Michael Chesley Johnson, Fine Art, Landscapes, Seascapes, Maritimes, Paintings, Oil, Pastel

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En Plein Air Workshops
on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada

About the Workshops | Sign Up | Is This Workshop for Me? | Our Schedule | Where to Stay
How to Get There | What to Expect | What to Bring | Supply Lists | Photos | Local Links

About the Workshops

 

 

Michael is reserving summer and fall on Campobello Island to offer en plein air workshops. Both oil and pastel are welcome, and every level of student, from beginner to advanced, will benefit from his classes. (Occasionally, he will offer a special week for mentoring intermediate to advanced students. This is noted on the schedule. Keep reading for more on this great opportunity!)

Michael will demonstrate materials and methods for painting en plein air with plenty of instruction at the student's easel. Painting locations may include Lubec's historic waterfront, the Roosevelt Cottage and grounds, and scenic working harbors such as Head Harbour.

Sessions, which consist of weeklong (Monday-Friday) half-day sessions will give painters plenty of time to explore the island and the Downeast Maine region on their own. (Sessions are usually 9-1 Atlantic Time.) While visiting, you can go on a whale watch...take a hike along Herring Cove's beautiful cobble beach in Herring Cove Provincial Park...go bike riding on one of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park's many gravel roads...or visit two of the most scenic lighthouses, the West Quoddy Light and the Head Harbour Light.

This is a small workshop. No more than 4 students!

Campobello Island is in New Brunswick, Canada. It's just over the bridge from Lubec, Maine, and only two hours from Bar Harbor or the Bangor International Airport. Lodging and dining are plentiful on Campobello Island.

Even though each session is a complete course, feel free to take several weeks to hone your skills! There is no minimum number of students for the class.

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How to Sign Up

Cost of the weeklong, half-day workshop is $300 (take $50 off if you bring a friend at full price!)
$100 deposit is required
to hold your space

Deposit is non-refundable :: If you must cancel, you may exchange the week for another one

  • Pick your week from the list
  • Send Michael an e-mail to make sure your week (or weekend) is still available
  • Send a $100 deposit to reserve your space. Personal checks can be made out to "Michael C. Johnson" and note in your memo field "FBSG Workshop" + plus the week you've picked. Mail it to:

Michael Chesley Johnson, PO Box 454, Lubec ME 04652
(Canadian Address: 822 Route 774, Welshpool NB E5E 1A6)

Or, click the button below to pay your deposit via PayPal or with a credit card. (Vendor will appear as "FBS Gallery" and with the extended name of "Friars Bay Gallery" or "trina.stephenson@gmail.com"..) Important: Let us know what week you would like!

 

If paying in US Dollars, use this one:

Enter Week You'd Like:

If paying in Canadian Dollars, use this one:

Enter Week You'd Like:

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Important FAQs

Is This Workshop for Me?

This workshop is for someone who wants to experience painting outdoors in a beautiful location. If you've never painted outdoors but would like to, Michael will guide you through what painting "en plein air" is all about. If you're an old hand at outdoor painting, Michael will share his method of capturing light, shadow and color quickly and how he brings a painting to completion on location. Both beginners and experts will benefit from the workshop

You will need to be able to walk short distances on sometimes-uneven ground with your equipment. The group will never walk far from the car, but occasionally you may need to negotiate a set of stairs from the parking area, walk to a small viewpoint or onto a rocky beach. Restrooms may not always be nearby, but painting sessions typically last only two hours. Our studio is located on the second floor of our studio gallery and is reached by a flight of stairs.

Although the workshop is for any level of student, from beginner to advanced, we suggest that you be comfortable with your medium of choice. If you have not painted before, we suggest you take an introductory indoor workshop first.

Occasionally, Michael will offer a special week for mentoring intermediate to advanced students. This is noted on the schedule. Mentoring weeks are for painters comfortable with working outdoors and in their chosen medium. In the mentoring workshop, you'll have the chance to learn the finer elements of painting, information that usually isn't handled in a regular workshop. But it's not just about advanced instruction. It's an opportunity for the serious painter to address issues that are bigger than mere craft. As you work shoulder-to-shoulder with an experienced professional, you may:

  • Give your art a mid-course correction
  • Create an action plan for the future
  • Define where your career is headed

Or, if you just want to paint with a "guide" without reevaluating your life, you can do that, too! You can consider it a painting holiday or artist retreat, or just a time to paint without instruction and to meet other artists.

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Our Schedule

The workshop runs Monday through Friday. Each day is a half-day, usually 9-1 Atlantic Time, which means you will have the opportunity to explore the island and surrounding area on your own. (If you prefer, you can use this time to paint, and Michael will gladly critique anything you do.) We will most likely paint in the mornings, but be prepared to paint instead in the afternoon or evening if the weather is better then.

We will meet Sunday afternoon at 5pm (Atlantic Time -- which is 4 pm Eastern Time) at Friars Bay Studio Gallery for tea and to discuss our plans for the week. Instruction will likely end by lunchtime on Friday, but you may wish to stay several more days to explore the area.

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Where to Stay

Campobello Island has plenty of lodging. Friars Bay Studio Gallery is located in Welshpool on Campobello, and we most likely will paint on the island within a few miles of Welshpool.

Two websites give many options for lodging. These are: www.visitlubecmaine.com and www.campobello.com. Below are a few places that are in or near Welshpool and very close to the studio gallery. There is other lodging elsewhere on the island and in the region. If you are looking for a specific kind of lodging, please ask us and we'll help you.

When you make inquiries for lodging, please do remember the time difference. Campobello is one hour ahead of Lubec, and the workshop will start at 9 am AT each day. If you are staying at a B&B, find out what time breakfast is served; if you can't get to the workshop on time because of breakfast, see if the B&B will serve you earlier. They usually can make some arrangement for you.

Motels, Inns and Cottages

There are also private residences for rent in Welshpool. See www.campobello.com for more and also for motels, inns and cottages elsewhere on the island. Also check out http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p207410 (www.lubecbaycottage.com); this cottage includes a well-equipped artist's studio and offers students a 10% discount. Also, see www.villagepropertyservices.com for lodging options in Lubec.

Campobello Summer Cottages (www.cyberrentals.com #120461, 117215, 133795, 812-455-1890) are located near the Head Harbour Light and offer a 10% discount to students.

Are you a camper? The Herring Cove Provincial Park offers camping very close to Friar's Bay Studio Gallery. Golfing, too! www.campobello.com/herring.html, 506-752-7010)

If you are looking for wireless Internet access, the Welshpool Library offers it. However, the Studio Gallery also has it, and you are welcome to use it during gallery hours.

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How to Get There

Do you need a car? Yes! Exploring on your own after our painting sessions will be a major part of your stay, so we recommend that you judge your needs accordingly.

By Air. The closest airport is Bangor, ME. Bangor is 2.5 hours by auto from Campobello Island. (Another option is the Bar Harbor airport in Trenton, also 2.5 hours away.) When you head out for Lubec (see "By Auto" below), you have two choices for a route. The quickest and least trafficky is the interior route: Rte 9 to Wesley, then Rte 192 to Machias and then Rte 189 to Lubec. The coastal route, Rte 1, is scenic but extremely busy during high tourist season (July 4th through Labor Day), especially around Ellsworth.

By Auto. If you are coming from the US or mainland Canada, head for Lubec, Maine. During July and August, when the Deer Island Ferry is running, you can also come from mainland Canada via Letete, NB. (You will still need a car!)

Google Map directions from Bangor (click on View Larger Map for directions and route):


View Larger Map

Google Map Directions from St John, NB (click on View Larger Map for directions and route):


View Larger Map

For ferry information, see www.deerisland.nb.ca/ferries.htm.

Once you're close:

From Lubec. Go over the bridge to Campobello. Follow Rte 774 past Friar's Bay Motel to intersection with North Rd. Go RIGHT (continuing on Route 774) toward Wilson's Beach about 1/3 mile. (This is still Rte 774.) Gallery is at sharp bend in road on RIGHT. Look for the Friar's Bay Studio Gallery sign.

From the Deer Island Ferry Landing (on Campobello Island). Take RIGHT out of ferry landing toward Welshpool on North Rd. Go to intersection with Rte 774. Go STRAIGHT on Rte 774 through intersection toward Wilson's Beach. Go about 1/3 mile. Gallery is at sharp bend in road on RIGHT. Look for the Friar's Bay Studio Gallery sign.

map

 

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What to Expect

Campobello is uncrowded, quiet and beautiful. (Which is why we live here!) Besides lodging, Campobello has restaurants, a pharmacy, a small grocery store and gift shops. Nearby Lubec has more, such as gas stations, an IGA grocery store, hardware store, etc. (We should mention Phil's Ice Cream Shop and also Seaside Chocolates. You'll want to put those on your "must visit" list.) Lubec also has a medical center. There are no art supply stores, so you must bring all the art supplies you need.

With several parks nearby -- the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park, the Herring Cove Provincial Park and Maine State Parks such as West Quoddy Head -- and also the Cobscook Bay Trails system, there's plenty of hiking and biking. There's also whale watching tours and deep-sea fishing, art galleries and gift shops. The Summer Keys program in Lubec sponsors a free weekly concert where you can hear world-class performers. (See www.summerkeys.com.) And don't forget that we have plenty of fresh local seafood!

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What to Bring

Until mid-June, you may encounter some fog and drizzly days. After that time, though, the weather dries out and warms up nicely. Still, be prepared for the occasional day of rain and cool weather. Although we won't paint in the rain, for your own comfort bring a raincoat and warm layers to dress in. We have a mosquito or two, so bring insect repellent if the little critters bother you. (See the supply lists for other items.)

Just as a reminder, the workshop is in Canada. A passport, passport card or enhanced driver's license will expedite your return to the US. For travel information, visit www.getyouhome.gov or www.travel.state.gov.

You will want to make sure you bring all the art supplies you need. There are no art supply stores within a day's drive. Friar's Bay Studio Gallery has no supplies to sell or loan. If you're flying or traveling light and don't want to pack your easel, we may have one available for rent. It is $25/week, and you must reserve it in advance as we have a very limited number. We also will have Turpenoid available for those students who are flying.

There is a frame shop that stocks a limited amount supplies. If you are planning to buy from them, call to see what they have, and if they don't have what you need, they will order it for you. For more information:

Holly-Garner Jackson
Woodwind Custom Framers & Gallery - 10% off for students! Let Holly know you are taking the workshop.
62 Dublin St # H, Machias, ME 04654
(207) 255-3727

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Photos

click thumbnails for large image


West Quoddy Lighthouse
(Lubec, ME)


Historic Lubec Smokehouses
(Lubec, ME)


Herring Fishing Weir
(Campobello I.)


McCurdy Smokehouse Complex
(Lubec, ME)


Old Fishing Weir, Friar's Bay
(Campobello I.)


West Quoddy State Park
(Lubec, ME)


Low Tide at Friar's Bay
(Campobello I.)


Sugar Loaf Rock, Liberty Point
(Campobello I.)


Mulholland Light with Lubec in Distance
(Campobello I.)


Lobster Boats in Bay
(Lubec, ME)


Kingsbrae Gardens in St Andrews-by-the-Sea
(St Andrews, NB)


Hamilton Cove Beach
(Lubec, ME)


East Quoddy Light
(Campobello I.)


Lobster Boats at Head Harbour
(Campobello I.)

 


East Quoddy Head Sandbar (low tide)
(Campobello I.)

 
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Local Links

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