Wednesday June 26th

• 4:00pm Check-In Starts at Pioneer Ridge Bed and Breakfast
• 6:00pm Dinner
• 7:00pm Painting and Social Time on the Deck

Thursday, June 27th

• 7:30 – 8:30am Breakfast
•  8:30am Leave B&B for painting location
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00-3:00 Break-out demo with Guest Artist, Michelle Dunaway
• 6:30 Dinner
• 7:30 Optional Critique Session

Friday, June 28th

• 7:30 – 8:30am Breakfast
•  8:30am Leave B&B for painting location
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00-3:00 Break-out demo with Sergio Lopez
• 6:30 Dinner
• 7:30 Optional Critique Session

Saturday, June 29th

• 7:30 – 8:30am Breakfast
•  8:30am Leave B&B for painting location
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00-3:00 Break-out demo with Guest Artist
• 6:30 Dinner
• 7:30 Optional Critique Session
• 8:30 Competition Entries Due 

Sunday, June 30th

• 7:30 – 8:30am Breakfast
•  8:30am Leave B&B for painting location
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00-3:00 Break-out demo with Guest Artist
• 4:00-6:30 PM Plein Air Soiree at Willow Creek Studio Gallery – Open To The Public

Schedule Subject To Changes

Some potential Painting Locations:

Reflections Lake and Surrounding Areas
This picturesque setting is well maintained and has easy access.
The Chugach mountains loom majestically above the lake, meadows, and wooded areas of this newly expanded and renovated trail system. Wildflowers such as the Wild Iris, Shooting Stars, Chocolate Lily, Wild Arctic Rose, and others will be in bloom adding to the already diverse and beautiful subject matter that surrounds you. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served and options to carpool at no charge are readily available on a first come first serve basis.

Independence Mine
The Great Alaskan Plein Air Retreat is honored to have the Alaska State Parks sponsor our day at the Historic Independence Mine. Rich Alaskan mining heritage is preserved in this rugged alpine valley. Soft, colorful tundra carpets the mountains in every direction with the craggy peaks towering above you. Countless paintings are waiting to be created here, from the rickety rail trestles, aged structures & antique equipment to the delicate alpine streams meandering down the slopes and dotted with wildflowers. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served and options to carpool at no charge are readily available on a first come first serve basis. Park admission is free to participating artists.Public Presentation and Cookout – Alaska State Parks is hosting a cookout and presentation open to the public at Independence Mine on Saturday, June 16th. With such immense beauty found in Alaska, the State Parks is eager to support the arts and encourage the artists who create them to explore the natural beauty found within the parks. Join us for this informational presentation to learn more about opportunities around Alaska for artists and the public to get involved.
Kurt Jacobson, President of the Alaskan Artists Guild will also be sharing information about the popular annual Art For Alaska State Parks Art Competition. Entry forms will be available.

Matanuska Glacier
Millenia of ice and snow meander down the Matanuska Valley and create a mesmerizing landscape. This painting location will prove inspiring with opportunities that abound. Cradled by mountains, icy streams, remote and rugged beauty is definitely present here. Don’t forget your blues… all of them, as the filtered light  that streams through the glacial crevasses is intense, beautiful, and changes brilliantly with the light from cyan to ultramarine.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served and options to carpool at no charge are readily available on a first come first serve basis.

Turnagain Arm and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Recognized as a National Scenic Byway, the Seward Highway provides multitudes and years worth of potential artistic inspiration. “The Seward Highway showcases the natural beauty of south-central Alaska between Anchorage and Seward. From jagged peaks and alpine meadows to breathtaking fjords and crystal lakes, find a concentrated series of diverse landscapes and experiences.” – byways.org
Join us as we venture south and add to this already inspiring adventure by visiting the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. “AWCC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through public education. AWCC takes in injured and orphaned animals year-round and provides spacious enclosures and quality animal care. Animals that cannot be released into the wild are given a permanent home at the center.” – alaskawildlife.org
Partnered with the gorgeous setting of Turnagain Arm and the unique opportunity to get up-close and personal to some of Alaska’s wildlife this is a day you won’t want to miss!

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served and options to carpool at no charge are readily available on a first come first serve basis.

Susitna Valley, Willow and Talkeetna.
The final day of this plein air adventure will bring us back north of Wasilla and on towards Willow and Talkeetna. These areas are rich with braided streams teaming with salmon, birch & spruce forests, the Talkeetna Mountains, and weather permitting, breathtaking views of the majestic Mt. Mckinley or Denali. Options for this day vary greatly depending on weather and the whims of each artist. Do you feel like painting the quaint and historic downtown Talkeetna with it’s unique and aged buildings dating back to it’s birth with the invention of the bush pilot? Or maybe you are looking for a quiet stream to capture. This day of plein air will be unique to all the others.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served and options to carpool at no charge are readily available on a first come first serve basis.

Closing Soiree and Award Ceremony – Willow Creek Studio and Gallery
Joan and Scott Thompson welcome the retreat artists, guests and the public to their gallery in Willow to end this fantastic adventure. Plein Air entries in the Competition that were created in the previous days will be on display, for sale (if applicable), judged, and Awarded at the ceremony. Hundreds of dollars worth of prizes are up for grabs and some stellar mini art is sure to be in attendance! Refreshments will be served and photos, video clips, and other accounts of the retreat will be playing during the soiree.