General Class Info

Updated 3.21.23

On this page you’ll find a ton of information about classes at our two Maine locations, Rockland and Belfast.  I’ve included some Plein Air gear info: How to Pack Paints When Flying; Carrying Wet Canvases, and the Policies at the end…just keep scrolling!

A Brief and Reasonably Thorough Summary of General Class Information!

(More details following below)

Do bring layers for 3 seasons and rain gear…Maine weather changes in a blink and we really never know with any certainty from day to day! We’re fairly informal most everywhere tho, depending on where you eat out…many times, students just clean up in the studio, then head straight to a restaurant…

We will make sure you know our 2023 Covid protocols well ahead; please be assured that we will do everything we can to provide a safe environment for you! Compliance with our protocols is required; if masks are required, there will be no admittance without one, and no refund available at that point. We’ll decide on carpooling depending on any necessary 2023 Covid protocols.

************************************************************************

Check the Website for the expanded version…a ton more info for you!

• • We‘ll process your payment after we get your online Registration and will email you a receipt. A $300 deposit will hold your space. Cancellation and Refund info is at the bottom of the Registration Form…(please do read the Policies before you check that you have!)

  • We’ll send a Supply List and more detailed info after you Register, and again about 2 weeks before the class. Print and tuck into your painting kit…then you’ll know where to find it all! It has the answers to most of your questions!

  • If you will need mediums, let me know and I will have them here for you to buy when you get to class. You are also welcome to ship materials to arrive the week before…ask about details!

  • The first day, the Studio will open at 8:15 AM… Classes run M-F usually between 8:30-4:30, but the exact hours are at the Instructor’s discretion…always an average of 6 hours/day, but starting and ending times may vary according to your instructor.

  • We always have a 1 hr lunch break, to use or not, it’s up to you…and a lunch plan depending on where we are painting. You’ll order in the AM andwe will deliver to your location…you pay, in cash please, on the last day before you leave!

  • Our Studios are large, with good light and in Rockland, waterviews and access; you’ll have your own table space and are welcome to leave equipment etc. there for the week.

  • The Plein Air plan for the day is weather-dependent and decided at the end of the previous day if possible, or more likely, when we meet in the Studio each morning! Make sure your Class Monitors know where you have set up, and try to stay close to the demo area. Less running around for them, more time for feedback to you!

  • There is free parking on the street by the Studio building, which is within a few blocks of downtown. You can park anywhere there are no “2 hr Parking” signs…there are stairs down to the studio door from the deck we share with the painted shingled Apprenticeshop. Ask for help with your gear if you need it!

  • We usually carpool  (or sometimes walk if it’s close) to Plein Air painting sites, many of which have shade and at the least, a porta-potty or nearby facilities. You will get good directions. Please, do NOT depend on your GPS unless we say so!

  • Each class has an experienced Monitor (or two!) as your Go-To person for any problems or needs…please ask…we all will do our absolute best to see that you have a great class experience!

  • Downtown has great galleries, shops and food and the area is full of wonderful places to paint, many accessible to the single painter that a class can’t utilize…if you can, take a look around!

  • For more detailed General Info, or Lodging and Travel info, click on the buttons on the Home Page.  Belfast info is usually at the end of a documant…

  • If you have any problems, tell us!! We can’t fix anything if we don’t hear till you get home. Be sure to contact us with any questions. Thanks!

BELFAST!

Belfast classes will be held at the Hutchinson Center, a University of Maine facility in Belfast, a 5 minute drive from from the center of town, west on Rt 3. it is a well equipped setting, great light, and a sheltered patio area for lunch outside. We’ll make sure you have all the specifics in plenty of time!

You will have a chair and table space. If you are painting inside, you may want to use your easel and a stool…

For dinner, there are many good restaurants plus a big supermarket and a great Natural Foods Coop in town. Some are North about 10-15 minutes and more 30 -50 minutes South in Camden, Rockport and Rockland if you feel like taking a drive …all were affected by staff shortages and supply chain issues…we will have current info for you as we get into the season…

CLEAN UP: IMPORTANT! Please wash brushes in the studio utility sink! We will have a can for used solvents. Rags/paper towels can be spread out in the trash.

There are a couple of places in Belfast to buy art supplies or, you can let a Monitor know what you want and we’ll get it for you…please plan to pay the Monitor in cash before you leave on your last day….we’ll keep track on your Lunch Tab…

SHIPPING: Currently, it is not possible to ship materials for Belfast classes…I’m working on it!

Classes are generally 9 AM to 4 PM … changes are at the instructor’s discretion.

First Day: The Studio will be open by 8:15 the first day…plan to be there by 8:30 to pick your table spot, get your Name Tag and re-sort your gear if necessary. There is a LOT of business to take care of before we can head out to paint and we share it starting at 9…hopefully with all students present! We’ll also do brief introductions and the instructor will have info to share as well… We have an electric kettle and a Keurig at the Studio but Belfast has great coffee if you want to pick up a cup!

Every Day….Your Instructor will set the plan and the times…If it is a plein air class. we’ll give you directions to wherever we head. We will carpool if necessary and Monitors can help out with transportation as needed. Generally, the last day is a full class day.

Unless they have evening classes, the building closes daily at 4:30 and we won’t have access until early the next morning. We’ll remind you and we will all plan accordingly. If we can get in later, we will let you know.

PLEIN AIR GEAR TIPS 

If you are new to Plein Air painting, some of this may be useful…

Be sure to practice with your kit before you come to a first class…pack, unpack and repack until you get it down to what you can carry with ease!! Check out what everyone uses…ask questions…painters have closets full of discarded easels and gadgets and gear…find out why! We have several instructors who can pack all their gear into a large shoulder bag! Well, one does carry a board and one carries a tripod easel separately…but…something to strive for!

On the other hand, you’ll want to have with you everything you will need to paint comfortably;  some people need a small folding table, others a chair with a back, not just a stool…some an umbrella…what’s really important is that it all pack up into something that you can manage on your own. Not that we can’t give you a hand…but you will want to develop a kit that you can use solo, however you transport it….Check to see if you can borrow a stool, table or chair.

You’ll need at minimum: an easel and some way to stabilize it in wind, (most people hang a pack or a gallon jug of water, or wrap weights on the legs…think about using bungees to hold canvases in place!) for WC, a board on which you can tape your paper or a WC block; some easels have them attached with a camera type mount, others have arms with adjustable clamps….a palette, palette knife for mixing, your paints and any additional substances, a brush carrier, (oil painters need a way to carry wet paintings…see below) something to hold water, medium or solvent, rags or paper towels, a bag for trash, a sun hat, sunscreen and water bottle (and snacks as well!)  You may choose an easel that will hold all of that when you set up…if not you may want to add a shelf or bring a small table. Even if you stand to paint, it’s often comfortable to have something to sit on while you’re thinking…or watching a demo or eating lunch…Consider an easel attachment or free standing umbrella! Very handy when we are in an area with limited shade…

You’ll also want a sketch book, black and gray markers or assorted pencils for value studies…a camera, IPad or smart phone…and any gadgets you depend on for checking values and perspective or framing a scene…also little handy tools like a knife, tape, bungee cords, and probably lots more I can’t think of right now… keeping in mind keeping it all manageable! You might even find a rolling cart that holds everything and converts into a seat…or a rolling backpack if that’s easier! Old carry-ons work well!

Traveling with Paints and Paintings!

Best advice? Ask your friends who deal with all this! There are many good ideas out there! Unless your instructor specifies stretched canvases, use panels…or cut pieces of primed canvas to tape to a board…cheaper, easier…this is a class…you’re supposed to be experimenting!!

First rule: Paints are ARTISTS COLORS; don’t call them paints! And you cannot carry any liquids…at the airport, you are at the mercy of people trying to be big fish in tiny ponds…some are lenient…some are not.

Pack your paints in leak-proof plastic bags, put them in a leak-proof plastic box and label them Artists Colors. It’s a good idea to go to the manufacturers website and print the specs for each and put those in a plastic bag taped on top of the box. Put the whole thing on the top of stuff in your checked baggage. It is riskier to try and bring them in your carry-on…materials are big investment…no one wants them lost or confiscated. You should also check with your airlines, specifying Artists Colors…rules keep changing!

You are welcome to order mediums/solvents etc ahead (WELL ahead!!) and I will have them for you in the Studio when you get here…you can pay (in cash please) when you settle your Lunch tab on the last day…

You can roll WC paper or carry it flat wrapped onto your board if you have one…no idea what we will do when no sort of plastic wrap or bags is still legal!

Wet canvases and canvas boards (panels.) Raymar carriers or one of the many other cardboard carriers available at art supply stores online and maybe local, are perfect for panels…stick with one or 2 size panels so you don’t have to have a big variety of boxes. Some people use clean pizza boxes and stack panels or stretched canvases separated by Saran Wrap (the brand to use), or waxed paper, push pins or thumb tacks depending on how thick you paint, bracing them with folded cardboard to hold them in place against an edge, taping the box closed and wrapping it in plastic. Others stack them (separated), and wrap the whole stack in plastic, tightly so they don’t slip around…Others use a board , taping down unstretched canvas cut to size…then to get them home, stack them separated by SW or WP and taping securely to the board, then packaging the pile in plastic.

Even if you are driving, do NOT bring your whole studio, tempting as it is not to have to whittle it down! You  won’t need everything…and it might be fun to have room to carry a car-pooler or two!

Terms and Conditions

When you checked the required box on your registration, it indicated that you  read, understood and accepted the Policies stated below. Thank you!

NOTE: We require a response to the Covid Questions on the Registration Form; Compliance with the protocols, should they be requested, is necessary for admission to a workshop. There will be no refunds at that point.

The Deposit to hold your space in each workshop you attend is $300 unless noted otherwise, due at Registration. You may pay by check, Money Order or Credit Card (No AMX). The Deposit includes a non-refundable $75 Service Fee.

Your Balance is due eight weeks prior to the start of the class. If you paid your Deposit by check or Money Order, please mail your payment to reach us by the due date. If you paid by credit card, we will notify you ahead and charge the amount due on or soon after the due date.

We pay any refunds due either by credit to your card or by check.

If you have to cancel:

Up to 8 weeks prior to the class start date; we refund whatever you have paid minus the $75 Service Fee.

Between 8 and 6 weeks prior to the class date, we refund what you have paid minus $100.

After 6 weeks prior to the class date, regretfully but regardless of the reason, we cannot offer refund or credits unless the class was full and we can fill your space. In that case, the refund will be minus the $100 Service Fee.

You may switch your paid registration to another person at any time. Let us know!! Transfers 8 weeks prior to your original class may involve a plus or minus tuition difference but no Transfer Fee.

Transfers after 8 weeks prior to a class date are considered to be Cancellations and incur any applicable Service Fees.. You may cancel by phone, but we will need a written or emailed notice in order to issue a refund. (You might want to consider travel and event insurance in case you can’t make it at the last minute!)

If a class does not reach its minimum number by 6 weeks prior to the date, we may have to cancel it. In that case, we will notify you ASAP and refund or credit all payments in full. You’ll receive our regrets, our apologies, and the chance to transfer to another class!

Should an instructor cancel close to the class date and we can run the class with an equivalent caliber instructor, we do not issue refunds.

Permission to include your contact info on our Class Lists and any image or images of you or your work during class, in candid photos or videos to be used on our website and in our mailings, is implicit in your registration when you indicate your acceptance of our policies. If you prefer not to be included in any class photos or videos or not have your contact info distributed to other class members, please let us know in writing or by email.

Disclaimer: Coastal Maine Art Workshops accepts no responsibility or liability for any illness contracted, loss of, or damage or injury to you or to any of your materials, work or any possessions, whether occurring on our premises or not, or during travel from our premises to or while at or coming back from, any alternate location, for the entire duration of your attendance at a Workshop.

Problems/Questions? Call us at 207-594-4813. We’ll do our best to resolve any issues! We’re looking forward to having you join us!

Lyn Donovan, Director: Coastal Maine Art Workshops

Updated 7.3.22