Art Workshops, Classes & Retreats

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"Mastering Winter Whites: Harnessing Negative Space in Snowy Scenes"
December 6, 2024
 

Join celebrated watercolorist Dan Mondloch for this immersive workshop, where you'll learn how to capture the serene beauty of snow-covered landscapes through the art of negative space. In this class, Dan will guide you through essential techniques for painting the illusion of snow. You’ll explore how to skillfully control your washes, layer values, and use contrasting elements to define the bright expanses of snow. Perfect for artists of all levels, this workshop will help you master the subtle balance of light and shadow in winter scenes, adding depth and atmosphere to your work. Whether you're painting soft, fresh snowfall or crisp, sunlit drifts, you'll gain the skills needed to bring a winter wonderland to life in watercolor.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Dan Mondloch
Cost: $79
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Architectural Atmosphere: Expressing Structure and Space in Watercolor Landscapes"
December 19, 2024
 

Join celebrated watercolor artist Pablo Cuesta for an exciting workshop dedicated to capturing the charm and complexity of architectural landscapes in watercolor. With a focus on cityscapes, historical structures, and urban environments, Pablo will teach you how to interpret architectural details with looseness, precision, and a painterly touch. Learn how to depict buildings with accurate perspective, create dynamic compositions, and apply washes that convey the atmosphere and mood of a scene. You'll explore techniques to simplify complex architectural forms, balance light and shadow, and use color to bring vibrancy and energy to your paintings. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced watercolorist, this workshop will deepen your understanding of architectural elements and help you create stunning, expressive urban landscapes.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Pablo Cuesta
Cost: $79
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"The Art of Watercolor Portraits: A Masterclass with Mario A. Robinson"
Thursdays, January 9 - February 3, 2025
 

Join classically trained artist Mario A. Robinson for a transformative 4-week masterclass that delves deep into the classical approach to watercolor portraiture. This course uniquely focuses on capturing the emotional essence and personal connections of your subjects, blending technical precision with expressive storytelling. Over the span of four weeks, Mario will guide you through a live portrait demonstration, where you'll explore every step of creating a watercolor portrait from start to finish. Beginning with the block-in stage, you will learn how to shape the structure of your portrait, focusing on value, composition, and the emotional core of the subject. Mario will help you connect with your subjects on a personal level, enhancing the depth and meaning behind each portrait.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Mario A. Robinson
Cost: $425
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Fine Art Mentorship with Mary Whyte"
Wednesdays, January 15 - June 18, 2025
 

Embark on a transformative artistic journey with the acclaimed artist Mary Whyte in this exclusive six-month mentorship course, designed to elevate your artistic abilities and unlock your true creative potential. Building on the foundation of Mary's Portraiture Masterclass, this course dives deep into the intricacies of her video series, allowing you to seamlessly integrate its fundamental lessons into your own art practice. Over the course of six months, you will have 12 live mentorship sessions with Mary, where you'll receive personalized guidance and feedback tailored to your unique artistic journey. In addition to these group sessions, you'll also have two One-on-One meetings with Mary, providing the opportunity to discuss your progress, address specific challenges, and explore your career goals in depth.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Mary Whyte
Cost: $2195
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"From Sketch to Masterpiece: A Creative Journey in Sketching and Watercolor"
Wednesdays, January 22 - June 25, 2025
 

Dive deep into the world of sketching, composition, design, and watercolor in a comprehensive 6-month live class led by Alex Hillkurtz, a renowned Hollywood storyboard artist and National Watercolor Society Signature Member. This immersive experience explores the foundational elements of art, guiding you through sketching techniques, building strong compositions, mastering design principles, and applying vibrant watercolor washes. You’ll develop a solid understanding of how to integrate sketching and painting to create dynamic, balanced works of art. Learn to compose compelling scenes, use perspective for added depth, and bring your sketches to life with thoughtful color application. Whether working on street scenes, figures, or architectural details, you’ll gain the skills to create captivating art. Perfect for artists of all levels.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Alex Hillkurtz
Cost: $545
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Advancing Your Painting Through Expressive Color"
Sundays, January 26 - March 2, 2025
 

Examine the great traditions of color in art and how to improve color application and expression in your work. Instruction will present discussions of color topics including its visual history, materials, theories, and topical approaches, supplemented by demonstrations by the instructor. Content will address techniques in oil, water media, and acrylic, with a focus on advancing color organization and expression in your work. Weekly projects in Canvas, PAFA’s online learning platform, will be assigned and critiqued by the instructor. This course is ideal for both students struggling with color concepts and artists seeking to deepen their use of color in their work; beginning and advanced students welcome.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Al Gury
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632


"Watercolor on Aquabord: A Masterclass with Daniela Werneck"
Wednesdays, February 5-19, 2025
 

Join us for a 3-week workshop designed for intermediate to advanced watercolor artists eager to master the unique art of painting on Aquabord. Aquabord offers a remarkable surface that allows artists to achieve deep color saturation and intricate detail, bringing a level of precision and vibrancy beyond what’s possible on traditional watercolor paper. The three-week structure provides valuable time between sessions, allowing students to develop their paintings, apply new techniques, and bring questions back to class. Each session will delve into advanced techniques for layering watercolor to build depth, as well as methods for creating sharp details and rich textures. Students will gain the skills to manipulate light and shadow, bringing their compositions to life on this unique surface.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Daniela Werneck
Cost: $280
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Terracotta Symposium Series: The Foundations of Architectural Art"
February 8-9, 2025
 

Join us for an online two-day mini-symposium featuring the talents of renowned watercolor artists Thomas W. Schaller, Stephanie Bower, Alex Hillkurtz, and Pablo Cuesta. Immerse yourself in the world of architectural beauty as each artist leads an in-depth session with live demonstrations and an interactive Q&A. Learn firsthand from these experts as they reveal their techniques and discuss the challenges of capturing architectural scenes. This is a rare chance to observe the intricacies of architectural art and engage with master artists in real time. Attend from anywhere with an internet connection, and enjoy lifetime access to the event recordings so you can relive the experience whenever you like!
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: 4 artists
Cost: $295
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Masters' Guide to Abstract Painting"
Saturdays, February 15 - April 19, 2025
 

Abstraction in art can look like a variety of different things, from the painterly glow of a Turner seascape to the flattened patterns of a Matisse interior to Pollock’s nonobjective drip technique. But how does one get from painting realistically what one can see to translating it into invented color and shape or to abandoning form altogether? Learn from master artists throughout modern art history by trying their techniques to find your own personal style! Explore different paint application methods, color interactions, and compositional tactics as you take on a variety of subjects. Each session will include lecture and artist examples, in-class painting time, and one-on-one feedback from the instructor. Open to all media and levels, but drawing experience recommended.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan
Cost: $395
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632


"Spontaneous Abstraction Workshop"
March 1-2, 2025
 

Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. Paint with confidence by learning techniques to tap into your intuitive process and find inspiration more easily! Experienced instruction and advice will push students to take chances and explore unexpected directions and accidental marks to achieve artistic discoveries. Students will use line, color and space, and editing possibilities to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings as they work from personal imagery, expression, and imagination. Instruction will take the form of PowerPoint presentation/examples, formal direction from modern and contemporary artists, and one-on-on critiques in Zoom sessions that are geared toward open painting time in a classroom-like setting. Painting experience recommended.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Kassem Amoudi
Cost: $150
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632


"Saturday Sketch"
Saturdays, April 26 - May 10, 2025
 

Sketching is the foundation for any artist's practice. A few thumbnail sketches can be the start to a larger project by triggering an idea or capturing a place or object. Using your surroundings as well as arranged still lifes as your subject, learn to consider line, value, shape and light as means of efficiently encapsulating both places/objects and your emotional response. Topics of discussion and exploration will include how master artists have used the sketch in their own practice and each student’s goals for their current work. This engaging class is for both the beginner and the seasoned artist.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Susan Sullivan
Cost: $175
Sponsor: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Website, email, 215-972-7632


"Story Painting"
Ongoing classes
 

Storytelling versus Story Painting? Or maybe not versus? Let’s tell your story in a painting. In this class, we will learn how to tell your story, convey atmosphere, and feel, and understand colors, lines, focal-point, framing, and depth. You can add (or deduct) from the painting that will tell your story! Let us hear your tale! an ongoing class and instructions. From the prehistoric images in the caves to Edward Hopper... from the bible in pictures to the most modern painters of our times... We will set our subjects in 4 meetings. If you miss a class there will be a recording available.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Tali Farchi
Cost: $125 for 4 meetings
Sponsor: Artist Table
Website, email, 0031624903316


"Painting Music Online"
Every Thursday
 

“Painting Music” is an intuitive painting and drawing, open session for everyone. No painting or drawing skills are needed. Move your paint as the music tells you... on a canvas or in your sketchbook. I create a one-hour playlist of the different subjects each week. You may paint one painting or 10 or as much as you want. No rules. You may interpret the music as figurative or abstract, anything goes! The camera of your device will be pointed to the working area, so we can also see the progress, and be inspired. After the session, we look at each other's artwork and talk about the process.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Tali Farchi
Cost: $10 per session
Sponsor: Artist Table
Website, email, 0031624903316


"Drawing and Perspective"
video course
 

Learn with Thomas Schaller as he instructs on how to establish perspective and dimensionality in your work. Thomas W. Schaller AWS NWS TWSA ASAI, is an award-winning artist, architect, and author based in New York City. As a renowned architectural artist, he received a Graham Foundation Grant and was a two-time recipient of the Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize. He has authored three books; the best-selling, and AIA award winner, Architecture in Watercolor (VNR – McGraw Hill) The Art of Architectural Drawing (J.Wiley and Sons), and Thomas W. Schaller, Architect of Light : Watercolor Paintings by a Master. (Penguin Random House)
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Thomas W. Schaller
Cost: $79
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"The Built Environment"
video course
 

During this video course, award-winning watercolorist, Thomas Schaller, demonstrates the way to express your experience of the built environment through watercolor painting. Tom will walk you through the process of discovering new methods to compose, simplify, and edit images of the built environment in dynamic ways. You will also examine the narrative power of one and two-point - as well as more unusual - perspective angles. The course was filmed in Tom's studio and includes three complete painting demonstrations for a total of 3+ hours of video lessons.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Thomas W. Schaller
Cost: $119
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Seeing the Natural World"
video course
 

In this video course, award-winning watercolorist, Thomas Schaller, will demonstrate how to capture the experience of the natural world through watercolor. Tom will guide you in your pursuit of developing your own creative voice by helping you discover various expressive ways to depict the effects of light, shadow, and atmosphere and most effectively paint the world around you. Tom will share his creative process and technique with you as he paints skies, water, reflections, and landscape elements. You will also develop various methods to paint atmospheric conditions like fog, night skies, rain, and more. The course was filmed in Tom's studio and includes two complete painting demonstrations for a total 3+ hours of video lessons.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Thomas W. Schaller
Cost: $119
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"The History and Techniques of Watercolor"
video course
 

This course is for anyone that wants to learn about watercolor and how to paint in watercolor. Learn the history of watercolor and how to use the tools and techniques of watercolor to create stunning works of art. Watercolor is a very technique driven medium and I want to show you these techniques and how to use them so that your painting experience will be more successful and more enjoyable.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Laurin Mccracken
Cost: $39
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Realism in Watercolor: A trip to Scotland"
video course
 

In this video course, award-winning watercolorist, John Salminen, will teach you how to capture the mood and atmosphere of a scene in watercolor. During John’s teaching tenure, he taught in Edinburgh, Scotland, for one year and fell in love with the incredible Scottish landscape. In his painting demonstration in this course, he has captured one small slice of what he found so appealing about the Scottish countryside. John will share his creative process of choosing a reference, sketching the scene, demonstrates various techniques including his techniques for masking and lifting, provide instruction on perspective, and how to create reflection and texture with watercolor. The course includes one complete painting demonstration for a total of 4 hours of video lessons.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: John Salminen
Cost: $99
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Spring Botanicals"
video course
 

Award winning watercolorist, Carol Carter has spent her career expressing her creativity through the inventive use of color. In this video course, Carol will demonstrate how you can push emotional content in your imagery and message. She’ll walk you through her set up, materials, palette, and techniques. She will cover: use of inventive color, control of water, compositional considerations, and value structure. The course was filmed in Carol’s studio in St. Louis Missouri. Included in the course are two complete painting demonstrations as well as additional tutorials of specific skills. Throughout the course, you’ll work on thoughtfully-designed exercises that help you hone your watercolor skills and projects that help you breathe life into your own paintings.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Carol Carter
Cost: $99
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Fine Art Mentorship"
ongoing
 

As an instructor, it is my sincere desire to help guide aspiring painters to find better ways to trust, develop, and listen to their artistic voice. This is not done by providing answers so much as in helping artists to ask the right questions. When we begin to grasp this and ask ourselves these fundamental questions, we are well on our way to making significant strides. The curriculum presents a comprehensive and sequential education of watercolor techniques while inspiring the development of your own unique style. The program has rolling admission; you can join anytime and start from the beginning of the curriculum. Each month you will progress through a new 4-8 hour video series while honing your style & technique.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Thomas W. Schaller
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Stories in Painting"
video course
 

Enjoy lifetime access to this sequential video series that includes personal critiques from the artist for dynamic & engaging online education. This four-week class is designed to discuss content, meaning, intention, expression, communication of a personal, autobiographical, and narrative painting. I will demonstrate the techniques in executing a watercolor and imbuing it with emotion and symbolism. Every week, we will look at painting with a new lens.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Carol Carter
Cost: $266
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"The Art of the Illustrated Journal"
video course
 

In this video course, award-winning watercolorist, Brenda Swenson, will teach you to discover inspiration, awaken your senses, and tell your stories through illustrated journaling. You'll learn the fundamentals of watercolor, how to draw and paint from life and references, and how to find limitless artistic inspiration in everyday life. Included in the course are four demonstrations as well as lessons on watercolor, drawing, and font-writing techniques. Throughout the course, you’ll work on thoughtfully-designed projects that help you hone your illustration, sketching, and watercolor skills and breathe life into your own illustrated journal.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Brenda Swenson
Cost: $99
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Watercolor Explorer Program"
ongoing
 

Learn from the world's top watercolorists filmed in their studio and Plein-air on locations worldwide. Explore a range of techniques and weave dazzling new styles into your paintings through immersive video lessons, live workshops, and personal feedback. Engage with the artists live during weekly Zoom workshops. Instructors will take you behind the scenes as they create original works and answer your questions about their method and creative process. Hone your skills with thoughtfully designed projects and get feedback on your work from professional artists. Connect with a community of like-minded learners across all levels from around the world.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: 20+ top artists
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Representational Abstraction"
video course
 

An award-winning watercolor artist, John Salminen has spent multiple decades perfecting his techniques and instruction in this field. In this video course, John will demonstrate how you can capture representational abstraction. He will begin with a well-designed abstract foundation and introduce representational subject matter to that foundation. The course was filmed in John’s hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. Included in the course is one complete painting demonstration, filmed in a studio setting, for a total of 4+ hours. Whether you are looking to deepen your understanding of composition, use a new technique, or better understand the foundation of abstract painting, John will walk you through his process in a clear and informative way to enhance your understanding and improve your work.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: John Salminen
Cost: $99
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Wildlife in Watercolor"
video course
 

Award-winning watercolorist, Carol Carter has spent her career expressing her creativity through the inventive use of color. In this video course, you will learn how to paint Carol’s strategic “cell painting” technique with fluidity, to create a unified watercolor with bold, dynamic, and inventive colors. You will gain confidence in painting more complex subjects by learning how to simplify the shapes and washes and to develop a unified statement. Included in the course are three complete painting demonstrations filmed in studio as well as additional tutorials of specific skills. Throughout the course, you’ll work on thoughtfully-designed exercises that help you hone your watercolor skills and projects that help you breathe life into your own paintings.
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Carol Carter
Cost: $99
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


"Flow in Watercolor Portrait"
video course
 

In this video course, Stephen Zhang demonstrates the integrated process of applying watercolor techniques to build the human form. This course was filmed in Stephen's Studio and includes two complete portraiture demonstrations, as well as exercises and projects for you to practice and demonstrate your learning. This course is for artists at all levels who want to learn to display the human form through watercolor portraiture. Whether you are looking to develop your skills in brushwork and watercolor foundations, painting the human form, or understanding how to create flow in your work as a watercolorist, Stephen will cover it all in this course!
 
Location: Web-delivered (Online)
Instructor: Stephen Zhang
Cost: $99
Sponsor: Terracotta
Website, email


 

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