May 14, 2025 Monthly Program We shall paint plein air! We are heading outside to paint some beautiful paintings this next month at Sarah Pick home at (8011 Ledge Stone Drive, McGregor TX 76657). Please arrive at 9 and bring a simple dish/snack to share and we will make an event of it! Come rain or shine, we will make things work.

But here‚is the exciting part, we will have Melanie Stokes to guide us! We‚ have asked Melanie to give us her tips on painting in the elements. Her favorite tools, tips and tricks. Her dos and donts.
How she picks her composition among so many choices and levels of detail. What to do when you maybe can‚not finish on site. She will be painting alongside us so we can seeher process, although she will be painting in oil or possibly gouache.

In the end, we hope to have enough time to critique what we have done and talk about how we might do things differently in the future. We are going to learn more about the process and hopefully improve our outdoor game!

About Melanie:

She earned an M.Ed. in Art Education from Georgia Southern University. Retired from 26 years of teaching in Georgia public schools, twenty of those as an Art Teacher, and she now pursues her passion for painting. She is currently the Past President of Professional Artists of Central Texas (PACT).

Her popular "The Story Behind the Painting"‚ blog posts can be found on her website at www.melaniestokesart.com. One of the reasons we chose Melanie, even though her typical medium is oil, is her passion for plein air statement: "Painting is something I not only enjoy doing, but something I need to do. It is a language of color and tone that brings richness to my soul. It becomes a spiritual act of worship while I marvel at the beauty of Creation. It is an expression of what I choose to see and process in this world.

Plan to bring to the meeting:

1. A dish to share.
2. Your plein air setup as best you can (easel, stool, etc.).
Note: there will be chairs available to you, but a small stool setup will allow you to move into any position.

Supply List:

1. Paints - I use oils.
2. Limited palettes means less to carry outside. Basic limited palette to include 1 warm and 1 cool of each primary and 2 neutrals.
3. Colors: Cadmium yellow light, Cadmium medium yellow, Cadmium red light, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Burnt Sienna, Titanium White
4. Gamsol for oils and container (or water container)
5. Palette knife or Bring your own palette
6. Brushes: Several sizes of brushes, wide, medium, one small (I use flats most of the time.)
7. Surface: 9x12 or 11x14 stretched panels, (Or comfortable sizes of watercolor paper)
8. Small sketchbook and pencil for thumbnail sketches
9. Paper towels and trash bag

I look forward to having you at my home this month. We painted Plein Air last year at my home, but we did not have anyone guiding us, I am so excited about the process and this opportunity with Melanie. See you there!

Sarah Pick