Carmel Visual Arts

Mike Hernandez Workshop: Design & Composition—Making Your Paintings Work. October 17, 18, 2026 — In this two-day live Zoom workshop, Mike Hernandez will help you look beyond the individual objects in a scene and learn to see the big picture—how shapes, values, colors, edges, and focal points work together to create a strong and compelling painting.

You’ll learn how to simplify complex subjects into clear, readable shapes and organize those shapes so the viewer’s eye moves naturally through the painting. Mike will demonstrate how to establish a strong focal point, create visual hierarchy, and use the surrounding elements to support rather than compete with the main subject.

We’ll explore the relationship between design and composition—where composition deals with the arrangement of elements, while design considers how all of those elements work together to create balance, rhythm, unity, variety, and visual interest.

Sign up here https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/mike-hernandez-zoom/

2 spots left for the Dan Schultz workshop, Sept 18–20, 2026. Explore how painting in a high-key color range can bring more creativity into your plein air work. It can help you transform landscapes with overcast lighting or otherwise uninspiring colors into more exciting paintings. Dan will expand your understanding of value contrast with the possibilities allowed by color contrast. Discover how to recognize naturally high-key scenes and use your creativity to push dark colors in light-filled directions instead of just copying what you see in the landscape. Add a new dimension to your color understanding! More info at https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/dan-schultz/

Danny Folkman — Gouache by the Sea. Experience the beauty of California’s spectacular coastline while discovering the expressive power of gouache with acclaimed plein air painter Danny Folkman in May 2027. Get signed up at https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/danny-folkman/

Get ready for an unforgettable plein-air painting experience with renowned artist Calvin Liang! You’ll have the opportunity to participate in a thrilling 3-day workshop led by Liang himself in and around the Monterey Peninsula. Calvin will begin with a demonstration each day, then he will spend time with each student throughout the rest of the day. Only a few spots are left for his September 2026 workshop along the Carmel/Big Sur coast.

Get more info for your chance to join us at https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/calvin-liang/

Here are a few shots from the pastel workshop in Monterey Bay.

Carmel Visual Arts 2026 Workshops schedule is growing... Get signed up today at https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/painting-workshops/

Kimball Geisler is coming to Carmel, CA May 11–13, 2026. https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/kimball-geisler/ • Kimball teaches in a way that is approachable for all skill levels, always bringing questions and concerns back to basic fundamentals. Experienced artists will be in good company as the class works through the many difficult challenges of landscape painting. There are only a few spots left at https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/kimball-geisler/

Huihan Liu is painting Lyle Wright in Lyle’s amazing jewelry studio in the Taos Plaza during an indoor day for the workshop in October 2025. Sign up for Huihan's October 2026 workshop at https://www.carmelvisualarts.com/huihan-liu/