
In this workshop we will
Gain invaluable insights into capturing a sense of natural or stylized lighting and color while painting in plein air with gouache, oil, acrylic or pastels! A strong understanding of natural color and lighting is an important asset to any environment artist or fine art painter. The Paso Robles area in mid-Spring offers interesting and challenging lighting and color decisions: The nuanced lighting of the old Mission San Miguel Arcangel; the fleeting light of sunset at a local vineyard; the variety of light and dark in oak woodlands and meadows amidst the calcareous rock of the Paso Robles region.





In this two day workshop, Mike will cover the important fundamentals of composition, design, color relationships, staging the light, atmospheric perspective, simplification, and shape design. Learn how to capture a rich sense of natural lighting and color while painting in gouache, oil, acrylic or pastels. Mike will be using gouache but can work in any of these media. Each day will start with a painting demo by Mike followed by students painting on location.Mike will work with each student and will give an overall critique at the end of the workshop.

Mike Hernandez
Mike Hernandez. A native of Los Angeles, California, Mike Hernandez is a plein air painter skilled in gouache, oil, and acrylic. His works have been featured in several online publications as well as galleries. His process began as a young child, painting still-life images. Influenced by the likes of Edgar Payne, Joaquin Sorolla, and Franz Bischoff, Mike soon explored the foundations of color and light in the outdoors—striving to find the beauty in the ordinary. With a palette that resides at the crossroads between industrial and landscapes, he finds inspiration anywhere from the Eastern Sierra range to the muddy concrete banks of the Los Angeles River. Mike studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, graduating with a B.A. in 1998. Mike was a Production Designer and Art Director as well as a concept artist at Dreamworks Animation and worked on such films as Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Turbo, Penguins of Madagascar and many other films. Mike is also a member of a limited group of the finest painters in the US called PAPA (Plein Air Painters of America) as well as a nationwide sought-after workshop instructor. His works can be found in several private collections around the world.

