UNCSA Students Experience Graylyn While Developing Their Craft

John Coyne's plein air watercolor painting of the Manor House.

Over the years, the Graylyn Estate has served Winston-Salem in many capacities, but this past Saturday, it provided a setting for a plein air painting session for University of North Carolina School of the Arts students. John Coyne, Director of Scene Design in the School of Design and Production, has been bringing his students to Graylyn for the past several years.

 A Plein Air Session is an outdoor painting session derived from the French expression “en plein air” meaning “in the open air.” In Coyne’s class, scenic design and scenic painting students work in watercolor to learn to observe light and quickly capture its ever-changing and ephemeral qualities on buildings and landscapes.

 “With it’s beautiful trees, lawns and architecture, we love coming to Graylyn as there are wonderful scenes to paint in almost every direction you look,” says Coyne.


 As a part of this course, Coyne takes his students to other locations around town like Reynolda House and Old Salem. In addition to honing their scenic painting skills, these students are also learning about the rich history of Winston-Salem

UNCSA Scenic Design and Scenic Painting Students

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