Plein Air Classes, Critiques and Private Lessons

Plein Air Sessions are held in the greater Seattle area, including Snoqualmie Valley, Snohomish Valley, Eastside, Pioneer Square, Washington Park Arboretum, Discovery Park, etc. Plein air sites are selected based on aesthetic interest and relative convenience.

This class meets from approx. mid-April to approx. mid-November, depending on weather conditions. Students can sign up for either 8 or 16 sessions, and attend the class sessions that are convenient to their schedule. The student does not lose session credits if a particular class is missed, and if session credits remain at the end of the painting season, they can be applied to the following year’s plein air season. Class times are 10 AM to 2:30 PM on either Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Alternate days may also be offered if weather is inclement on designated class days.

Session fees do not cover the cost of equipment and painting materials, including easels or other required items.

Classes are scheduled based on the number of students enrolled. If insufficient enrollment results in a full cancellation, then a full refund will be made.

First time signup discounts are available for either first time students or for students that have not been in class for two years or more. If either of these apply to you, please select the "yes" radio button to receive your discount.

Refund Policy for Plein Air Classes: Refunds are not available for any other reason than full cancellation of class.

Plein Air Sessions are held in the greater Seattle area, including Snoqualmie Valley, Snohomish Valley, Eastside, Pioneer Square, Washington Park Arboretum, Discovery Park, etc. Plein air sites are selected based on aesthetic interest and relative convenience.

This class meets from approx. mid-April to approx. mid-November, depending on weather conditions. Students can sign up for either 8 or 16 sessions, and attend the class sessions that are convenient to their schedule. The student does not lose session credits if a particular class is missed, and if session credits remain at the end of the painting season, they can be applied to the following year’s plein air season. Class times are 10 AM to 2:30 PM on either Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Alternate days may also be offered if weather is inclement on designated class days.

Session fees do not cover the cost of equipment and painting materials, including easels or other required items.

Classes are scheduled based on the number of students enrolled. If insufficient enrollment results in a full cancellation, then a full refund will be made.

First time signup discounts are available for either first time students or for students that have not been in class for two years or more. If either of these apply to you, please select the new student discount checkbox to receive your discount.

Refund Policy for Plein Air Classes: Refunds are not available for any other reason than full cancellation of class.

Private Lessons are available for both studio and plein air work. A typical lesson is 4 hours and costs $250. There is a discount available for pre-payment of 2 or more sessions.

Private Lessons are intensive and can either be held at your studio or Mr. Elston's studio, or at a site of your choosing in the Seattle metropolitan area. Availability is dependent on Mr. Elston's schedule and prior commitments. All Lesson sessions must be scheduled in advance, via email or telephone with Mr. Elston, before payment is made.

Private Lessons are discounted based on the number of lessons that you sign up for. Please select the quantity that you are interested in purchasing.

Refund Policy for Private Lessons: Refunds are available only in the event that the instructor is unavailable or unable to fulfill the lesson or critique commitment.

Private Critiques are available. These are generally held in the artist / student's own studio, provided it is located in the greater Seattle metropolitan area.

A typical critique is approximately 2 hours and costs $200. There is a discount available for pre-payment of 2 or more sessions.

Private Critiques are intensive. Availability is dependent on Mr. Elston's schedule and prior commitments. All Critique sessions must be scheduled in advance, via email or telephone with Mr. Elston, before payment is made.

Private Critiques are discounted based on the number of critiques that you sign up for. Please select the quantity that you are interested in purchasing.

Refund Policy for Private Critiques: Refunds are available only in the event that the instructor is unavailable or unable to fulfill the lesson or critique commitment.

Private Online Critiques are available via a private, secured webpage.

Students of drawing and painting, and even professional artists, occasionally need a “third eye,” someone that can tell them how their artwork “reads” to an audience. It is a real advantage if that “third eye” belongs to a professionally trained artist, a draughtsman or painter, in their own right. A critique can provide critical analysis of a painting’s composition, color, brushwork and narrative. Ongoing critiques can help the student develop the critical faculties essential to producing expressive and well executed art.

This service has been developed to provide critique on a per session/painting basis, with discounts for packages of multiple sessions.. It utilizes image annotation software in order to provide a comprehensive critique of a specific painting. The critique covers positive aspects of the painting, and highlights problem areas that the student may not be aware of.

Online Private Critiques are implemented on a private website, accessible only by the artist and the student. The process begins with the student signing up for the service, at which time they will be sent a username/password for the private website. They can then upload an image or images, depending on the number of sessions, using the page’s dropbox. Once the artist has reviewed the image, an annotated version will be made available on the website.

Refund Policy for Online Critique Services: Refunds are available only in the event that the instructor is unavailable or unable to fulfill the Online Critique commitment.