The Yakona Nature Preserve and Learning Center will become an outdoor classroom this summer as the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts presents a series of free workshops combining creativity with the natural world. Supported through grants and community partnerships, the workshops are free, though advance registration is required because space is limited. Participants will create small outdoor studies before completing a finished landscape painting, learning basic oil techniques while working directly in nature. Located in South Beach, Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center is dedicated to restoring native coastal forest while serving as a living laboratory for environmental education, cultural history and stewardship. All workshops begin at 11 am at Yakona Nature Preserve & Learning Center in South Beach.