Monday, September 29th & Tuesday, September 30th
9 AM - 1 PM daily
Ages 18+
$325 (scholarship assistance available)

About the Workshop:

Join us for a dynamic plein air painting workshop designed for artists at all experience levels and working mediums. This course offers individual guidance and group instruction tailored to your needs. Students will focus on developing strong compositions, simplifying complex scenes, and creating compelling visual relationships within each painting. Emphasis will be placed on the expressive power of contrast—exploring value, color, and edge relationships to build images with clarity and impact. Participants will learn to read the landscape for value structure, interpret color with greater sensitivity, and work efficiently to capture the fleeting qualities of light and atmosphere. Instruction will balance foundational principles with personal exploration, and each student will receive individual feedback throughout the course.

Come prepared to work outdoors, challenge your eye, and grow your painting skills in a supportive and inspiring environment.

A list of supplies for all mediums can be found HERE: https://artsorange.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/James-Keul-Painting-Workshop-Supply-List.pdf

About the Venue:

Bluestem Conservation Cemetery, Cedar Grove, NC is 15 minutes from downtown Hillsborough, and 87 acres of open space, farm fields, woods, butterflies, a pond, wildlife, big sky, and over three miles of natural pathways and woodland trails open to the public from dawn to dusk. Onsite is a barn and two natural sanctuary areas, a few benches and picnic tables around the property for resting or having a snack. There is no drinking water onsite, and two portapotties. Workshop attendees will need to bring their own drinking water and supplies to the site.

Explore Bluestem's website HERE: https://www.bluestemcemetery.org/

About the Teaching Artist: James Keul

James Keul is a fine-artist, and muralist based in Durham, NC. James graduated with a BFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and continued his education at the Art Students League of NY. James formerly worked as studio assistant to artists Richard Haas, Frank H. Mason, and Lorrie Goulet. James has exhibited his paintings, etchings, and monotypes widely, including Waterworks Visual Art Center, the GreenHill Center for NC Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan, and CAM Raleigh. He has taught painting classes and workshops for more than 15 years, at various locations, including the Art Students League of NY, Carrboro ArtsCenter, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and Durham Arts Council. James’ work is represented by SCAD Art Sales and Craven Allen Gallery, in Durham, NC. He was a 2024 NC Artist Support Grant recipient from the Durham and NC Arts Councils and one of James’ paintings was recently included in the 5th National Climate Assessment, to represent Hawaii and U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands, as well as the 2024 Climate Literacy Guide.

Learn more about James by visiting his website: www.jameskeul.com

Or, check out his Instagram: www.instagram.com/jkeul