Workshops
Registrations for workshops requires a yearly membership which covers administration costs. You will receive email updates on our latest offerings. General membership is $30. Student and senior memberships are $25. Family memberships are $60. Registrations can be accomplished online with payment button under each class or you can mail in a check with the registration form here (PDF Registration Form). Deposit/Cancellation Policy at bottom.
Alla Prima Still Life in Oils
with Todd Casey
Feb. 20-22; 3-Day Workshop 9:30 am-4:30 pm
In this workshop students will learn the fundamentals of how to create a still life painting from direct observation. During the course of 3 sessions, each student will do a still life painting of their setup using a direct method of painting. Some topics that will be discussed will be: composition, depth, drawing, light, color theory, form, edges and how to work a narrative into your work. Materials will be discussed as needed (paints, brushes and board/canvas).
Please bring your own materials and also a setup that interests you. Also, keep the setups simple, 4 objects max. The instructor will mostly give individual critiques working one on one with each student. Students of all levels are welcome.
Todd M. Casey studied drawing and painting at the Water Street Atelier with Jacob Collins and also at the Art Students League with Max Ginsburg. Drawing inspiration from classical art, historical literature and personal experience; Casey imbues each piece with a love of both pragmatic, corporeal form, and storied, intentional function. Every painting has a story to tell; whether emergent from the viewer’s own perception or brewed from the very deep well of introspective thought the artist inculcates with each brush stroke. Subtlety, refined grace, meditation, and honesty— are the hallmarks of his aesthetic.
Sight-Size Intensive
with Julie Beck
March 14-15: 2-Day Workshop, 9:30am - 3pm
This intensive sight-size drawing workshop will provide guidance for beginners to students with Bargue/Cast drawings in process. It is these drawing skills that lead to painting accuracy. Julie teaches and is an assistant director at the Academy for Realist Art in Boston. We are honored to have this Master artist join us. Sign ups for this workshop includes the lecture/demo on Friday night by Julie. Her ability to teach is priceless.
Sculpting An Animal
with Mara Sfara
March 20-21; 2-Day Workshop 10:00 am-4:00 pm
This workshop will explore the sculpting of animals from different environments such as the farm, jungle, ocean or animals of your imagination. Working with self drying clay, Mara will demonstrate how she handles animal characteristics including the whimsical additions. After the drying process, the animals can be painted realistically or imaginatively. The class fee includes the clay. Registrant is encouraged to bring in own sketchbook/drawing supplies, any sculpting tools but we have some.
Mara has created sculptures in numerous mediums and her work has been shown nationally and internationally. This class will be an encouragement to explore and is to be enjoyed.
Portrait Sketch in Oils
with Kathryn Engberg
March 30 - April 1, 2020; 3-Day Workshop 9:30am - 4:30pm
In this 3 day workshop artists will work from a different model each day to create a fully rendered, life-like portrait sketch in oils. Each class will begin with a one hour demo and discussion. Lectures will include how to capture a likeness using tools such as comparative measure, tilts, shapes, and plumb lines; creating a sense of volume through a carefully organized value structure; and how to mix flesh tones using a limited color palette. Individual critiques will be catered to each artist to help them reach their personal goals. All skill levels welcome. Artists with limited painting experience are welcome and encouraged to draw.
The Tonalist Landscape in Oils
with Dennis Sheehan
April 15 - 18, 2020; 4-Day Workshop, 9:30am - 4:30pm
Dennis will impart the process of his poetic landscapes which favor Nature’s transitional moments — the breathtaking effects of dusk, dawn, and the stillness before storms. He will demonstrate how he builds his compositions by tonal contrast and translates value relationships into color relationships. In this way, nothing is arbitrary: paintings should exude a sense of organic correctness.
The goal is to have the painting emanate light, rather than be just a surface that records the reflections of light. The light areas are focal points of the effort, but the strength of a composition comes from understanding the shadows. This process gives darks pre-eminence: Dennis starts with darks and in a subtractive process, removes pigment to reveal subtle gradations of light, as well as his extensive use of glazes to bring a glowing dimensionality to his surfaces. Study with this master as he shares his understanding of the Old Masters.
Chromatic Still-Life Painting
with Samuel Hung
May 8-12, 2020; 5-Day Workshop, 9:30am - 4:30 pm
In this 5-day workshop, students will be focusing on the fundamentals of still life painting in oils with chromatic objects. Emphasis will be given on composition, drawing accurately, concepts of modeling light on form and color theory. Participants will be guided through the process of completing a still-life painting from start to finish and you will achieve a better understanding of judging value relationships and mixing color accurately for chromatic objects in a painting. There will be daily demos and individual guidance. A list of suggested items students can bring to paint will be supplied.
Drawing the Self-Portrait
with Sandra Sanchez
May 21 - 23; 3-Day Workshop, 9:30am - 4:30 pm
In this three day workshop participants will develop a highly resolved self portrait from life. We will begin with a linear block-in focusing on likeness, proportion, cranial anatomy, gesture and perspective. Next, participants will learn how to model their portrait, creating a sense of volume by analyzing the physics of light as it falls on form and organizing values. The instructor will create a demonstration drawing and provide individual critiques for each student. All skill levels are welcome to participate. Althought this is a drawing class, this class will set the student on the road to painting the self portrait.
Paint Beautiful Flowers
with Diane Reeves
June 3 - 7, 2020; 5-Day Workshop, 9:30am - 4:30 pm
June 3-4 Color Mixing Made Simple
Color mixing can be exciting and fun, instead of scary and frustrating!! For some folks, color mixing may be completely intuitive, but for most of us, we need a simple and practical method for finding accurate color.
This 2-day workshop offers just such a method, with plenty of time to practice! Award-winning artist and seasoned instructor, Diane Reeves, developed this fun and exciting, hands-on workshop to provide a specific means of consistently mixing beautiful, accurate color. Diane will first cover the foundational concepts about color, and participants are given the opportunity to engage in fun and very practical exercises that teach how to control value, intensity and temperature. Next, she demonstrates how easy it is to apply four simple questions to confidently mix virtually any color. Diane then guides participants as they practice over and over applying these questions, so they leave with a thorough understanding of the process as well as lots of experience in mixing accurate color. This workshop is open to all levels. Paints only supplied.
This 2-Day Color Mixing workshop can be taken separately for $150.
June 5-7 Paint Beautiful Flowers
During this workshop, Diane helps participants learn how to recognize and capture the basic form of many types of flowers, how to maintain lovely color in both light and shadow, and how to choose specific brushwork to create lifelike blooms. Participants learn how to keep their values accurate, as well as how to achieve lovely edges and gorgeous translucency for petals and foliage.
Each morning will focus on specific lessons paired with Diane’s painting demonstrations. She’ll paint a lovely assortment of flowers, including roses, and explain her process as she works! Each afternoon provides time for plenty of guided assistance as students practice what they are learning by painting their own floral set ups.
Diane’s engaging teaching style, clear explanations and valuable demos make learning both straightforward and enjoyable. Diane’s goal is for every participant to leave with a new confidence for painting his or her own beautiful flowers! Beginning as well as advanced painters are invited to attend this workshop, though some basic prior painting experience is helpful.
This 3-Day Paint Beautiful Flowers workshop can be taken separately for $405.
June 3-7 Both workshops = $495.
Still Life Workshop
with Carlo Russo
Sept. 22-25; 4-Day Workshop 9:30 am-4:30 pm
This 4 day workshop will focus on still life painting fundamentals. The students will first make a fairly simple line drawing of their set up, and when finished will transfer the drawing onto a pre-primed panel. Over the course of the next several days the painting will be developed in a multi-step process which will give the objects a strong sense of form, color and depth. The instructor will offer daily demonstrations to help reinforce the technique and will offer plenty of individual help and critique to the students.
Deposit / Cancellation Policy
Deposits are required for all classes and workshops in the amount of half the tuition to secure limited spots. Full payment is due two weeks before the start of the session. All cancellations must be made 2 weeks before the start of a class or workshop. We are not responsible for issuing refunds, credits or transfers for classes/workshops missed due to illness, emergencies or events beyond our control. If a workshop is cancelled by us, you will receive a refund.
All requested refunds (within 2 weeks of the start of the class or workshop) from online payments will be returned via check. A 5% refund fee will be subtracted from the amount paid through online payments.