Plein Air Painting with Isabelle Zimmerman | Session 1: Abstraction

Paint en plein air using gouache or watercolor with artist, educator and University of Houston MFA alumna Isabelle Zimmerman. Explore how public artworks interact with the environment and create a dynamic compositions inspired by different public art sites on the University of Houston campus. Drop in on one session or join us for all three!

Session 1: Abstraction

Saturday, February 18 | 2:00pm-4:00pm

Explore abstraction and take inspiration from Jorge Pardo’s (2021) to create a plein air sketch using both geometric and organic shapes. Pardo’s intent is for his architectural artwork to heighten the capacity to “structure to our looking” across the wooded space that it inhabits—Wilhelmina’s Grove, one of the last original wooded areas remaining at UH.

Workshop Location: University of Houston. Jorge Pardo’s Folly is located in Wilhelmina’s Grove at the University of Houston, a plaza located between the Blaffer Art Museum and Moores College of Music.

Recommended Parking: Metered parking is available nearby in either Lot 16C or the Visitor section of the Elgin Street Garage. See rates and all visitor parking options at the University of Houston at: uh.edu/af-university-services/parking/parking-on-campus/visitor

Materials

We encourage you to bring your preferred painting materials. However, we will also provide a limited selection of gouache paints, watercolor paints, paintbrushes, and watercolor paper for your use.

• Gouache or watercolor paint
• Watercolor paper or similar
• Painting tray
• Small paintbrush (size 2-4)
• Medium paintbrush (size 6-8)
• Large paintbrush (size 10-12)
• Rags or paper towels
• #2 Pencil

We will provide tables for painting, but portable easels and boards are also welcome.

Isabelle Zimmerman was born in Shanggao, China. She was adopted at the age of eleven months old and moved to Houston, TX where she was raised. After receiving her BFA with a specialization in painting from the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in 2019, Isabelle began pursuing her master’s degree at The University of Houston, where she graduated with her MFA in painting in 2022. Isabelle taught painting and drawing to students at The Woodlands Academy of Fine Art in The Woodlands, TX for seven years, and taught drawing at The University of Houston, as a graduate teaching fellow for two years. She currently teaches art classes for children at various schools throughout the city of Houston, and has led painting classes and workshops for adults at private events. Isabelle also works as a freelance artist, designing brand logos, book cover illustrations, and commissioned paintings and drawings. She has participated in numerous group shows, both domestic and international, and has had two solo shows during her time as a graduate student.

Host or Publisher Public Art of the University of Houston System