Learn the joys of capturing the moment, color and mood in watercolor.  This 4-day workshop at our artist retreat in San Luis Obispo, CA, will cover the basic watercolor handling techniques that can speed up your process, loosen you up, and increase your success in capturing outdoor scenes. Beginning and intermediate topics will be first covered in the studio then the class will transition outdoors to paint in plein air.

There will be daily skill building exercises focusing on controlling paper moisture, mixtures, and timing. Geoff’s demonstrations will review materials, and illustrate how all these techniques flow together and show students how to “keep it fresh”.

Geoff’s daily demos will cover how to take your inspiration through a process of simplification while enhancing design dynamics, expression, and creating atmosphere.  It all starts with practicing watercolor’s quartet of skills; values, shapes, color, and mark making.  Geoff will be following up individually with students to reinforce concepts and skills at their easel.

Willow Pond SLO is a 14-acre artist retreat on the Central Coast of CA. We host workshops across multiple disciplines, including: fiber arts to plein air painting, life drawing to abstraction. Delight in our tranquil, country setting, perfect for focusing on work led by inspiring instructors and experts, while enjoying farm-to-table culinary delights catered by a local chef.

Dates: Friday, April 17 - Monday, April 20, 2026. Applications close on March 6, 2026.

Fees: $997 includes lunch daily. 
 

Register or Learn more at: https://www.willowpondslo.com/artist-workshops-san-luis-obispo#geoffallen

And more about our artist retreat and 2026 workshops at: WillowPondSLO.com

Questions: info@willowpondslo.com