WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
Paint Your Heart Out Workshops | Spring 2026
Workshops now open to members and non-members! Enjoy special pricing become a member.
Experience the power and immediacy of charcoal drawing en plein air.
Drawing is an essential skill for achieving observational accuracy and expressive rendering. In this focused plein air workshop, you will learn how to develop a landscape drawing to a fully resolved finish as a completed artwork or to use as an underdrawing for painting.
Friday, May 15
12:00 - 3:00 PM
Radnor Lake State Park
1160 Otter Creek Rd
Nashville, TN 37220
Working on site at Radnor Lake, participants will explore how to:
Identify and isolate compelling landscape subjects.
Design dynamic, balanced compositions
Establish strong value relationships and major shapes
Build depth, atmosphere, and expressive mark-making
Bring a charcoal drawing to a finished level
Use the charcoal drawing as underdrawing for plein air painting
Materials Provided:
Soft vine charcoal
Soft charcoal pencils
14" × 11" white drawing paper
Spray fixative
If you prefer to work with your own materials, soft charcoal is recommended.
Participants Should Bring:
Drawing board or canvas board of equal or greater size for 14" × 11" paper
Kneaded eraser and white plastic eraser
Portable easel capable of supporting the minimum size board
Join us for a focused day of observation, design, and expressive draftsmanship in one of Nashville’s most beautiful natural settings.
*Workshop require a minimum enrollment of 3 participants
Click here to read the Workshop Policies & Guidelines
How can we take the craziness that is nature and simplify it to something that is paintable? We’ll focus on using tools and tricks to simplify and focus on our goals.
April 2, 2026
9:00AM - 12:00PM
Radnor Lake State Park
1160 Otter Creek Rd
Nashville, TN 37220
Rain date: April 3, 2026
Supply List:
Bring whatever plein air gear/supplies you have and are familiar with.
I will be working with water miscible oils, as well as gouache.
I will have some extra canvases and paint available for you to try out for an additional $5.
Although I don’t usually work in watercolor, most of the class will pertain to all mediums.
*Workshops require a minimum enrollment of 3 participants
Click here to read the Workshop Policies & Guidelines
Questions? Suzanne LeBeau, suzannelebeau22@gmail.com
Landscape Demo by Roger & Animal Painting Presentation by Beverly before lunch. Open painting in the studio with guidance from Roger and Beverly after lunch.
Saturday, April 18, 2026
9:00AM - 4:00PM
Warehouse 521
521 Heather Place
Nashville, TN 37204
Supply List:
Palette, oil or acrylic paints, brushes, panels and anything else you use to create.
*Workshop require a minimum enrollment of 3 participants
Click here to read the Workshop Policies & Guidelines
Questions? Beverly Evans, bfevans@comcast.net
Join us for a full day exploring collage techniques, gold leaf application. applying and sealing venetian plaster and an introduction to gouache.
Sat, May 2
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
On Track Studios
1978 Wilson Pike
Franklin, TN 37067
Sarah will cover materials and techniques when using paper in collaged backgrounds, and then how to seal those surfaces in preparation to paint in either acrylic or oil. Sarah will also talk about how she uses Procreate when designing collaged paintings.
Cathy will talk about how to utilize venetian plaster in your acrylic or oil paintings to add subtle texture or bold embellishments. Learn the proper adhesion process to make the plaster archival and resistant to cracking.
Lisa will share how to add illuminating gold leaf to your paintings!
She’ll focus on proper application of gold leaf to both acrylic and oil paintings, gaining understanding of this specialized approach while exploring its creative potential.
Elaine will share an introduction to painting with gouache - a vibrant opaque medium that can be reworked and layered. It’s ideal for plein air because it is easily portable and suitable for travel.
Supplies needed:
Artists may bring their own work that they wish to embellish with either collage or gold leaf.
*Workshop require a minimum enrollment of 3 participants
Click here to read the Workshop Policies & Guidelines
Questions? Cathy Brooks-Fincher, cbfincher@gmail.com
Upcoming Events
Easels & Estate: : A Day of Outdoor Art at the Hermitage
For information visit The Hermitage Website.
Summer Art Show & Sale with Friends of Radnor Lake
We are excited to announce our 2026 SUMMER SHOW with Friends of Radnor Lake!
Wednesday, July 15 - Sunday, May 19
Event Location:
Walter Criley Visitor Center
1160 Otter Creek Road
Nashville, TN 37220
Colors of Shelby Art Show & Sale
The Colors of Shelby Art Show & Sale returns to Shelby Bottoms Nature Center this fall!
Mark your calendars for this captivating art show benefitting Friends of Shelby Park and their mission to preserve, enhance, and promote Shelby Park and Bottoms
for everyone to appreciate and protect.
Local Art Event: Master Artist Igor Babailov, painting from life
Master Artist Igor Babailov, world-renowned portrait artist to four Popes for the Vatican, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Supreme Court Justices, Nobel Prize Laurates, Celebrities, Royalty, Fortune 500 leaders, George Washington for Mt. Vernon and some of the most famous people of our times, will showcase his unique skill in drawing a realistic portrait of a person entirely from life.
Membership Renewal and New Registrations are now open!
Membership Registrations are open for 2026!
To become a member or renew your membership, follow these steps. We recommend you do this on a computer, not a cell phone to create your account:
Go to the home page, click “Become a Member”
Click “Become a Member”, then select your renewal level.
You will need to create a new login and password.
Complete your registration and checkout.
Watch for an email to activate your account and follow the prompts to complete the setup
This activation step is required to gain access to the new, gated member content.To access the Member Site (gated content) when you are logged in, click "Account" in the upper right hand corner and you will see a link that says, "View".
If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Lolly Brown at chestnuts.marketing@gmail.com.
Thank you for being a valued member and for the impact you make in supporting our mission. We’re excited for all that’s ahead
Warmly,
The Chestnut Group Team
Painting the Parks
Friends of Franklin Parks and The Chestnut Group are proud to partner in the second Painting in the Parks Art Show & Sale.
Friends of Franklin Parks exists to cultivate stewardship to preserve our cultural and natural resources, enhance the park experince and expand its legacy. What better way to honor this mission than capture the alresco vistas and beloved settings in oils, watercolors, pastels. Visit the Hayes House at Harlinsdale Park to view the work of The Chestnut Group artists and to preserve the scenes for future generations.
The show is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Participating Chestnut artists donate a large portion of their sales to support the mission of Friends of Franklin Parks.