Past Event
Inspired by the Annenbergs’ Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art collection and bordered by the majestic San Jacinto Mountains, the gardens bloom with texture, color, and life, making the landscape a perfect picture to paint, sketch, or photograph.
On every day Sunnylands is opened to the public, visitors are invited to create their own work of art inspired by the gardens from 8:30 am to 3:45 pm. Artists may paint, photograph, and sketch the beauty of the desert landscape and surrounding mountain range. Guests are to provide their own materials, situate themselves away from the Center, and not block pathways. Painters are to tarp their area before beginning. All artists are asked to please not dispose of waste, including paint water, in the gardens.
Guests may find full guidelines and more information here.
This three-hour workshop is an introduction to birds and birding. Expert birder Jane Olsen will discuss the basics of bird watching for those fascinated by birds with a desire to begin birding, but don’t know where to start. Indoor instruction is followed by time in the gardens to practice your new birding skills.
Materials: note-making items, water, and sun protection is recommended. Binoculars suggested, but not required.
Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $30 per person
Please purchase tickets HERE.
For more information contact 760.202.2234 or education@sunnylands.org.
Instructor:
Jane Olsen
Learn tips for photographing wildlife large and small with professional photographer, Scott Klinger. Spend a morning walking through the gardens at Sunnylands photographing the local flora and fauna.
This class will feature a brief classroom session covering exposure, lens selection, and ethical concerns to be a responsible wildlife photographer. The class will then take to the gardens to photograph the birds, reptiles, and insects of Sunnylands. Participants will receive hands-on instruction in capturing the best shots possible.
Materials: Participants should bring a telephoto lens. Participants with multiple lenses should bring them all as we will discuss the various types of lenses. Please attend knowing how to use your camera’s basic functions. For point and shoot, mirrorless, or DSLR cameras, bringing your camera’s manual is a good idea.
No art experience necessary. Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $10 per person
Purchase tickets HERE.
For information call 760.202.2254. This program takes place outdoors. Sun protection, water, and comfortable closed-toed shoes are recommended.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
Instructor:
Scott Klinger is a photographer, filmmaker, and educator with over 15 years of experience. His work has been shown in galleries, museums, and film festivals around the world. Scott was born in Tucson, AZ and has spent much of his life taking photos in and around the American West. Scott has taught at the University of California, the New York Film Academy, and currently teaches at College of the Desert.
The desert is a remarkable natural environment. It is a place where people are able to witness magnificent displays of colors, forms, and textures. For those who have ever wanted to capture some of this magic on camera but the pictures never seem come out just right, this is the workshop for you. Explore part of the Sunnylands estate with professional photographer, Scott Klinger, and learn professional techniques for capturing the majesty of our natural world. This class will focus on basic ideas of composition, understanding natural lighting, and which camera settings will maximize the effect you want to create. This is a workshop for anyone interested in improving their photography of our natural environment. Beginners are welcome.
Materials: All skill levels and cameras including smartphones are welcome.
No previous art experience is necessary. Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $20 per person
Purchase tickets HERE.
For information call 760.202.2254. This program takes place outdoors. Sun protection, water, and comfortable closed-toed shoes are recommended.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
This limited access program will allow participants to spend time in a designated area of the historic estate, guided by the instructor. Participating adults only, no children or unregistered guests are permitted.
You will be transported by shuttle to the designated area of the historic grounds and will be shuttled back to the Sunnylands Center & Gardens at 7:30 pm sharp. Exploration outside of the designated area will not be permitted. After the photography workshop ends, participants must depart from the Center.
All ticket sales are final—there are no refunds or exchanges.
Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in loss of access to the workshop.
Instructor:
Scott Klinger is a photographer, filmmaker, and educator with over 15 years of experience. His work has been shown in galleries, museums, and film festivals around the world. Scott was born in Tucson, AZ and has spent much of his life taking photos in and around the American West. Scott has taught at the University of California, the New York Film Academy, and currently teaches at College of the Desert.
Participants will unlock their creativity, taking their photography to a new place in this one-night workshop. Participants will create imaginative and exploratory photographs with the use of photography techniques of light painting and light drawing, in which images are made using long shutter speeds and a hand-held light source (such as a flashlight to create the exposure). From Ansel Adams to Pablo Picasso, these seemingly magical techniques have long inspired photographers and artists alike with their ability make visible the invisible and play with time.
Materials: Participants will need a tripod, a flashlight and a digital camera that is able to shoot on manual mode. Smartphones or automatic cameras will not work for this technique. Please attend knowing how to use your camera’s basic functions. For point and shoot, mirrorless, or DSLR cameras, bringing your camera’s manual is a good idea. Small LED flashlights commonly available at discount stores or pharmacies work great.
No art experience necessary. Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $10 per person
Purchase tickets HERE.
For information call 760.202.2254. This program takes place outdoors. Closed-toed shoes and warm clothing are recommended.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
Instructor:
Scott Klinger is a photographer, filmmaker, and educator with over 15 years of experience. His work has been shown in galleries, museums, and film festivals around the world. Scott was born in Tucson, AZ and has spent much of his life taking photos in and around the American West. Scott has taught at the University of California, the New York Film Academy, and currently teaches at College of the Desert.
This non-competitive workshop will provide beginning techniques for using dry pastel. Various effects of pastel will be discussed. The technique of using negative space to see the close up landscape and to define subjects will be the theme of the class.
Materials: Participants should bring a pad of pastel paper, tinted or not, optional size, a set of dry pastels and paper towels.
No previous art experience necessary. Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $10 per person
You may purchase tickets HERE.
For information call 760.202.2254.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
Instructor:
International painter Gianne de Genevraye paints public gardens in Europe and the United States. She is a contemporary nature painter, exhibiting widely with work seen in collections in France, Italy, Sweden, and the United States. A California native, she lives in France and Laguna Beach with residencies at gardens around the world in between. Gianne’s focus is on painting in public gardens and exhibiting in public spaces. Gianne has embraced the concept of sustainability and is committed to help frame the discussion of conservation through the aesthetics of painting water wise gardens.
Part of the Botanical Illustration in a Desert Garden series, Prints from a Desert Garden invites participants to explore the beauty and variety of desert landscape plants and follow in the footsteps of botanist-explorers by learning how to observe and document plants through drawing. In this session, participants will learn about the history of botanical illustration, specifically the construction of 18th century botanical illustrations by creating a small print block of one of their sketches.
Materials:
- 9″ x 12″ sketchbook (or a clipboard with 8 1/2″ x 11″ printer paper)
- Drawing pencils (2B, HB)
- Colored pencils
- Folding stool or camping stool to use in the garden suggested, but not necessary
Participants who enroll only in this class: Please bring a contour sketch or a developed sketch of a desert plant to use in this session. A plant with simple forms or a simple growth habit are best.
No previous art experience necessary. Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $10 per person
Purchase tickets HERE.
For information call 760.202.2254. This program takes place outdoors. Sun protection, water, and comfortable closed-toed shoes are recommended.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
In each of the Botanical Illustration in a Desert Garden two-hour interactive sessions, instructor Tania Marien will introduce participants to the history of botanical illustration and the fascinating world of plants through the development of sketches, natural forms, color matching exercises and the creation of a printed image.
Saturday, April 6:
Botanical Illustration—Patterns in a Desert Garden
Saturday, April 13:
Botanical Illustration—Color in a Desert Garden
Saturday, April 20:
Botanical Illustration—Prints from a Desert Garden
Guests can choose to attend one, two, or all three sessions.
Registration for each session is separate and participation in all three is not required. All skill levels are welcome.
Instructor:
Tania Marien is the founding editor of The Southern California Botanical Artist, the first newsletter of the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, and the founding editor of Artists’ Botany as well as the website ArtPlantae. She has a master’s degree in Biology and Student Learning and a professional certificate in free choice learning. She has introduced the public to plants and botanical art at environmental education events, botanical gardens, museums, and science programs to encourage an interest in plants through art, science, and interpretation.
Part of the Botanical Illustration in a Desert Garden series, Patterns in a Desert Garden invites participants to explore the beauty and variety of desert landscape plants and follow in the footsteps of botanist-explorers by learning how to observe and document plants through drawing. In this session, participants will learn new ways to see plants by exploring patterns in the gardens at Sunnylands. Participants will create sketches and learn how to turn their sketches into a three-dimensional image.
Materials:
- 9″ x 12″ sketchbook (or a clipboard with 8 1/2″ x 11″ printer paper)
- Drawing pencils (2B, HB)
- Colored pencils
- Folding stool or camping stool to use in the garden suggested, but not necessary
No previous art experience necessary. Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $10 per person
Purchase tickets HERE.
For information call 760.202.2254. This program takes place outdoors. Sun protection, water, and comfortable closed-toed shoes are recommended.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
In each of the Botanical Illustration in a Desert Garden two-hour interactive sessions, instructor Tania Marien will introduce participants to the history of botanical illustration and the fascinating world of plants through the development of sketches, natural forms, color matching exercises and the creation of a printed image.
Saturday, April 6:
Botanical Illustration—Patterns in a Desert Garden
Saturday, April 13:
Botanical Illustration—Color in a Desert Garden
Saturday, April 20:
Botanical Illustration—Prints from a Desert Garden
Guests can choose to attend one, two, or all three sessions.
Registration for each session is separate and participation in all three is not required. All skill levels are welcome.
Instructor:
Tania Marien is the founding editor of The Southern California Botanical Artist, the first newsletter of the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, and the founding editor of Artists’ Botany as well as the website ArtPlantae. She has a master’s degree in Biology and Student Learning and a professional certificate in free choice learning. She has introduced the public to plants and botanical art at environmental education events, botanical gardens, museums, and science programs to encourage an interest in plants through art, science, and interpretation.
Part of the Botanical Illustration in a Desert Garden series, Color in a Desert Garden invites participants to explore the beauty and variety of desert landscape plants and follow in the footsteps of botanist-explorers by learning how to observe and document plants through drawing. In this session, participants will learn color matching using colored pencils and how to apply color to natural forms.
Materials:
- 9″ x 12″ sketchbook (or a clipboard with 8 1/2″ x 11″ printer paper)
- Drawing pencils (2B, HB)
- Colored pencils
- Folding stool or camping stool to use in the garden suggested, but not necessary
Participants who enroll only in this class: Please bring a sketch or sketches of a desert plant, plus color reference photos to use in this session.
No previous art experience necessary. Spaces are limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $10 per person
Purchase tickets HERE.
For information call 760.202.2254. This program takes place outdoors. Sun protection, water, and comfortable closed-toed shoes are recommended.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
In each of the Botanical Illustration in a Desert Garden two-hour interactive sessions, instructor Tania Marien will introduce participants to the history of botanical illustration and the fascinating world of plants through the development of sketches, natural forms, color matching exercises and the creation of a printed image.
Saturday, April 6:
Botanical Illustration—Patterns in a Desert Garden
Saturday, April 13:
Botanical Illustration—Color in a Desert Garden
Saturday, April 20:
Botanical Illustration—Prints from a Desert Garden
Guests can choose to attend one, two, or all three sessions.
Registration for each session is separate and participation in all three is not required. All skill levels are welcome.
Instructor:
Tania Marien is the founding editor of The Southern California Botanical Artist, the first newsletter of the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, and the founding editor of Artists’ Botany as well as the website ArtPlantae. She has a master’s degree in Biology and Student Learning and a professional certificate in free choice learning. She has introduced the public to plants and botanical art at environmental education events, botanical gardens, museums, and science programs to encourage an interest in plants through art, science, and interpretation.
THIS WORKSHOP IS SOLD OUT.
Inspired by the exhibition, Flight Plan: The Birds of Sunnylands, this workshop will introduce participants to an ancient Chinese style of brush painting, focusing on one of its traditional subjects: birds. Instructor Nan Rae teaches the brush strokes that enable participants to capture a sweep of pure and energized freedom in a contemporary, robust, and exhilarating form.
Materials: All brushes and supplies will be provided.
No previous art experience necessary. Space is limited.
Reservations are required. Unregistered guests may not attend.
Fee: $25 per person
To purchase tickets for this workshop, CLICK HERE.
For additional information, please call 760.202.2254.
If you are interested in an art workshop that is sold out, please email your name and phone number to imiranda@sunnylands.org to be added to the wait list.
Instructor:
Nan Rae is an internationally exhibited artist whose brush painting style combines an impressionistic approach to color. Her work has been exhibited at the Grand Palais in Paris, the Osaka Festival of Art and is found in private and corporate collections around the world. She has worked as an illustrator for various authors and has created designs for The New York Philharmonic, The San Francisco Symphony and the Golden Globes. Her greeting cards are displayed and sold nationally in museums and fine stores. Nan has taught more than 4,000 students and her book The Ch’i of the Brush has been published in English, Spanish, and French.
