The Plein Air Experience: Sketching Winona
September 19 - September 22
September 19 – 22, 2024 | Winona, MN
A Minnesota Marine Art Museum, River Arts Alliance, and Urban Sketchers (Bluff Country, Chippewa Valley, Twin Cities Chapters) Collaboration on the Upper Mississippi River
The Plein Air Experience returns once again to the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (Winona, MN) with a focus on sketching the region’s diverse and inspiring environments, built and natural. Organized by the River Arts Alliance, The Plein Air Experience: Sketching Winona brings you four exciting days of plein air art making on the Upper Mississippi River, featuring a signature studio arts workshop led by Urban Sketchers advocate Kar-Keat Chong, an opening launch event, artist-led sketch walks, and a chance to close it all down by seeing what was created over the weekend at a closing reception.
Experience a fresh approach to making art outdoors and experience this new frontier of art making committed to telling the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel. Let’s show the world who we are, one drawing at a time.
What exactly is this ‘urban sketching’ thing? Why are all these artists showing up in alleyways, on bridges, and in our parks and what exactly are they drawing? Hear from a diverse panel of artists, including Kar-Keat Chong, who are at the forefront of a new movement, making waves in the art community with their sketchbooks and radical vision for on-location art making
Artist Kar-Keat Chong will lead a workshop on sketching with watercolor and ink. Participants will be exposed to multiple ink medium pens and learn how to sketch and shade with them. Once participants grasp the basic ink sketching techniques, they will learn how to incorporate watercolor into their ink sketches.
For two days, artists from the Urban Sketchers Twin Cities Chapter and Urban Sketchers Bluff Country Chapter will come together in Winona to lead sketch walks at five locations around the city on Friday and Saturday. Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, anyone can participate and enjoy any or all of these free opportunities to “Sketch Winona”.
The “Throwdown” is the grand finale of any group sketch walk. Throw down the sketching you did over the weekend. Share your creations, swap stories, and soak in the diverse perspectives of fellow artists. No critiques, just pure appreciation and inspiration.
