Brushwork in Plein Air with Paul Chizik

Date: Thursday & Friday, July 10th & 11th, 2025

Time: 10.00 AM - 4.00 PM (PDT)

Location: Duck Pond on Granville Island, Vancouver

• Meeting Spot: Duck Pond - between Crystal Ark and My Island Cafe 
• Map of Meeting Spot
• Map of Granville Island

Open to All Levels!  

Medium: Acrylic & Oil 

Plein Air Workshop Overview: 

Throughout the workshop, Paul will be doing demonstrations and hands-on instruction. This is the time tested method of teaching and learning. The handling and management of paint, the correct direction of brushstrokes, the density and bush-ability of paint and applied pressure are skills best learnt through observation.

Often times painters become too familiar with their own techniques and paint application and it is always advisable to learn to adapt to methods of painting and brushwork not previously explored. The importance of the direction of brush work and how the eye moves around a painting will be explored.

Discussions and demonstrations will help students gain more confidence in the handling of oil paint, the use and choice of various brushes and how oil painting mediums impact the flow of paint. Oil painting concepts such as imprimatura, tonal methods, sight size measurements will be taught.

Clothing - Vancouver weather can change from sunny to wet, hot to cold—all in a single day. Therefore, it's essential to have both rainwear and sun gear. Be sure to pack clothing suitable for any weather, along with bug spray, sunscreen, and, of course, your preferred painting gear. 

Parking - Parking is available in multiple locations. For more information, please visit: Directions and Parking - Granville Island - Vancouver, BC 

About the Instructor - Paul Chizik

Paul Chizik's paintings are rooted in the classical tradition with a contemporary approach. He works in the custom of painting major scale canvasses in the studio as well as the plein-air custom of working directly outdoors in a variety of environments where the natural splendor or raw urban power is immediate.

His work ranges from landscapes, to portraiture, figurative narratives and still life. As artist, mentor and teacher Paul hopes to have the art of painting regain its role as an exciting, current and vibrant visual medium with a renewed urgency.

Student Testimonials:

• "Amazing, thank you. Really appreciate the open minded approach and encouragement to try different mediums and move forward as a artist. Brush strokes and mark marking were very clear. " 

• "Your excellent anecdotes based on deep knowledge and experience were particularly helpful. Thank you! " 

• "Paul"s calm presentation and extensive knowledge was of great value to me. His step by step approach to how he begins a painting and colour mixing was also valuable. "

• "Perfect choice of subject matter for Demo/performance as it had a variety of  dramatic brush strokes that were easier to follow in order to learn. You handled questions very well especially when there were students with very different levels of experience. Great demo and coaching!!!!"

• "Fascinating to meet another unique painter and one who aspires to such learning and perfection in his lifetime that he functions far above the hemisphere  of the average artist. Thought provoking and inspiring! " 

• "Really appreciated Paul's attentiveness to each participant's work, suggesting  what to do next, how to do it, etc. He constantly made rounds to reach everyone over and over again. Wonderful."

• "Very good session. Great selection of subject for the objective. Very good demo.  Welcomed and answered all questions very well. Very active coaching during the performance by students. All in all a raging success by yet another interesting, talented and personable instructor. Love the variety."