Yosemite Conservancy is celebrating 40 years of Yosemite art programs! The celebrations commence with the reopening of Happy Isles Art and Nature Center and our daily art classes on April 4, and will continue throughout the 2022 season with our most packed schedule of classes to date!
Join the 40th anniversary of Yosemite art programs
with a Conservancy art program this summer!
Art has always been integral to the Yosemite experience, and this year’s offerings provide opportunities for artists of all ages and ability levels to try something new. For those looking for a deeper dive, Art Retreats provide opportunities to study with professional artists on multi-day workshops in Yosemite National Park –– and your campsite is included with an option to upgrade to lodging! What better setting to inspire your next masterpiece?
An outdoor watercolor class in Yosemite Valley with instructor Steve Curl in April 2021. Participants sketched and painted subjects and scenes at several locations in Yosemite Valley.
The listing below provides a brief taste of what the workshops will encompass with links to each retreat’s registration page which provides a complete overview and artist bio! Which retreat is a perfect fit for you?
- Over the course of three days in Scenic Watercolor with Steve Curl in Yosemite Valley, May 19-22, you will sharpen your artistic skills as you practice creating a balanced composition, capturing shifting lights and shadows, and using layers of color to build a scene.
- The approach will be relaxed and un-fussy in Plein Air Watercolor with Molly Hashimoto in Yosemite Valley, June 16-19, beginning with loose and quick pencil drawings to establish the major masses, then applying watercolor to define the areas of color. More experienced students will expand their painting skills, and the instructor will assist them in refining their own style.
- Oil Painting with Jeff Hemming in Yosemite Valley, June 23-26 will provide participants with a step-by-step working method to tackle the challenges of outdoor landscape oil painting. Students will interpret a particular scene and make thoughtful and informed decisions on color, composition, values, and edges. This workshop will enhance the skills of the experienced artist and give confidence to the new plein air artist.
Participants watch Nikki Frumkin demonstrate watercolor techniques at Glacier Point.
- If you enjoy watercolor painting and backpacking, Backpack and Paint with Nikki Frumkin to Cathedral Lakes, June 30-July 3 is the trip for you! Join artist and alpinist Nikki Frumkin on a three-day, two-night backpacking trip spent exploring the energy and movement of Yosemite’s high peaks – and capturing it in watercolor.
- May Lake offers classic high country scenery — and the perfect setting for Intro Backpack: May Lake Art & Story Stroll with Brian Shoor and Lora Spielman, August 4-August 7. Stroll to May Lake for a two-night backpacking trip with storyteller and naturalist Brian Shoor, who will be accompanied by a local artist, Lora Spielman!
- During Plein Air Oil Painting with Faith Rumm in Yosemite Valley, September 8-11, you will learn how to employ intense observation and creative engagement to make plein air painting a deeply rewarding experience.
- Augment your sketchbook with drawings and watercolor sketches inspired by the colors, texture, and light of autumn in Yosemite in Drawing & Watercolor Journaling with Janet Takahashi in Yosemite Valley, October 5-8. Slow down, see nature’s brilliant creativity, savor its detail, and record it in ways that will continue to inspire you long after your trip.
- Immersed in the inspiring landscape of Yosemite Valley, you will spend three days sketching and exploring the rich history of the park’s iconic buildings using line and watercolor in Architecture & Perspective with Janet Takahashi Yosemite Valley, October 11-14.
Visit our Art Classes homepage for a full list of upcoming programs.
Faith Rumm teaches oil painting on the shores of the Merced River.
Top photo by Yosemite Conservancy/Keith Walket. Other photos by Yosemite Conservancy/Lora Spielman.