LAHAINA – Maui Arts League will sponsor two adult oil painting workshops in West Maui on Feb. 12-14 and Feb. 24-26, 2020. Both three-day workshops offer classroom, demonstration and personalized field instruction for 12 professional or amateur Maui artists.

Tuition costs $450; participants supply art materials and equipment. Online registration for 12 spots is open now; visit “http://www.MauiArtsLeague.org/workshops”>www.MauiArtsLeague.org/workshops.

On Feb. 12-14, Michele Usibelli will lead “Bringing Paintings to Life.” Featured in every top art magazine, Usibelli is an artist member of California Art Club and the Salmagundi Club. For more about the instructor, visit www.micheleusibelli.com.

Usibelli’s works are alive with passionate brushwork and contrasting vibrant colors. Her architectural forms and ability to capture diverse subjects in oil, acrylic and gouache make her a much sought-after instructor. She communicates and demonstrates her inspiration from initial design to paint application. Students leave her workshops with a solid understanding of composition, design, color theory, value, temperature shifts and creating meaningful edges.

“During my work in architecture, I felt deeply connected to the arts. But I discovered my passion for oil painting. The process of creating begins with a scene that emits energy and evokes emotion. I am drawn to subjects with rich colors or intriguing light,” Usibelli said.

On Feb. 24-26, Jane Hunt will lead “Plein Air Painting For the Soul.” Hunt won Best in Show at the Laguna Plein Air Invitational 2019.

She teaches across the U.S. and in Europe. Hunt guides her students to learn how to choose an effective focal point, deal with the changing light, compose in the field, create and stick to a value plan, simplify your palette and mix colorful greys to unify your painting, use atmosphere and perspective to your advantage, and gather what you need for larger studio pieces.

To learn more about the instructor, visit www.janehuntart.com.

“My landscapes express the feelings a place evokes. With an impressionistic, tonal approach, I hope to convey my emotional connection. Moving cross-Atlantic three times in my early years brought homesickness. This yearning propels me to create an aura of ‘home’ in each landscape. I hope viewers connect to a gentle, restful place in my paintings,” Hunt said.

Both painting workshops are part of the Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational art event on Feb.15-23, celebrating its 15th year.

Maui Arts League holds open one slot in each adult workshop as a scholarship for a local high school art student recommended by school art teachers. Principals or teachers with serious candidates for these two scholarships should contact Katherine Kama’ema’e Smith at (808) 268-0787.

Adult workshops are just one of many educational and community art events during the Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational coming up in February.

For further information, visit www.MauiArtsLeague.org.