William E. Elston
Plein Air Painting From The Ground Up
September 18-20, 2026
Tuition Fee: $650
Skill Level: All Levels
This workshop presents a perceptual approach to painting the landscape, informed by Impressionist color theory and a Realist aesthetic. The workshop will include ongoing instructor demos and frequent critiques, including participatory group critiques. There will also be an evening lecture open to the public. The topic of the lecture will be the language (of art) in thought and action.
REGISTRATION
If you have any questions, please email admin@whidbeyislandfas.com.
Meet the Artist
William E. Elston
William E. Elston (b. 1949, Spirit Lake, Idaho) grew up in Glenrose Prairie near Spokane, Washington. After leaving home at 16, he traveled widely before returning to the Pacific Northwest to study painting at Fort Wright College and California College of Arts and Crafts, earning his BFA in 1975. His education spanned liberal arts, art school, and the atelier tradition, including formative years in Boston with Samuel Rose and the milieu of R. H. Ives Gammell. Early experiences painting en plein air shaped his lifelong focus on rural and urban landscapes, as well as his deep interest in the history and social role of art.
Elston has taught at Fort Wright College, the Spokane Art School, Frye and Seattle Art Museums, and continues to lead plein air workshops in the Seattle area. He was a founding member of the Northwest Figurative Artists’ Alliance, which promoted Realism and figurative art in the 1990s. His work is represented in major public, private, and corporate collections including the Jundt Art Museum, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, and the cities of Seattle and Portland. In addition to painting, he founded Suzumebachi Design Services in 1993, providing web design and digital support for artists and arts professionals.
