A six-week studio course focusing on projects dealing with the materials and techniques of drawing, including basic concepts of line, perspective and value as well as figure drawing.

1. Contour & Cross Contour Line Drawing: Learn to perceive the edges of things as they really are and capture the edges and details that we overlook. Contour drawing is commonly defined as ‘the outline of a figure or body.' Contour line drawing has a three-dimensional quality and indicates the thickness, length and width of the form it surrounds. Cross-contour drawing describe form and volume. An object is viewed from a particular angle and represented in a linear fashion so that it appears threedimensional on paper.

2. Hatching, Cross-Hatching, and Basic Forms: Render basic forms and still life and create value using hatching and cross-hatching. Much like cross contour drawing, HATCHING uses parallel lines drawn closely together to create the illusion of shade or texture in a drawing. CROSSHATCHING is the drawing of two layers of hatching at right-angles to create a mesh-like pattern. Multiple layers in varying directions can be used to create textures.

3. Value Studies: Basic Forms Through Observation (Still Life):  Render basic forms and still life using full range, blended value. Value is essentially how light or dark something is on a scale of white to black. Blend, or create smooth gradations of value, by adjusting the amount of pressure applied to the medium or by using a blending tool, such a blending stump.

4. Perspective: Explore rendering space using one-and two-point perspective. We’ll explore atmospheric perspective as well.

5. Figure Drawing: We will explore gesture and contour figure-drawing techniques utilizing various methods drawing from imagination, the skeleton, and the model. We will also explore measuring and sighting angles.

6. Figure Drawing (Continued): We will continue exploring gesture and contour figure-drawing techniques. We will also explore measuring and signing angles as well as proportions of the human figure. We will have a very brief study of musculature.

Suggested Reading:

Sale/ Betti. Drawing: A Contemporary Approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2004.

Bert Dodson. Keys to Drawing. Cincinnati, Ohio: North Light, 1985.

Loomis, Andrew. Figure Drawing for All it’s Worth, Titan Books, 2011.

Hampton, Michael. Figure Drawing: Design and InvenAon M. Hampton, 2009.

Bridgman,George. Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, Union Square, 2009.

Materials included. Ages 18+.

Learn the basics techniques of painting while exploring the unique characteristics of acrylic paint. Students will put concepts like value, color mixing, texture, and composition to action as they work on creating their very own still-life, portrait, and landscape paintings. No previous experience necessary.

The main goal is to enhance familiarity and comfort with the acrylic medium by exploring its fundamental techniques and concepts (and to have fun!). This will be achieved through the completion of three distinct projects, each designed to build skills incrementally. The projects will focus on various aspects of acrylic painting, such as color mixing, layering techniques, and texture creation, allowing for a comprehensive investigation of the medium. By the end of these projects, participants will have a deeper understanding of acrylics and increased confidence in their ability to utilize this versatile medium effectively. This session is divided into three projects with two classes to work on each project. Each project will focus on several or a combination of these fundamentals:

Line (your starting point. Thick, thin, expressive, controlled)

Shape (giving weight and dimension to objects)Space (perspective, depth)

Color (Color wheel! Color relationships!)

Texture (fun with additives and using the right brush/tool for the desired effect)

Value (lightness/darkness of color, not what the painting is worth at a Sotheby’s auction)

Using principles learned from the Fundamentals, Figure/Head, and Painting classes, we’ll apply our knowledge and skills to Great Master artworks. We’ll learn watercolor basics (wet on wet,wet on dry, color mixing). Each week we’ll look at various artists such as Rubens, Rembrandt, Winslow Homer and more. From each, we’ll cover the human figure, landscapes, and abstracts.

Course Outline

Week 1: Overview/ Review, Wet on Wet, Wet on Dry/Damp, Water Control Brushes, Strokes Pencils, paint, ink

Week 2: Simple Volumes, Visualizing simple masses Value

Week 3: Monochrome, Using Black and Earth-tones, Rubens and Rembrandt

Week 4: Warm and Cools

Week 5: Color, Working with Primaries, Color Mixing, Winslow Homer scenes, Georgia O’ Keefe abstracts, Sargent

Week 6: Long-Form Master Study, Applying our skills to a single study

Suggested Reading:

1) Figure Drawing For Artists by Steve Huston

2) Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters & Master Class In Figure Drawing by Robert Beverly Hale

This ceramics class is perfect for beginners who want to learn to create bowls, dishes, vases, tiles and sculptures without the use of the potter’s wheel. Experienced potters are also welcome. We will create basic but fun forms using the buion, stencils, painting, slip, stains, sgraffito, and inlay. Subject matter will be student directed with instructor guidance.

Many of the student projects will be self directed methods of pinch, coil and slab and additional techniques will be demonstrated to add a personal touch to your work by using sculpting, alterati but these will contain hollow forms (pinch method), coil methods, and slab methods including slump, drape and tar paper slab building method.

Take your painting skills to the next level with Intermediate Acrylic Painting. While building upon the basic ideas and techniques of painting, we will expand into more advanced topics around color theory, mark making, and modes of representation. A focus of the course will be on the effective use of color harmonies and contrasts so that you can feel confident choosing and mixing colors.     

Week 1 - Introductions and Review: In our first class we will talk through our painting experiences and goals, while working on some introductory painting exercises to review basic ideas and techniques. Topics: materials, color theory basics, mark making, approaches to building a painting.

Week 2 - A Study of Natural Forms: Focusing on natural forms curated by the students, we will explore how to create convincing textures and light effects. Topics: texture, natural color palettes, color transitions, acrylic mediums.

Week 3 - Contemporary Landscapes: After looking at examples of both traditional and contemporary landscape paintings, each student will develop their own color palette to use in a landscape painting. Topics: traditional vs. contemporary color palettes, creating and manipulating the illusion of depth, using reference materials effectively.   

Week 4- A day to finish projects and talk through problems and share discoveries.

Week 5 - Portraits: We will paint a portrait using either a mirror or a photograph. Topics: planar construction of the face, mixing skin tones, contemporary approaches to figuration. 

Week 6 - Portraits: During our last class, we will finish working on our portraits.

 All supplies and materials provided

This 6-week course is an intermediate class but is designed for all skill levels. Whether you are ready for complex forms or still learning how to center and Tuesday nights just work best for you- You will be welcomed! Each class will include a pottery demonstration and independent practice time. We will learn how to wedge, center, and throw multiple forms on the wheel. This class focuses on creating good studio habits and learning to work in a shared space. There will be an optional companion Discord page which allows us to chat outside of class, ask questions, view work together, keep up to date on current local art events, and share our results at the end of the six weeks.

Week 1: wedging, centering, and pulling cylinders

Week 2: bowls

Week 3: trimming

Week 4: pulling handles and manipulating forms

Week 5: surface decoration and split rim forms

Week 6: glazing

Ready to take your pottery skills to the next level? This intermediate wheel class is perfect for those with a basic understanding of throwing who want to refine their technique and expand their skill set. Through guided demonstrations, our instructors will focus on improving your centering, pulling, and shaping techniques while introducing you to more complex forms like plates, vases, and lidded vessels. If you’re excited to grow your pottery abilities and develop a more personal style, this is the class for you!

Explore the vibrant world of watercolor, learning key techniques like wet-on-wet, dry brushing, and expert color mixing. Perfect for beginners and those looking to refine their skills, this class provides hands-on guidance to help you build confidence with every brushstroke. Dive into the medium and create stunning effects while gaining a deeper understanding of watercolor's unique qualities.

All supplies included.  Ages 18+

This six-week class introduces figure sculpture through hands-on ceramic projects that explore the human form. We’ll begin with a small hanging portrait to learn facial construction and build comfort with the material. From there, students will create a small, full-bodied figure using coil-building techniques, with demos on proportion, gesture, and detail. The class ends with surface treatments—either glazing or cold finishing—to bring each piece to life.

Materials included. Ages 18+.

6-Week Schedule

Week 1 – Pinch Pot Hanging Heads

Intro to facial sculpting. Students make a small hanging head to get comfortable with clay and show their working style.

Week 2 – Begin Big Project: Coil-Built Figure (Body + Legs)

Demo on coil-building torsos and legs. Students begin their full-body sculptures.

Week 3 – Continue Big Project: Arms, Head + Details

Demos on arms, head construction, and refining facial features and gestures.

Week 4 – Workday + Final Builds

Work session with optional demos. Goal: finish construction and begin controlled drying.

Week 5 – Drying & Optional Bonus Project

Place figures on the bisque shelf for a slow, monitored fire. Optional project: body-part cup (ear cup, nose vase, etc.) or a glaze/cold-surface demo.

Week 6 – Surface Treatments

Students choose between glazing or cold finishing (e.g. watercolor + wax) and finalize their work.