Plein Air in Pastels for Beginners with Mary Beth Drabiszczak

Concept

Plein air, French for “outdoor” or “in the open air”, refers to the tradition of landscape painting in the nineteenth century. Today, this practice has become increasingly popular with annual events and festivals, encouraging artists to create work of local communities directly on site. This one-day workshop introduces the fundamentals of working with pastel en plein air to create a small thumbnail and larger extended study of an outdoor subject of your choosing.

Experience

Demonstrations, discussions, and guided practice address pastel technique and application in both wet and dry forms to create quick notations of the natural world. With a focus in color and theory and mark-making, explore how to capture the essence of surrounding Door County scenes in pastel. Mary Beth provides individualized instruction throughout. In the event of inclement weather, working from inside while looking out windows to view the landscape or using photographic references will be used.

Skill Level

All skill levels are welcome. The experience is designed for those new to working en plein air.

Instructor

As a plein air pastelist, Mary Beth Drabiszczak works with saturated color and gestural mark-making to document the temporary, fleeting moments in the landscape through bold and suggestive strokes. A 2025 Door County Plein Air Festival featured artist, her work has been included in numerous festivals and won awards, including Best of Show in the 2025 Falls Festival of the Arts Plein Air (WI). In her classes, Mary Beth’s goal is to support students in their creative endeavors, encouraging individual expression through play and experimentation. When not teaching or in the studio, she can be found playing with her two cats, Grey and Goldie.