William E. Elston

William E. Elston offers ongoing landscape instruction during the Spring, Summer and Fall months. Classes are held at various sites in the Seattle Washington area, and in the surrounding rural countryside. Both urban and natural environments are explored, as well as different types of weather conditions. Alternate, sheltered sites are used in case of rain.

The course of instruction includes advice on appropriate gear and site selection, technical instruction on methods and materials, and a thorough presentation of the history and aesthetics of landscape painting en plein air. Classes include ongoing demonstrations, as well as one-on-one instruction and frequent and regular critique.

Classes are $380 for eight sessions, $650 for sixteen sessions. Sessions are held on Tuesday and Saturday from 10AM to 2PM, during the months of April through October. Sessions can be taken consecutively or as one's schedule permits.

Mr. Elston has been a popular instructor of painting in the Northwest for over 30 years, as well as being regarded as one of the premier contemporary realists in the region. His work can be seen in numerous public and private collections, including those of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, McGraw-Hill, Chicago Title, the City of Seattle and the City of Portland Oregon.

You can inquire about class availability here.

Once you have been assured that a class is available and that there is room for your participation, you will be given a login and password. You can then submit payment via PayPal here.

Note: If you are paying via PayPal, you will be able to apply the discount using a checkbox when selecting the number of sessions desired. This discount is only available for first time students, or for students who have not been enrolled for three or more years.

During winter months William E. Elston offers an ongoing studio class geared towards the plein air painter. This class covers many different areas where studio practice supplements working in the field, e.g. those situations where finish work has to be done in studio because of fugitive light or weather conditions, or where construction or other changes to the landscape has made continued work en plein air impossible.

Classes are typically 8 sessions spanning four or eight weeks. There is room for only seven students per class.

Other topics covered include utilizing digital media such as digital cameras and camcorders, image manipulation using photos, paper cutouts and computer programs, and other creative means of developing the painted image.

Price per 8 session class is $380. Sign up begins in late October for sessions beginning in mid January. Class times are Saturday 10 AM to 2:30 PM.

You can inquire about class availability here.

Once you have been assured that a class is available and that there is room for your participation, you will be given a login and password. You can then submit payment via PayPal here.

Note: If you are paying via PayPal, you will be able to apply the discount using a checkbox when selecting the class desired. This discount is only available for first time students, or for students who have not been enrolled for three or more years.