Painting + Drawing Classes

Mon, Apr 29 -- May 20, 10:00 am – 1 pm (4 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
DAWN FLORES

Artist John Singer Sargent was a master of color. His blacks were textured, his whites were complex, and his side-by-side use of warm and cool colors gave his paintings vibrancy. In this intensive class, students will study Sargent’s artwork through slide presentations and catalogs. Working in either watercolor or acrylic paint, students will complete color exercises, copy Sargent’s work, and create their own compelling pieces inspired by Sargent’s use of color. Prerequisites: basic drawing and watercolor or acrylic painting skills.

$145 (VMFA members $125)

Wed, May 1  --  22, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (4 Sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor and on location
Maria Reardon 

Explore drawing and painting the landscape from direct observation. With guidance from the instructor, students will develop a more fluid response to painting on location. Students need to provide their own plein air painting easel, stool and painting supplies. Prerequisite: basic drawing and painting skills. 

$145 (VMFA members $125)

Fri, May 3–24, 10 am --1 pm (4 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
SALLY BOWRING

This class combines visits to the VMFA galleries and studio work. Each session will start with a visit to a different painting. The instructor will lead a discussion about the meaning of the painting, the period in which it was created, and surrounding ideas, writings, and music of the time. Students will return to the painting studio, inspired by the painting and information, to create a work of art. Students may work in any drawing or painting medium that they are familiar with. Prerequisite: basic drawing & oil or acrylic painting skills.

$145 (VMFA members $125)

Thu, May 2– 23, 10 am–1 pm (4 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
Kathy Calhoun

of interior space designed by you. Students should be familiar with the painting medium they plan to work with. Prerequisites: basic drawing&painting skills.

$145 (VMFA members $125)

Tue, Apr 30–May 21, 10 am–1 pm (4 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd Floor 
MARY SCURLOCK

In this class, students will work with traditional and non-traditional materials, techniques, and tools while exploring and expanding their definition of drawing and its limitless possibilities. By experimenting with different rendering techniques, students will discover a personalized vocabulary of mark making. They will create a series of experimental drawings, participate in group discussions, demonstrations, and critiques. Prerequisites: basic drawing skills. 

$145 (VMFA members $125)

Tue, Jun 4 – Jul 23, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
DIANA DETAMORE

Do you doubt your artistic ability or believe you cannot draw? This is your opportunity to challenge that perception. Based on the teaching methods of Betty Edwards, author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, this class will offer a series of visual exercises to improve the way you see and render objects on paper. You will learn basic drawing skills including contour line, use of negative space, perspective, proportion, and shading, building your ability and confidence to draw realistically.

$200 (VMFA members $180)

Wed, Jun 5–Jul 24, 1–4 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
Dawn Flores

Expand the use of color in drawing with soft pastels, employing various application methods and paper choices. Students work from the still life or subjects of their choice. Individual critiques provided. Prerequisites: basic drawing skills.

$200 (VMFA members $180)

Tue, Jun 4 – Jul 23, 1 – 4 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
Dawn Flores

Learn to generate ideas, choose subjects, and adopt approaches for using paint, pencil, and pastel. Students also work on independent projects, with guidance and individual critiques from the instructor. Prerequisites: basic drawing & painting skills.

$200 (VMFA members $180)

Mon, Jun 3–Jul 22, 9:30 am–12:30 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
Dawn Flores

Learn a wide variety of watercolor techniques while using related drawing mediums in this course for beginning and experienced watercolor artists. Students work directly from the still life, landscape, and other subject matter, with discussions of color and watercolor masterworks offering inspiration. Individual and group critiques provided. Prerequisites: basic drawing skills.

$200 (VMFA members $180)

Wed, Jun 19– Jul 24, 9:30 am–12:30 pm (6 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
MARIA REARDON 

Learn to use direct observation when painting from life. Through demonstrations, observation-based painting exercises, and instruction, beginning and intermediate artists strengthen their ability to see color and value relationships, and they learn how to mix colors accordingly. Students also learn to simplify any subject matter by identifying color masses from which to develop realistic paintings. Prerequisites: basic drawing skills.

$180 (VMFA members $160)

Thu, Jun 6–Aug 1 (no class Jul 4), 9:30 am–12:30 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
MARTHA PRIDEAUX

This is a great studio course for students at the intermediate level who are working to develop their own personal painting style and approach to imagery. Through individual guidance, students explore painting strategies and working methods. Prerequisites: basic drawing and painting skills.

$200 (VMFA members $180)

Fri, Jun 7–Jul 12, 10 am–1 pm (6 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
SALLY BOWRING

Expand technical and critical skills and learn to develop new ideas and imagery. The class will focus on contemporary art in the VMFA's Galleries as points of interest and inspiration. In the studio, students will work from a variety of subjects, focusing on color and abstraction. Critiques and discussions of contemporary painting will be included. Prerequisites: basic drawing and painting skills.

$180 (VMFA members $160)

Mon, Jun 3–Jul 22, 1–4 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
MARTHA PRIDEAUX

Discover approaches and materials that can inspire new ideas and add a fresh dimension to your artwork. Explore the beautiful textured surfaces that you can create using cold wax medium and oil paint. The instructor will do demonstrations and provide guidance when experimenting with a variety of new materials. Prerequisites: basic drawing and painting skills.

$200 (VMFA members $180)

Thu, Jun 6–Aug 1 (no class Jul 4), 7–9:30 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
CATHERINE PURDY

This introductory class helps students develop basic drawing skills using various techniques and materials. Observation, imagination, memory, and creativity will be utilized while building skills and confidence.
 
$185 (VMFA members $165)

Tue, Jun 4 – Jul 23, 7 – 10 pm (8 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
DAWN FLORES

Learn a wide variety of watercolor techniques while using related drawing mediums in this course for beginning and experienced watercolor artists. Students work directly from the still life, landscape, and other subject matter, with discussions of color and watercolor masterworks offering inspiration. Individual and group critiques provided. Prerequisites: basic drawing skills.

$200 (VMFA members $180)

Wed, Jun 19–Jul 24, 7–10 pm (6 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
JOAN ELLIOTT

This is a good painting class for beginning or intermediate level oil painters who want to develop their own personal painting style and approach to imagery. Through individual guidance, students explore painting strategies and working methods. Prerequisite: basic drawing skills.

$180 (VMFA members $160)

Mon, Jun 17–Jul 22, 7–10 pm (6 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
JOAN ELLIOTT

Explore drawing and painting from direct observation, photos, or sketches and depict various subjects including the still life, human figure, and landscape. Students develop a more personal approach to imagery, drawing, and painting styles by examining the formal and expressive aspects in their work and that of classical to contemporary artists. Prerequisites: basic drawing and painting skills.

$180 (VMFA members $160)

Sat & Sun, Jun 22 & 23, 10 am–4 pm (2 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
DAWN FLORES

Beginning artists and those wanting to brush up on their skills will discover the basics of drawing, including pattern and composition, light and shade, proportion, three-dimensional form, and perspective. Learning through demonstrations, discussions, and individual instruction, students complete multiple drawings working from the still life and landscape images. Soft vine charcoal (assorted sizes), 18" × 24" sketchpad and a kneadable eraser required.

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat & Sun, Jun 8 & 9, 10 am–4 pm (2 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
MARTHA PRIDEAUX

This workshop will teach students how to build beautiful textured surfaces using cold wax medium and oil paint. Experienced and beginning painters are welcome. The workshop will consist of demonstrations and hands-on practice. With guidance from the instructor, students will create small-scale studies and paintings using various techniques and leave with an understanding of how to use the wax medium to build gorgeous, layered surfaces in future paintings. Prerequisites: basic drawing and painting skills. 

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat, Jun 15, 10 am–4 pm (1 session) | Studio School, 1st floor
KAREN EIDE

Encaustic painting is an ancient process using molten, pigmented beeswax to create layered and luminous art. Designed for both new and experienced painters, the instructor teaches classic encaustic techniques and ways to combine them with contemporary painting techniques and mixed media. Discover collage, incising, texturizing, surface embellishment, and relief work, as well as how to combine oil paint, pastels, inks, watercolors, and gouache with the encaustic. Some materials included.

$105 (VMFA members $90)

Sat &Sun, Jun 15–16, 10 am–4 pm (2 Sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
DIANA DETAMORE

This workshop introduces oil pastels and paint sticks for painterly approaches to drawing flowers and plants. Students explore colored grounds, glazes, and various methods of layering color as well as color mixing and interaction. Prerequisite: basic drawing skills.

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat & Sun, Jun 22 & 23, 10 am – 4 pm (2 session) | Studio School, 2nd floor
DIEGO SANCHEZ

Experiment with various painting and drawing media. Explore new ideas, techniques, and imagery. Students will work on individual projects with demonstrations from the instructor. A brief overview of Artificial Intelligence basics to enhance learning will be presented. Prerequisite: basic drawing and painting skills. 

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat, Jun 29, 10 am–4pm (1 session) | Studio School, 2nd floor
AMY SMTH

Start by exploring a variety of drawings of the human form by other artists. Then with guidance from the instructor and working from a live model, learn to create expressive portraits in charcoal and pencil. Prerequisites: basic drawing skills. 

$90 (VMFA members $75)

Sat & Sun, Jul 6 & 7, 10 am–4 pm (2 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
CATHERINE PURDY

Learn how to capture the unique personality of your favorite furry friend. Start by studying the anatomy and features of different animals, focusing on the artistic process of making detailed studies. Then with guidance from the instructor and working from photograph, create accurate and expressive portraits of your own pet using drawing materials and oil or acrylic paint. Prerequisite: basic drawing skills

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat & Sun, Jul 6 & 7, 10 am–4 pm (2 Sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
MARY SCURLOCK

In art, term frottage (from French frotter, "to rub", rubbing) is a surrealist and "automatic" method of creative production developed by the artist Max Ernst. Students will learn to work intuitively while creating rich surfaces using a variety of media on paper or wooden panels. Using the frottage process, students will make impressions and rubbings from places, and/or objects that have personal relevance to incorporate into their artwork. Through instructive demonstrations, students will learn a variety of mark-making and layering techniques using collage materials, paints, charcoal, and/or graphite. Prerequisite: basic drawing skills.

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat & Sun, Jul 13 & 14, 10 am–4 pm (2 sessions) | Studio School, 1st floor
PAM FOX

This workshop explores the use of photography with mixed-media applications. Students combine photographic materials (digital or traditional prints, photocopies, found imagery or old photographs) with oil paint to produce new and exciting imagery. The instructor demonstrates a variety of approaches, including surface supports and preparation, gluing techniques, surface alterations, paint application, varnishing, cold wax, and other surface treatments. Open to all levels of experience.

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat & Sun, Jul 13 & 14, 10 am–4 pm (2 session) | Studio School, 2nd floor
MARIA REARDON

This workshop is an introduction to painting with gouache, an opaque water-soluble medium that is like watercolor. Gouache, which is applied in layers like acrylics or oils, offers highly saturated colors, flexibility, and spontaneity. The medium is great to use as a sketching medium to plan larger paintings or for finished artwork. Students will learn to use gouache to make studies, to plan compositions and color themes that they may use for larger works. Prerequisites: basic drawing and painting skills.

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat, Jul 13, 10 am–4 pm (1 session) | Studio School, 2nd floor
MARTHA PRIDEAUX

Experiment with new techniques, materials, and more to make innovative collages. The teacher will demonstrate ways to design, mount, and present your artwork in this workshop designed for all levels of experience.
 
$90 (VMFA members $75)

Sat & Sun, Jul 20 & 21, 10 am–4 pm (2 Sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor
DAWN FLORES

This workshop provides step-by-step instruction on a variety of watercolor techniques, including special effects, glazing, wet on wet, washes, and more. Working from colorful photographs or still lifes of flora and fauna, students explore the full range of watercolor painting. Prerequisite: basic drawing skills.

$145 (VMFA members $130)

Sat & Sun, Jul 20 & 21, 10 am - 4 pm (2 sessions) | Studio School, 2nd floor

KATHLEEN CALHOUN

Do you want to capture a moment and place, whether traveling or just hanging out? Record the little and big things in your life by creating a visual record. Participants will learn several easy and successful strategies for drawing, painting, collage, and writing to turn their adventures into handheld works of art. Mini field trips within and outside VMFA will also offer source material and inspiration. 

$145 (VMFA members $130)