Are you ready for greater realism, depth and a convincing finish in your paintings? In this weekend workshop, you will fully develop one figure /portrait painting from start-to-finish, bringing together traditional & contemporary techniques.

In using both direct (wet-into-wet) and indirect painting methods, you’ll begin with a loosely drawn underpainting to serve as your guide, find generalized colours for different areas of the figure, then move towards nuanced form and colour. Basic anatomy, planes of the body, and brushwork will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on capturing the gesture of the model, creating accuracy of form, and mixing nuanced skin tones.

Choose your from our wide selection of professional, well-lit photos (or bring your own) to create your own dynamic, gestural and poetic painting! Whether focusing on the whole figure or the portrait, attendees of this course will acquire greater confidence, ease and depth in their paintings.

In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of oil painting from the ground up! You will learn about gesso, surfaces, brushes, paint and mediums.

Topics include drawing, value, edges, colour and composition. In carefully observing the interplay of light and shadow, you will create a series of realistic paintings based on simple objects, still life arrangements, and photo references.

This course is ideal for total beginners, as well as for experienced painters looking to revisit the fundamentals and refine their skill sets. In the end, you will experience a heightened sense of confidence, flow and ease, setting the stage for years of painting to come.

Discover the power of keeping it simple with colour! In this essential workshop, you will develop the technical skills to create landscape paintings with subtle colour harmonies, efficient brushwork, and solid composition. In working with two different limited palettes (Classical & Modern), you will hone your colour mixing skills, deepen your knowledge of colour theory, and add nuance to colour relationships.
‍
Working in alla prima from a photo reference, you will create one painting each day exploring both limited palettes. This will result in two paintings identical in subject but vastly different in colour and feel! This is an excellent way to practice seeing and mixing colour according to value and colour temperature, and to begin to understand the practical benefits of a limited palette to support the story of your painting.

Attendees of this workshop will experience heightened confidence, ease and flow in their painting!

Learn how to paint believable and impressionistic flowers, using exciting brushwork and vibrant colours. You will practice drawing flowers of different shapes and how to identify the colour, value and edges of flower petals and stems.

Instructor Steve will also teach how to paint glass and ceramic vases, so you’ll be ready for any setup. You will paint flowers from life, in one long painting held over the weekend. Steve will spend time with each student one-on-one, while demonstrating various techniques on his own painting. You will also analyze the works of famous floral painters to understand their approach in creating masterpieces.

In the end, you’ll take home your own masterpiece to hang on your wall.

Explore creative ways of working in watercolour, and discover new and exciting approaches to bring into your paintings. In this workshop, you will learn traditional & contemporary techniques in laying down washes, mixing colours, and working in layers on paper to create depth and translucency. Discover ways to combine figures, patterns, silhouettes, and other elements to create your own visual language to tell a story that is real, but also imagined and abstract at the same time.

In working from a series of images (bring 3–5 of your favourites, print or digital), you will create your own unique compositions, adding aspects from your imaginations to them. Creative exercises are designed to stimulate your imagination and intuitive powers, encouraging you to let go as you sketch, journal, and develop these images into a whole new way of painting.

Attendees of this workshop will be able to confidently take on any subject matter with a  new set of skills for years to come!

In this workshop, you will learn the basics of one of the most beautiful forms of art in our culture–watercolour painting. Whether a beginner or an experienced painter, Javid will guide you into expressing yourself in both traditional and contemporary approaches.
‍
Working from landscape photos (provided by instructor or bring your own), you will explore composition, colour theory, linear & atmospheric perspective, figure/ground relationships, and design principles.
‍
Emphasis will be placed upon capturing the beauty of nature using proper technique & design principles, while at the same time experimenting with the expressive possibilities of the medium. Realism and abstraction come together effortlessly, as you learn how to bring your paintings to full completion.
‍
By the end of the course, you will experience the ease in working with watercolour, and new creative horizons will open up before you.

In this workshop, we will practice looser approaches to representational work. You will build both your skills and relationship to paint as you try free and energetic approaches.
‍
Rather than working within pre-constructed guidelines, you will use your brushstrokes to gradually expose the image. Exercises will help you to loosen up and paint at a faster pace, valuing exploration and practice above tight representation.
‍
With a mix of fluid brushwork and selective sharp detail, you will create a painting that reveals your subject, while retaining a sense of mystery, emotion and energy.
Reference images provided, or you may bring your own.

Whether you are a beginner or professional artist, mastery of the fundamentals is a lifelong pursuit (all levels are welcome).

In this course, you will learn how to create convincing realism in charcoal, step-by-step. Working from photos and from life, students will learn about sighting and measuring, judging accurate value, creating edges, and much more.

The instructor will demonstrate the techniques and then spend plenty of time with each student one-on-one. Attendees of this course will be able to confidently take on any subject matter with their new set of skills!

Are you ready for greater realism, depth and a convincing finish in your paintings? In this weekend workshop, you will fully develop one figure /portrait painting from start-to-finish, bringing together traditional & contemporary techniques.
‍
In using both direct (wet-into-wet) and indirect (transparent) painting methods, you’ll begin with a loosely drawn underpainting to serve as your guide, find generalized colours for different areas of the figure, then move towards nuanced form and colour. Basic anatomy, planes of the body, and brushwork will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on capturing the gesture of the model, creating accuracy of form, and mixing nuanced skin tones.
‍
Choose your from our wide selection of professional, well-lit photos (or bring your own) to create your own dynamic, gestural and poetic painting! Whether focusing on the whole figure or the portrait, attendees of this course will acquire greater confidence, ease and depth in their paintings.

In this course, you will learn the foundations you need to create oil paintings grounded in good technique. Learn how to prepare surfaces, maintain your brushes, use mediums, handle paint and more!
‍
Students will develop compositions with a strong foundational drawing layer before approaching the painting with an emphasis on value and colour. You’ll work both from photo reference and from life — starting by painting simple forms and progressing to a still life setup.
‍
This class is perfect for beginners, those who are switching from acrylics to oils, or painters who want to get back to basics.

During this weekend intensive you will take a deeper dive into the unlimited world of colour. Colour is often referred to as the emotional layer of the image that gets all the glory, while value does all the “heavy lifting”.

This is undoubtedly true, and in this course you will learn ways to understand and apply your colour choices in order to support the story of your painting.

Over the course of the two days, working from your own photo reference, you will develop a palette specific to your image and complete a painting that further reflects the mood and ambiance you want to convey.

In this weekend workshop, you will learn how to draw the classical still life. You will train your eye to observe and understand the fall of light on simple objects and learn how to translate those observations into a beautifully rendered charcoal drawing.
‍
You will build a value scale to accurately identify the light and dark values of your still life. You will then develop the ability to apply tone with patience and precision with the right values to make the image pop. Emphasis will be placed on composition, proportion, creating tones, and controlling the way that the viewer’s eye navigates the drawing.
‍
By the end of the workshop, you will possess the most sought-after skills of classical still life drawing: how to create a drawing with subtle, beautiful details that captivates your audience.