2022 Instructors

Charlie Easton comes from a family of British artists. He moved to Canada in 2006 and immediately fell in love with the same scenery that inspired many of the Group of Seven.

A prolific painter of landscapes and seascapes in both oils and acrylics, Charlie is an award-winning artist, represented by galleries across North America and Europe where he regularly has solo exhibitions of his work.

He is a Senior Signature Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (SFCA) and has studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and at Emily Carr University. His teaching is in demand and in 2022 he will be on the faculty at the Plein Air Convention – the largest international gathering of artists worldwide.

Charlie has a studio in Vancouver, but his first love is painting on location in BC, Alberta, California and beyond. He has had residencies in Haida Gwaii, with The Haida Nation and Parks Canada, in Banff and in Whistler.

Gaye Adams has been painting professionally and instructing painting for over 30 years. She is passionate about painting the effects of light in a representational fashion, and the  challenge of creating the illusion of light and its many presentations in the landscape and elsewhere keeps her returning to the easel. In this last decade, painting en plein air has turned into a consuming passion, as it involves painting an experience, with all the senses involved, as opposed to painting a moment frozen in time by a photograph. 

She is a believer in putting first things first when it comes to teaching students to develop their painting skills, starting with a strong foundation of basics in all aspects of art making in order to give students the tools they will need to fully express themselves as they move forward in their development as painters. Gaye is an award winning painter and shows her work locally, nationally and internationally. She teaches in Canada, the United States and abroad.

Mike Svob has been a full time artist/teacher since 1982. Next year (2022) he will be celebrating his 40th year as a professional artist. Outstanding artistic achievements have included mastering watercolours, acrylics and oils. An impressionist that is easily identified by his signature use of strong bold colour. To date Mike has had over 75 exhibitions and has produced 25 large scale murals throughout North America. He is also the sole creator, writer, producer, and marketer of all of his signature workshop courses over the last 39 years.  

Mike studied at the University of Western Ontario. He is a past president of the Federation of Canadian Artists and is also a senior member (SFCA) of this society. As an award-winning artist and a leading teacher and workshop instructor, Mike strongly believes that sharing knowledge among fellow artists and art students provides only positives results for all.

His paintings are held in many private and corporate collections throughout the world. His work has been featured in International Artist Magazine, Magazin Art, and in many newspapers throughout North America and is also included in several art books.