We recently chatted with Karen Hewitt Hagan from Hagan Fine Art Gallery about her work, teaching philosophy, and 2025 workshop in Verona and Lake Garda with Il Chiostro. Karen is a good friend and wonderful artist who has shared the Il Chiostro experience with her students since 2006.
How did you start teaching?
I started teaching around 2002 when I was living aboard in the Bahamas. We had sold our home and purchased a 53 foot Motor Yacht, aptly named “Plein Air” and we began to travel and paint wherever we ended up. I took my first one week long student aboard that vessel and we painted in paradise. It’s been paradise ever since. But now, it’s mostly on dry land.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that learning to paint is driven by desire and that if you really want to learn to become a painter, you can. So I enjoy breaking down my approach into simple steps and having students learn about painting in a systematic step-by-step process. One that helps them learn the building blocks of painting. It’s all about learning to see, choosing appropriate subjects and capturing the light, in my opinion. Learning to paint en Plein Air is an incredible tool for a painter to have in their arsenal. Getting comfortable with working out of doors is a big first step.
What do you love about teaching?
I adore how it empowers people. It literally lights them up inside when they discover that they too can do this.
Why are you excited about working with Il Chiostro?
Quite simply, Michael and Linda along with the whole Il Chiostro team provide such a unique experience, one that enables the painters to concentrate on seeing, exploring and painting. They nourish us with their incredible home-made locally sourced meals and the special Italian experiences that make the painting trip sing. You can tell they love doing what they do and they love being around artists because they themselves are artists. It’s an unbelievable experience to work with them. I said that on my very first class I taught with them in 2006 and it’s still true.
What do you hope students get out of the class?
My hope for students is that they take home one special skill they build while on the workshop. One little thing can help them on their journey to becoming a better painter. One insight, one revelation, one new tool or technique is often what’s needed to increase their confidence and remind them that they can do anything they want if they try hard enough.
What are you looking forward to most during the trip to Italy?
I’m so excited and looking forward to leading the workshop at Lake Garda in the fall of 2025. I had painted there before (with Il Chiostro) and always wanted to return. I was mesmerized by the lake’s curved coastline filled with beautiful sailboats and, just on the other side, the rising mountains with sunlit churches tucked into the hills, and we enjoyed painting the palm trees and cypress trees. I didn’t realize until the last trip that Lake Garda is in a microclimate with tropical vegetation like palm trees and lemon trees.
The side trips to the small neighboring villages were interesting, and the food was amazing. I did not do the ferry ride on the lake last time I was there, but I’d like to do that this time. And I’ve never been to Verona, so visiting the “home” of Romeo and Juliet will be a treat. I can’t wait for the adventure to begin! Pinch me… it’s all just so inspiring.
Anything else?
If you’re a painter who has always wanted to paint in Italy – don’t you owe it to yourself to book a painting trip there? It’s truly a once in a lifetime experience. But I promise you, you’ll want to go back again and again.
We are looking forward to Karen’s upcoming workshop, September 30 – October 7, 2025 in the Lake Garda and Verona. To learn more or register visit Paint Your Dream! Plein Air Workshop in Verona and Lake Garda with Karen Hewitt Hagan.
About Karen
Whether painting on location outside or inside with a model, Karen Hewitt Hagan’s paintings depict a strong feeling of light and include rich dramatic brushstrokes.
Theresa Golas, Director of the Iredell Museums said: “She has an innate sense of color and composition and when it is coupled with the way she handles the media, magic occurs.”
Residing in Charleston SC, Karen owns and exhibits at Hagan Fine Art Gallery. She is a frequent juror for The Plein Air Magazine Art Salons and has studied and trained with many contemporary masters.
She credits working out of doors, en plein air as one of the most important parts of that training. “Nature is truly the best teacher”. Hagan was presented with the Award of Excellence at the COPA Plein Air Painting Event in Charleston, SC and was a signature member of The Plein Air Painters of the Southeast.
Her book Karen Hewitt Hagan; An American Impressionist (published by Morton Arts Media) has a section dedicated to the Contessa’s Farm in Italy where she taught for Il Chiostro many years ago.