Painting

Pre-registration is required for classes & workshops - please register online below or call 508-693-1850.
Minimum age requirement for all adult classes is 14 years old.
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY:
Please read all class descriptions and be aware of age, skill level and materials requirements in ADVANCE of registering for any classes and workshops. Featherstone does not issue refunds unless we cancel the class due to low enrollment.

Visiting Artist Workshop: Paint Your Life with Dr. Morna McNulty
Date: Tuesday, July 18
Time: 9:00AM - 3:00PM (please bring bag lunch!)
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $160 for 6 hour workshop, includes materials fee

The Paint Your Life (PYL) system is built on a series of six short (45 min) “games,” designed sequentially to build upon one another. Participants will work with various dry materials including oil and chalk pastels, colored pencils, and markers. No artistic experience is required! The sequence is developed specifically to move between experiences that encourage participants to look inward using their creative minds-eye and self-reflection, balanced with aesthetic experiences that look “outward” toward the space, place, and persons in the surrounding environment. The result is a system which enables participants to think about the “push and pull” ways in which they think, to focus on the process rather than the product, and to be open to a myriad of possible outcomes. Slowness and mindfulness are key.
Paint Your Life trained facilitator, Dr. Morna McNulty, will work with participants to inspire breakthrough ideas for innovative practice in your field of profession or personal life, open doors to creative pathways for a new life outlook, and open personal doors to creativity, revealed hidden talents and aptitudes, and empowered participants with new ideas, original art concepts, and magnetic insights. The PYL facilitator encourages you to embrace this program as a depth-enrichment process that will truly deepen and electrify your life from within. Best of all, there is no risk here. For anyone. It is a win-win-win moment for anyone who seeks to uncover the power of the imagination to change themselves and the world around them. Change never happens unless at the core you both have access to this process and can bring your professionalism to bear today.

Learn more about Dr. McNulty here.

Visiting Artist Workshop: Painting from Photos: An Older Photo - A New Look! with Emily Passman
Days: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Dates: July 19, 20, 21
Time: 9:00AM - 12:00PM each day
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $250 for 3 day workshop

Using your photo as a reference and starting point only…Emily will introduce methods to make quick “paint-sketches” to begin to take chances and push color, size, and break through fears about your painting process. Through a series of guided exercises, she will assist you to find fresh ways of seeing an old photo. Push to loosen up and follow new techniques to bring more expression and immediacy to your work.
This class is for oil or acrylic painters, intermediate or advanced.
It’s time to give your painting a push!

Learn more about Emily here.

Visiting Artist Workshop: Painting Seascapes, Beaches and in Oil
with Douglas David
Dates: Thursday-Friday, August 17-18
Time: 9:30AM - 4:00PM each day
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $350 plus materials for 2 day workshop (materials list below or option to purchase Supplies Kit at registration)
Visit our Drawing page to learn about Douglas' Drawing Basics workshop on Wednesday, August 16!

In this new workshop, Douglas will cover the basic principles of oil painting with regard to seascapes, beaches and dunes. Learn how to build the wave, capture the motion of the sea and better understand the colors in the sand. After the basics are covered, we will start by painting a wave and several seascapes, beaches and dunes in various atmospheric conditions throughout the 2 day workshop. For those who have studied with Douglas before, this overview of principles is always a good review, and no matter what the subject, these principles are key, and new discussions and tips are added each season. Each day’s demo will include simple discussions on composition, massing, building form, light and shadow, near and far, capturing and developing atmospheric distance, and depending on your own style, knowing when a work is finished (learning how to not overwork your painting). Students will work in their own style/technique so that the finished work is their own. Douglas will overview his palette and concepts his work entails.
Students will mix paints and learn to mix basic strings of color to help comprehend the preparation/set up to prepare to paint in the studio. Students will work on small canvases, and the emphasis will be on capturing the time of day, atmosphere, the break of the wave and the various atmospheric conditions. Depending on the skill level of each student, students are able to grow and develop at a rate that is to their comfort. Demos and individual discussions/instruction will help each student begin to reach the preliminary goals they are striving to meet. Plan to produce several studies and at least one or two larger paintings. Douglas will provide photos to paint from. Plan to bring notebook/sketchbook and enjoy some demos, along with some great stories to help you remember these principles that are the foundation of Douglas’ teaching.

Workshop Tentative Outline:
Day 1
1st hour: Welcome/Overview of Class.
2nd hour: Discuss principles and mix palette.
Lunch: Brown bag.
Afternoon: Working in studio.
Day 2
Morning: Working in Studio.
Lunch: Brown bag.
Afternoon: Working in Studio.

Recommended Materials List and option to purchase Supplies Kit
Learn more about Douglas here.

Approaching Painting (painting in watercolor, oil or acrylic) with Eva Cincotta
Days:   Mondays
Dates: June 12, (no 19), 26 / July (no 3), 10, 17, 24, 31 / August 7, 14, (no 21), 28
Time: 9:00AM - 12:00PM 
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $60 per class  (materials not included, please see list below)

This class combines demos, techniques and individual instruction to students on how to loosen up. Discover watercolor, oil and acrylic painting approaches that lead to more quick, loose and vibrant works. Using observational practice as a launching point, we'll simplify the process, learn how to create fresh, deliberate marks and break out of our comfort zone.   Students will be guided through the creative process to find their self expression. Bring photos of the subject you would like to paint. Through demos, lectures and critiques, we will work toward resolving still life, landscape or previous paintings.

Recommended Materials List
Learn more about Eva here.

Landscape Painting & Drawing Workshops with Katherine Gagnon
Days: Tuesdays
Dates: June 13 // June 27 // July 11 // July 25 // August 8 // August 22
Time: 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Fee: $80 per 3 hour workshop, includes all materials.

In these one day workshops, participants will be asked to bring a compelling landscape image (photograph printed out or on a iPad/tablet is fine too!) Something you are drawn to mimic, find aesthetically pleasing or has a meaningful connection to you. After a brief materials demonstration (watercolor and oil pastels), students will layer these materials and think about how color and texture are applied to create their very own landscape painting! We will learn about and be asked to consider light condition, hue, value and figure/ground relationships. Join artist Katherine Gagnon to find your own artistic voice through painting and drawing in this hands on beginner friendly workshop!

Learn more about Katherine here.

Painting the Landscape in Watercolor with Lynn Hoeft
Days: Wednesdays
Dates: April 26 / May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 / June 7, 14, 21, 28 / July 5, 12, 19, 26 / August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Time: 1:00PM - 3:30PM
Location: Outside the Art Barn Painting Studio*
Fee: $45 per class (materials not included, please see list below)
*Please note - watercolor classes will meet outside (unless inclement weather). Please bring layers/sun hats/water!

Working primarily outside at Featherstone (or indoors in the classroom if the weather demands it), we’ll examine all the elements that contribute to a successful landscape painting.
We’ll try to keep it simple and direct, using bigger brushes to capture the most important elements of a landscape, aiming for a bright impressionistic view with just the right amount of detail. Along the way, we’ll talk about color mixing, hard vs. soft edges, how to simplify a complex subject and how to stop worrying about making mistakes.
Although we hope to be outside most days, please bring a paper copy of your chosen photo (or an image on a tablet) in case we must work inside. We will have a small collection of photos from magazines on hand for you to use as well.
Join us for a single class or come every week. All levels are welcome.

Recommended Materials List
Learn more about Lynn here.

Acrylic Painting (Intermediate/Advanced) with John Holladay
Days: Saturdays
Dates: February 11, 18, 25 / March 4, 11, (no 18), 25 / April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 / May 6, 13, 20, 27, / June 3
Days (Summer): Wednesdays
Dates: June 7, 14, 21, 28 / July 5, 12, (7/19 in drawing studio), 26 / August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Time: 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $50 per class (materials not included, please see list below)

Perfect your painting techniques during this weekly intermediate/advanced class. Bring a photograph or drawing for inspiration, and learn how to improve your composition, and use more dynamic color to give your work depth.

Recommended Materials List
Learn more about John here.

Open Painting Studio
Days: Thursdays
Dates: January 19, 26 / February 2, 9, 16, 23 / March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 / April 6, 13, 20, 27 / May 4, 11, 18, 25 / June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 / July 6, 13, (7/20 in drawing studio), 27 / August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Time: 10:30AM - 1:30PM
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $20 per meeting - pre-registration required!

This non-instructional time is for those who wish to paint amongst a group - to network and share ideas and techniques. Bring your own supplies, we provide the space!

Previous (2023)

Visiting Artist Two Day Pastel Workshop with Neva Goldstein
Dates: Saturday-Sunday, June 3-4
Time: 10:00AM - 3:00PM
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $250 for 2 day workshop (10 hours total). Materials list provided below. Bring snack, lunch & drink. Although beginner friendly, some drawing experience helpful.

This workshop will begin with an introduction to Pastels, their unique qualities, and what can be created using them. Examples showing different ways to use pastels will be offered, moving on to a demonstration. The basics of creating a composition will be explained, the process of moving on to color, and building a finished drawing.

Each student will be required to bring a photograph or 2 of a scene they are interested in reproducing.
From there, students will move on to beginning their own drawing. Neva will assist each student as needed, and following their progress, respond with group instruction in response to how the class is progressing.

The second day of the workshop will begin with a summary of the particular strengths and progress Neva observed from the first day, and suggestions on how to proceed. The rest of the workshop will consist of each student completing their drawing, with guidance and encouragement from the instructor as needed.

Recommended Materials List
Learn more about Neva here.

SOLD OUT

Visiting Artist Online Painting Workshop: Floral Oil Sketches with Emily Passman
Date: Tuesday, May 16
Time: 12:00PM - 4:00PM ET
Location: Live via Zoom (Zoom link will be sent to registrants in advance of class)
Fee: $80 for 4 hour workshop

It’s spring! Let’s paint flowers.
Do you like the feeling of the freshness and immediacy of a sketch but also want to paint flowers? In this 4-hour class we will make some quick floral sketches and build them into a final painting. Learn layering techniques, ways to bring the element of drawing back into a painting, and learn some methods of working with brushstrokes so that your painting can retain the beauty of a sketch, while using full color.
We will be painting and drawing on arches paper. This class is for acrylic or oil painters. Live via Zoom.

Supplies list sent upon registration.
Learn more about Emily here.

Still Life 101 with Liz Taft
Days: Fridays
Dates: January 20, 27, February 3, 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10
Time: 10:30AM - 1:00PM
Location: Art Barn Painting Studio
Fee: $50 per class

This class is about learning to see things simply and translating that into a painting. We will do that by observing a single natural element - a flower, a vegetable, a piece of fruit - and distilling it, seeing its irregularities. We’ll start by drawing the item, sketching its shape/s, creating an interesting composition. That’s the first step in making something you will be pleased with. Once you get the hang of that, we’ll move on to doing a one color study. The last step will be painting with colors. This class is about taking your time to figure out what you are doing by really looking at what is in front of you.

Every week each student will bring in a still life natural object to work with. It can be a single flower, a vegetable, a piece of fruit.

If you have not taken this course before, please contact Liz in advance to discuss materials and class.

Things to bring:
1. A sketch book and a couple of pencils. I like spiral-bound sketchbooks with a hardcover so I can flip the pages and draw with it easily in my hand.
2. A natural object and a neutral white cloth/sheet/dishtowel to put under it.
3. Paints, palette, brushes, and a surface to paint on.

Students are welcome to use whatever medium they want. I am an oil painter so know less about acrylics and watercolor. We will be using the IQair machine to filter the air in the room and keep any odors to a minimum.

Recommended Materials List
Learn more about Liz here.