North County kids try plein air painting at Hearst Castle

North County middle-school students got a special lesson in fine arts Thursday as they painted plein air style on the terrace of Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

They were participating in the Kids Art Smart series by Paso Robles nonprofit art organization Studios on the Park. The student program was designed in 2011 to help expose North County children to the fine arts and has since provided more than 5,000 local school children with free professional art classes in mediums such as watercolor, collage, ceramics and printmaking, according to the organization.

The Hearst Castle field trip is part of a new venture between Studios on the Park and Friends of Hearst Castle that’s served more than 200 North County students since last fall.

“It’s a pretty exceptional partnership and life-changing experience for these children,” said Sasha Irving, Studios on the Park executive director.

During the latest class at the Castle, about 30 sixth, seventh and eighth-graders from Pleasant Valley Elementary School in San Miguel received instruction from Studios on the Park founder and local artist Anne Laddon.

Using special, stain-free watercolor markers that are great for blending but considered Hearst Castle-friendly, the students on Thursday composed renderings of things they saw at William Randolph Hearst's sweeping estate — the statues, the tiles, the trees.

“This is what makes the Central Coast such an amazing community, because the Friends have this amazing cultural resource and it’s all about access and education,” Irving said.

After the art lesson, the kids received a special tour of the Castle’s fine art collection with a guide and were also shown a film.

Previous groups of students who have visited the Castle with Studios on the Park have been from Daniel E. Lewis and George H. Flamson middle schools in Paso Robles.

Students’ works from Daniel E. Lewis Middle School’s Hearst Castle excursion will be on display May 14 to 17 at Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St. in Paso Robles. Additional student exhibits are also scheduled.

It costs about $25 to sponsor a child for the Kids Art Smart program, which the nonprofit art center runs using donations. The money covers the cost of fine art materials, instruction, snacks and bus transportation from the students’ schools.

Dozens of volunteers also help run the program, including many retired educators who work alongside the artists giving the lessons, Irving said.

“The helpers make sure the teaching artists can give the kids the most impactful fine arts experience,” Irving said.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 7:08 PM with the headline "North County kids try plein air painting at Hearst Castle."