Plein Air with the Palette Knife
A Three-Day Online Workshop with Rett Ashby
Full workshop: $20
Some paintings feel like stories you overhear rather than ones you’re told.
Rett Ashby’s plein air pieces are like that. A few bold strokes, a flash of color, a hint of structure and suddenly something real emerges out of all that looseness.
People often stand in front of his work trying to figure it out:
How does he make a handful of knife strokes feel like an entire landscape?
Why do his strokes look rough and abstract up close, yet melt into realism from a few feet back?
How does he turn simple knife marks into a full visual conversation?
This workshop answers those questions the only way that makes sense:
by letting you watch the entire painting come to life.
This online workshop is the full, unfiltered plein air experience.
No polished studio trickery. No “perfect conditions.”
Just Rett, a blank gessoed board, a limited palette, and the slow unfolding of a painting across three mornings with the same light.
A Painting That Builds Itself in Front of You
A Workshop Built Around the Way Rett Actually Paints
Most demonstrations rush. Rett doesn’t.
He teaches the way he paints. Exploratory, observantly, letting the landscape speak first.
Across three days, you’ll watch him build a painting from the ground up:
Day 1: The Beginning
Gessoed board, first strokes, establishing light, blocking major shapes.
This is where the philosophy begins, reacting instead of controlling.
Day 2: The Middle
Edges sharpen, textures rise, the knife starts making decisions for him.
You’ll see the dance between intention and instinct.
Day 3: The Finish
Refining forms, unifying the piece, subtle glazing, and the moment the painting decides it’s done.
Rett always says the viewer finishes the painting. Here you’ll see why.
Every lesson is filmed in clear, quiet morning segments so you can follow along without rush or overwhelm.
Plein Air with the Palette Knife — $20
[Access Now]
Some paintings teach you something.
This one lets you watch it happen.
