A three-credit JCC plein air painting course features a six-day exploration of Florence and Rome, Italy next March.

The course, conducted by JCC adjunct faculty member and local artist William Waite, is designed for JCC students as well as community members.

Pre-trip classes will be held from 6:30-8:45 p.m. on January 27, February 3 and 17, and March 3 and 17. Participants will visit Florence, Siena, Tuscany, and Rome March 26-31.

The approximate cost of the trip is $2100, which includes roundtrip airfare from Buffalo to Rome, bus transportation to Florence, lodging, insurance, entrance fees to selected museums, and a metro pass in Rome. A first payment of $700 is due by December 7. A $500 scholarship will be available to an enrolled undergraduate student at JCC.

Complete details on the trip costs, deadlines, and requirements can be obtained by contacting Waite at 716.485.6874 or whw@netsync.net.

Plein air – to paint outdoors and on site – painting will be explored as a technique during the pre-trip classes and will be created with watercolors by students while in Italy. An exhibition of students’ works will be held upon their return to Jamestown.

Participants will be introduced to watercolor painting techniques, color mixing, compositional formats, and perspective in the pre-trip classes. Assignments will focus on selected cityscapes, landscapes, and architectural forms.

While in Italy, participants will visit significant cultural sites, including Michelangelo’s David, Il Duomo, Il Campo, and Torria del Mangia in Siena, Montefioralle, and the Forum and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

“This course affords students opportunities to view important works in the development of art and man,” said Waite. “While in Florence and Rome, students will observe selected works, from the Middle Ages through to the Renaissance as well as post-modern pieces.”