil painting workshops. His work can also be found in Coconut Grove Gallery and Frame, Miami, FL, Karis Art Gallery, Hilton Head Island, SC, Oh Be Joyful Gallery, Crested Butte CO.

THE SIMPLICITY OF WATERCOLOR PAINTING

Cost: $950

Instructor: JJ Jiang

Clarity. Confidence. Common sense. These are what JJ Jiang brings to this fun and relaxing week at the Wildacres Art Retreat. You will quickly realize that his artistic passion and creativity underlie all that he says and does. With sincerity and good humor, JJ will share his wisdom and insights stemming from his eastern cultural background and his deep knowledge of western art. He approaches painting with a unique and refreshing perspective that he truly enjoys sharing with workshop participants! His years of teaching experience in fine art enable him to pull you in and grow in depth and confidence as an artist.

JJ’s teaching is based on his belief that there are fundamentals that apply to all subject matter and even across mediums. JJ’s daily demos and brief talks will include clear instruction on these fundamentals: drawing, value, color, and edges. JJ will also discuss and demonstrate various techniques in watercolor, but he emphasizes the need for all artists to go beyond technique to explore their creative drive that has brought them to the easel. Some prior experience in drawing and watercolor painting is helpful but not required.

In this retreat, beyond the daily step-by-step demos, JJ will provide individual guidance tailored to your level. The focus of JJ’s demos will be still life, floral and urban/landscape. He will provide reference photos for you to use to follow along if you choose to do so, or you may bring your own. (Since afternoons are open, it is a good time to work on your own projects or maybe try plein air painting in the beautiful surroundings.) To wrap up, as time allows, JJ will have a brief critique and a question & answer session.

JJ Jiang is an award winning artist and a gifted instructor. He is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and Oil Painters of America, and a North Carolina Watercolor Society Master Member. Though accomplished in watercolor, he is a versatile artist - excelling in drawing, oils, Chinese brush painting, with a variety of subjects including landscape/urbanscapes, human figures and portraits, and still life.

To see student testimonials and to read JJ’s teaching statement, go to his website: https://www.jjjiang.com/workshops

INSTRUCTOR

JJ Jiang An oil and watercolor painter, art workshop instructor, lifetime ardent reader, and writer on the occasion when painting is not sufficient to express his feelings and thoughts...

“The medium and subject may vary, but artistry remains the same,” believes JJ Jiang. This belief is evident in JJ’s career as an artist as his paintings have been juried into four of our nation’s prestigious national and international competitions: Oil Painters of America (OPA), National Watercolor Society (NWS), American Watercolor Society (AWS) and American Impressionist Society (AIS). This is a rare find among artists and reveals JJ’s outstanding artistry as well as skill and versatility in both oil and watercolor, and with differing subjects. JJ is a Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America (OPA), the National Watercolor Society (NWS), a Master Signature member of the Watercolor Society of NC (WSNCM), and his work has won numerous awards, been displayed in museums, art centers and galleries throughout the country, and has been widely collected. It has been featured in publications such as Watercolor Artist Magazine, SPLASH 21, The Art of Watercolour magazine and Southwest Art Magazine.

As a fine artist, JJ draws his inspiration from both his eastern and western cultural roots, as well as his inquisitive mind and inner poetry. He excels in drawing, watercolor and oil painting, Chinese calligraphy and brush painting, while exploring subjects such as: land and waterscape/cityscape, still life, portrait and figure.

JJ’s childhood was spent in China during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). During that era of madness, drawing, writing and reading poetry kept him safe and sane, and shielded him from the chaotic world outside. Drawing and painting have become inseparable parts of JJ’s life. They came to him naturally (and early) and have helped shape his view of the world and himself to a large degree. JJ was trained as an architect and architectural historian with professional degrees from both the US and China, with publications in scholarly architectural journals in China. He practiced architecture as well as taught architectural design and history.

Beyond the creation of art, sharing his creative passion for it through teaching has been an integral part of JJ’s journey for years. His open and inspiring instruction has been welcomed and much appreciated by students who often return season after season. Besides offering classes in watercolor and oil painting at his Cary NC studio, he teaches workshops at a variety of venues. JJ has also been a juror and judge for various exhibits in the region.

JJ currently lives in Cary, North Carolina and is the owner of the Village Art Circle Fine Art Studio in the heart of downtown Cary. His unique art journey was written and published in the OUR STATE/North Carolina magazine, January 2015 issue. A portfolio of his watercolor work has been featured in the summer 2024 edition of the top international watercolor magazine, published in France: The Art of Watercolour Magazine, Issue 54.

BEGINNER PLEIN AIR OIL / ACRYLIC PAINTING

Cost: $950

Instructor: Bob Nulf

It’s been called “the new golf” --- plein air painting means “painting outdoors” and is a creative endeavor that is gaining popularity every year. Could there be a more fitting place to enjoy painting the landscape than atop Pompey’s Knob just off the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Almost every community arts center now schedules plein air painting opportunities. Many communities have discovered that their “Plein Air Paintouts” not only attract regional artists to compete but have proven to be a positive marketing and tourism attraction for the community!

Here is your opportunity to join creative friends outside to try to capture the landscape’s moving shadows and shifting colors on canvas! This workshop will use a limited, non-toxic palette and is open to all levels of experience. While the class demonstrations will be given in oils, Bob’s knowledge of water-based materials means artists working in other media will discover important insights into improving their own work. He brings a strong background in helping “beginners” get started with the right skills to build a lifelong pursuit of painting!

INSTRUCTOR

Bob Nulf brings a lifetime of work in the arts to the Wildacres Art Workshop. A Fine Arts and Art Education graduate of Florida State University, in recent years he has taught in a variety of public and private settings: the Penland School of Crafts, the Ringling College summer workshops at Wildacres Retreat, Story Slam Arts Center, and the NC Lions Camp Dogwood for the Blind and Visually Impaired. His murals and work on canvas are included in collections throughout the region and have been featured on several PBS television shows.

CREATING A VISUAL DIARY

Cost: $950

Instructor: Kari Waltz

(An Artist’s Journey Recording Memories and Documenting Travel) The class will be taught primarily in watercolor with some gouache, but you can work in whatever media you choose. All ability levels are welcome, but It will be easier for you if you have some experience in drawing or painting. Regardless, bring your cell phone and use drawing aps if needed.

Even if you have never worked with watercolor or gouache before, you will be able to create memories in your journals. This class is more about remembering experiences than it is about making masterpieces. You can make it as serious as you want to, and you can incorporate scrapbooking too!

Since most of Kari’s journaling work is small, she uses technology for her daily demonstrations and the image is projected to the 42-inch TV so students will be able to see. She will begin each morning with discussion/demonstrations and be available the rest of the afternoon for assistance and guidance.

Since journaling is often done while traveling, she likes to give the class the opportunity to take optional field trips during the week. Minimum walking is required.

This class is for anyone who wants to learn lightweight and convenient ways to paint and create on the go. It provides opportunities to improve the following skills: observation, sketching practice, understanding of value, perspective, proportions, reinforcing color theory, and the importance of planning.

The development of these skills will help participants in their other art endeavors as well. \

KARI Waltz

INSTRUCTOR

Kari Waltz I have been teaching art since 2003, but started working in journals in 2016. I had no idea how painting small watercolor entries on a regular basis would impact my overall artistic journey. At the time, I primarily worked in oils and pastels in my studio, and I was not comfortable with plein air painting. I fell in love with the Water Brush (Pentel Large Aquash Brush), and the freedom this tool gave me was invigorating! It made creating on the go so convenient, that I no longer had the excuse NOT to create.

Working from life will improve anyone’s work. Using this method allowed me to paint on location without having to lug the traditional plein air painting setups that are often heavy and cumbersome. I made lightweight palettes that I now take everywhere with me, and I have learned to relax and play. My larger studio work has been positively influenced by this practice because I have honed my observational and drawing skills. Not only that, but I recently returned from an art trip to Italy where I documented the entire trip. I now treasure the collection of experiences that have been captured in my books.

The methods, tools, and techniques I use allow me to create visual diaries. Of all the work I have created over my lifetime, my journals are what my two daughters want. It’s a record of me (their Mom) in picture/word form: what was important to me, things I experienced, places I visited, quotes that spoke to my heart, and my journey. Journals are personal. If you take this journey with me, you will eventually find your own voice. You will be exposed to various ways to approach a scene, choices to contemplate, tools to use, and options to capture your personal story.

If you have ever wanted to sit and capture the scene in front of you, be creative while traveling, learn to embrace your mistakes instead of being panicked by them, or just wanted to try something new, then this class is for you. I was a novice when it came to watercolor, but I gave myself permission to learn without the pressure of perfection. Let me share with you my journey and what has worked for me

FORMS, FINISHES, AND FIRE

Cost: $1,050 + supply fee

Instructor: Annette Sidner–Carlson and Seth Barendse

Come make clay art with us atop a beautiful mountain in North Carolina, while learning or advancing your skills in hand building, wheel throwing, glazing, and firing. Your team instructors, Annette, and Seth will inspire you to push your creative ideas and advance your skills in clay. In this fast paced and energetic workshop, you will create three to five pieces from start to finish. You will experience multiple Raku firing techniques, and low fire options. All skill levels are welcome. We’ll work hard, create Art and have a great time.

INSTRUCTORS

Annette Sidner–Carlson began her career working for Feld Productions as a scenic artist in 1978. During the years of employment with this corporation she developed and utilized a variety of skills, giving her an abundance of hands-on experience building three dimensional theatre.

Annette worked 13 Ringling Brothers Circuses,12 Disney On Ice Shows as well as created props for Clown College and Siegfreid and Roy shows in Las Vegas. She was the Senior Staff Artist in 1993 before leaving the company to pursue further education.

Annette holds a BA from Eckerd College and an MFA from the University of South Florida. She has been a faculty member at the State College of Florida for the past 19 years, managing the Ceramics and Sculpture Departments on both the Bradenton and Venice campuses. She taught a variety of courses: Ceramics 1&2, Wheel Throwing 1&2, Three Dimensional Design and Sculpture 1&2. She retired from the Venice campus in May 2018.

Annette taught 18 years with Seth Barendse at Wildacres Retreat for Ringling College of Art and Design. They continue to team-teach the Clay Studio at Wildacres in the Summer and Fall secessions recently under directorship of the Redux Art Center of Charleston, South Carolina.

Annette Sidner has shown her art work in several Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice Faculty shows, and has participated in local galleries in those cities. She attended a residency at Watershed Center for the Arts and is published in Lark Books 500 Figures In Clay Vol. 11. After retiring Annette moved to Winter Garden where she continues to produce work at her home studio and is a participating member of the Sobo Art Gallery.

Seth Barendse received his BFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2011. During the past 25 years he has taught ceramics at two high schools, Booker High Schools Visual Performing Arts Program, and Sarasota High School, and worked on four different continuing and higher education school campuses, Ringling College of Art and Design, State College of Florida, Art Center of Manatee, and Penland School of Craft. Currently, Seth can be found on the Sarasota High School campus teaching students 3D Design and Ceramics. He also makes two annual trips to teach 3 workshops at Wildacres in Little Switzerland, NC, where he has had the pleasure of teaching for almost 20 years. His work has been exhibited in Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Tennessee, Oregon, and California.

IMMERSIVE WORKSHOP IN LIGHT, ATMOSPHERE & COLOR

Cost: $950

Instructor: Michelle Held

Join me for an inspiring plein air painting workshop at Wild Acres Retreat, nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This unique experience is designed for artists who want to capture luminous light, atmospheric depth, and rich color harmonies in their landscapes.

Over the course of our time together, we will focus on:

Seeing and Simplifying Light – Learn to translate fleeting moments into glowing, dynamic compositions.

Atmospheric Perspective – Capture the subtle shifts in value, temperature, and edges that create depth.

Color & Harmony – Use a limited palette to achieve vibrancy and unity in your paintings.

Expressive Brushwork – Develop confidence in mark-making while keeping your paintings fresh and alive.

Expect several demos, personalized instruction, and plenty of painting time in breathtaking mountain settings. Whether you are an experienced artist or just starting your plein air journey, this workshop will equip you with tools to create luminous, captivating landscapes.

Come paint with me in the wild beauty of North Carolina, where every sunrise and sunset offers a new masterpiece waiting to be captured!

INSTRUCTOR

Michelle Held Much like a pink spoonbill soaring through the dusky evening twilight, Michelle brings with her a splash of vibrancy, a flutter of unique perspective, and the bewitching song of nature in its truest form.

Born and raised in Maryland, Michelle knew from a young age that she was meant to fly the vast skies of the art world with a palette and paints tucked beneath her eager wings. Passionately working as an artist and business owner for the past 25 years, Michelle has been living out her dreams in Sarasota, Florida. Michelle currently participates in invitational paint-outs and is widely collected throughout the United States. She is also represented in three thriving galleries.

Her success in the art world has come from her winning combination of creative spark and imaginative nature along with her meticulous attention to detail. Often commissioned for custom paintings as well as murals, Michelle’s  passion for wildlife and its ecosystems brought her to embrace the natural world through painting from life.

From serene, swampy marshes draped in ancient Spanish moss to tiny, rickety oyster towns bursting with rainbow buoys and boats, there is always a sight to behold. Michelle is passionate about the morning glow of a waking sun illuminating an observant egret, the conversation between a fisherman and a hungry pelican testing its luck, or the simplistic beauty of a half-peeled clementine bursting with flavor and juicy color.

Michelle believes that evoking a feeling of light, space and passion is the key to any successful contemporary painting. Michelle gives attention to composition, design and value and gives credence to a “go with the flow” attitude as well, and lets the painting direct her, instead of imposing her will on it throughout the entire process.

Plein air has set flight to many paint-outs, including Easton, Forgotten Coast, Lighthouse Art Center and many more. Achieving many awards throughout this journey, her favorite ones are the artists' choice awards, voted on by her peers. The real victory, however, has come with her love of teaching. There were so many who encouraged her, Michelle finds that paying it forward is the best way to fulfill the soul. 

Taking a note from the birds she so loves to paint, Michelle approaches painting like flight, letting the swells and surges of the wind carry her and her brushes through those brilliant beautiful skies.

IMPRESSIONISTIC PAINTING WITH PASTEL & OIL

Cost: $950

Instructor: Greg Barnes

Explore the impressionist style with award winning artist Greg Barnes as your personal guide. Greg tailors his instruction to reach all levels from beginning pointers to advanced techniques. Working from photo reference materials, the class will focus on capturing the essence of a scene through design, color harmonies, and intuitive interpretation. Whether your medium of choice is pastel or oil, it is Greg’s goal that you will continue to learn from the experience long after the workshop has ended. Each day includes a 45-60 min demonstration and lecture by Greg, focusing on different aspects of producing a captivating landscape painting. The remaining time will be spent at your easel, painting from the view or subject matter of your choice. He will continually visit each easel as you paint, giving individual instruction and personal attention. The class will finish with a critique of each students work.

INSTRUCTOR

Greg Barnes received a BFA from Wake Forest University in 1985. He began painting full time following the 911 incident of 2001, when he realized “life is short”. He studied with Albert Handell and Scott Christensen early in his professional career. Currently he tours the country displaying his paintings in national art festivals, participating in plein air events, and teaching pastel and oil painting workshops. His work can also be found in Coconut Grove Gallery and Frame, Miami, FL, Karis Art Gallery, Hilton Head Island, SC, Oh Be Joyful Gallery, Crested Butte CO.

JEWELRY CASTING

Cost: $950 + supply fee

Instructor: Olivia Cramer

In this week-long course students will learn the basics of the lost wax casting process to create the jewelry of their dreams! Everyone will learn how to sculpt and carve wax, add stones in place, create a casting tree, use a kiln for the burnout process, and then pour molten metal in to create your pieces. We will also cover the finishing process of cleaning and polishing your castings. Each student will leave with a handful of finished pieces and a lot of knowledge about this ancient process. Perfect for a beginner or someone with casting or jewelry experience looking to expand their skillset.

PASSIONATE PASTELS

Cost: $950

Instructor: Michael White

Michael White’s Passionate Pastel‘s class has been a Wildacres favorite for more than 25 years. This class is super flexible, empowering beginners and pros to indulge themselves in the joy of soft medium. Pencils, color, pencils, charcoal, Conte, and of course, pastels are all welcome to be utilized in this class . Each class will offer lessons, exercises, and demonstrations, but students will absolutely have plenty of time to work on anything they desire. Landscapes, pet and people portraits, still life, perspective, abstract, fantasy, surrealism, and anything you particularly enjoy, will be explored. This class is not sequential therefore you can take it more than once as many, returning students have done for years. Michael says “I try to make this class comfortable and stress free.  So much so that students traditionally come for the morning lessons and exercises then without being coxed or bound many happily return to draw and paint through the afternoon and evening hours. Don’t take my word for it, but you can ask around to find that It’s fair to say this is the most liberal and fun class you may ever take.”

INSTRUCTOR

Michael White has been teaching art at Wildacres for over 20 years. He was born in 1964 in Campbell, California and raised in Rock Hill South Carolina. He started drawing at age 2 and was published age 10. He started his career at age 14 painting murals for churches and drawing courtroom sketches for the newspaper. At 17 he became the youngest portrait artist ever at Carowinds Amusement park and later that year used scholarships to begin his studies at the Ringling College Of Art in Sarasota Florida. Since then he’s worked for just about everyone, including Marvel Comics, Amoco Oil, Tropicana, the Orioles, Ritz Carlton and Delta Airlines. His work includes illustrations for album covers, magazines, children’s books, posters, game boards, t-shirts, and advertising campaigns. Additionally, Michael loves to travel and draw and paint the places he’s been. “I make my living as a commercial artist, but my passion for fine art is alive and well as I indulge myself, every chance I get”. Michael is very versatile and well rounded plus one of the funnest people you’ll ever meet. His moto is “if it’s not fun I’m not doing it“. Currently Michael does a variety of freelance art, including murals, cartoons, and commercial illustrations while also teaching advanced and beginner art classes to the elderly at a Sarasota retirement community. In his spare time he enjoys gardening, hiking, biking, and making cartoons.

PORTRAIT DRAWING

Cost: $1,000

Instructor: Katelyn Chapman

Beginning with the skull, moving through to the structure of the face and neck muscles, and then on to facial features, this class will be an in-depth study of portraiture through the process of traditional drawing techniques. With great emphasis placed on anatomy and proportions, we will work in layers starting from life-size skull models, then mirror self-portraits, live models, and even master copies to learn how to imbue individual likeness and expression onto our subjects. We will experiment with different drawing approaches and mediums including graphite, charcoal, and chalk pastels. This class builds on foundational drawing knowledge and emphasizes the importance of drawing from observation.

INSTRUCTOR

Katelyn Chapman received an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Georgia in 2018 and a BFA with an emphasis in Drawing from Clemson University in 2014. Her work is largely inspired by her deeply rooted familial and rural ties to the American South and has been in both national and local group exhibitions and published internationally. Chapman is a three-time grantee of the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant ('19, '21, & '24) and has been awarded residency fellowships to attend several artist residencies in the US and abroad. Most recently she was a Visiting Artist in Residence at The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC. She exhibits her work regularly with Southside Gallery in Oxford, MS. Chapman currently lives and works in Charleston, SC where she paints from her home studio and leads workshops both online and regularly at Redux Contemporary Art Center.

Wildacres is a conference center offering its facilities to nonprofit groups that conduct educational or cultural programs and seminars. It is a true retreat, undisturbed by through traffic or noises of the city. There are 2 lodges, a dining hall, a library and auditorium, a pottery and printmaking studio, a jewelry studio and lapidary, as well as multiple classroom spaces. All sleeping rooms have private baths and either two twin beds, or one double and one twin bed. Meals are served family style.

Wildacres is situated on 1600 acres at an elevation of 3300 feet atop a mountain called Pompey’s Knob, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is halfway between Asheville and Blowing Rock in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Due to health regulations, no pets are allowed. For further information about the facility and directions, please visit the website: wildacres.org.

ART ON THE BLUE RIDGE

at Wildacres Retreat

TWO TRANSFORMATIVE SESSIONS

WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

WEEK THREE

Registration / Payments

BEGINNER OIL / ACRYLIC STUDIO PAINTING

CAPTURING LIGHT & ENERGY IN OIL

Cost: $950

Instructor: Michelle Held

CREATING A VISUAL DIARY

FIGURE DRAWING

FORMS, FINISHES, AND FIRE

METAL AND JEWELRY

PLEIN AIR WITH PASTEL OR OIL

THE SIMPLICITY OF WATERCOLOR PAINTING

BEGINNER PLEIN AIR OIL / ACRYLIC PAINTING

CREATING A VISUAL DIARY

FORMS, FINISHES, AND FIRE

IMMERSIVE WORKSHOP IN LIGHT, ATMOSPHERE & COLOR

IMPRESSIONISTIC PAINTING WITH PASTEL & OIL

Cost: $950

JEWELRY CASTING

PASSIONATE PASTELS

PORTRAIT DRAWING

WILDACRES