Explore the challenges and excitement of painting en plein air! It is the best way to learn to paint expressively.
You will work on color mixing, brush handling, thumbnail sketches, composition, editing, paint application, brush care, all while using a tiny bit of Gamsol or no solvents at all. There are many things to think about when painting and when painting outdoors, there is even more to consider. Learn what it means to edit what isn’t needed and paint the essentials. Make a plan first, then follow it. Be prepared to paint two to three or more paintings.
Enjoy this fully immersive experience with lodging on the estate for convenient access to the buildings and stunning landscape throughout the weekend. Classroom instruction will be in the Hillside Drafting Studio, and the exteriors of the entire Taliesin estate will be available for creative work. Lunch and breakfast are provided throughout the weekend, and dinner is an excellent opportunity for participants to explore the local food scene.
This workshop is for beginners and advanced artists. Before the class begins, a list of what to bring and where to find supplies will be sent.
Friday: Arrival 3pm; Tour and welcome 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9am – 4pm workshop (breakfast & lunch served)
Sunday: 9 am – 1:00 pm workshop (breakfast & lunch served)
All workshops include overnight accommodations at Taliesin —the first time this has ever been offered to the public. Join us for this bucket list opportunity and become part of our community for a weekend. Private rooms on the estate are charming and comfortable. Each one comes with a unique view of the Taliesin estate, and none of them include a color television. Your time spent here will be disconnecting to reconnect with ideas, nature, and this sense of place.
One of our guest rooms on the Taliesin estate.
COVID-19 health and safety protocols meeting or exceeding local, state, and federal guidelines will be followed throughout the weekend. Specific COVID-19 protocols will be communicated to participants closer to the workshop. All participants must provide proof of vaccination and/or a negative PCR test 72 hours in advance of their stay. Participants must also be symptom-free to participate.
Should a resurgence of COVID-19 make in-person gatherings once again unsafe, Taliesin Preservation reserves the right to cancel the event out of an abundance of caution. In the unfortunate event this occurs, guests will be notified in advance and offered a full refund to the original payment method.
Artist Jan Norsetter is an award-winning oil painter known for vibrant landscape paintings en plein air and evocatively detailed studies in still life. Norsetter also practices the decorative art of rosemaling, using skill and an artist’s sensibility to embellish items traditional and modern in an age-old form.
Norsetter sets up her easel in the open air, working outdoors surrounded by a world that imbues her paintings with a sense of place. Her landscapes capture clear but imaginative countryside views in every season—close to home in Wisconsin and the US, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and Norway. She often uses blog posts to record progress on a series of paintings and impressions of a particular location. Norsetter holds advanced degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in fine arts and art education. In addition to her work as an artist, she teaches landscape painting and rosemaling. Four Wisconsin-based galleries represent Norsetter’s work: Pink Llama Gallery in Cedarburg, River Arts Gallery in Prairie du Sac, UFrame-It Gallery in Madison, and Woodland Studios in Stoughton.
Painting by Jan Norsetter
Plein Air Paintings on the Taliesin estate.
Plein Air Painting at Taliesin’s water feature
