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Every Friday, OAS members gather in both of our studios to paint, connect, trade ideas, and encourage / admire each other's work. The cost is free of charge for all our members, and the experience is priceless. Studios open at 9 am and some people linger until mid afternoon.
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Unlock the fundamentals of portrait drawing in this hands-on portrait sketching class. This course will guide you step-by-step through the essentials of capturing the human face, basic facial proportions, techniques for sketching eyes, noses, mouths, and ears, understanding light, shadow, and shading to create depth, how to observe and draw from photographs, tips for capturing expression and personality in a portrait. There will be live demonstrations, personalized feedback, and practice exercises to build confidence and skill. Beginners welcome! Materials List: Pencils (2B/4B/6B), kneaded eraser, , blending stumps, soft brushes, sharpener. A drawing set from Amazon has most of these things. Additionally you will need a set of vine charcoal, masking tape, sketchbook of size 8X10 or 9X12. The instructor will share some of her supplies, such as compressed charcoal stick, conte pencil, charcoal pencils etc.
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Watercolour is a lovely transparent medium. Laurel helps you explore using watercolour, figuring out the steps, colour mixes and the fascinating interaction between water, paint, and paper. Have fun while learning: hard and soft edges, getting depth, as well as different brushstrokes. This class will build confidence in how to handle this medium by teaching you many helpful tricks. The subjects include flowers such as an amaryllis and an orchid. Awaken your inner artist in this fun, informative class! This class is 4 weeks long starting on January 9th. Laurel Best Watercolour Supply List
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Create your completely original 9"×12" batik art on wild silk. Paint your own design and learn the wax process to create the exquisite batik texture. You will work on the highest grade silk, specifically suited for batik. Your outcome will be a piece suitable to mount on the canvas of your choice (9"×12" gallery deep or 11" ×14" regular) after the workshop (and therefore not included in the workshop fee.) Alternatively, you may later opt to stretch it under glass with paspartu/paper frame. All that will be left for you to complete at home is to iron off the wax before stretching it to suit your preferred presentation mode; you will leave with exact instructions for the specific technique you select, and everything you need to know regarding the aftercare of your treasured piece.
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Let’s think beyond grey for winter paintings and move towards infusing more colour into our winter landscapes. Let your imagination soar as you introduce shades of warm burgundy and soft yellows paired with complimentary hues of cool blues and purples all against the backdrop of winter whites. Let’s learn to create a painting of your own winter wonderland in a loose impressionist style. Please bring your own table cover in addition to the items on the list below, provided by the instructor. Material List OAS Winter Workshop 2026
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Add a personal, handmade touch to your holiday season in this festive watercolor workshop! Create beautiful (but easy) greeting cards and gift tags that capture the warmth and joy of Christmas and holidays, perfect for sharing with loved ones. This workshop offers a relaxed and joyful environment, making it the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit while learning watercolor in a fun, creative setting. You bring your own paints and practice paper, and we'll provide five professional quality cards (and envelopes) and five gift tags (no envelopes). Watercolor-Supply-List
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Fluid Art, is a fun and expressive way to get creative! It might just be the creative art form that you have been looking for. No experience is necessary! Come join us, as you play and experiment with acrylic paints in this fun, interactive workshop. In this beginner course, AJ will teach you the fundamentals of fluid art: making pouring medium and mixing acrylic paints while experimenting with open cup, flip cup, and chain pull. Be captivated by the process; the colours, and the magic and movement. You will have an opportunity to transform four canvases into beautiful diptych abstract art and impressionist art that you will be proud to display. Fluid Art with AJ Webb Materials List updated
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In this Sunday afternoon workshop, participants who love form and texture will receive step-by-step instruction and hands on practice in the use of water-soluble fabric to create 3D objects. The 3D objects will be created using various types of threads, scraps of fabric, ribbon, and any other types of fibre or fabric the participants may want to experiment with during the workshop. An instructional handout will be provided to ensure you may replicate this and continue to play with this new technique at home. Many materials are included, but you can add your own special touches using bits of things to add an even more personal touch to your pieces. (See below.)
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Are you stuck for the perfect holiday gift? Spend the day with fibre artist Cathy Disbrow as she teaches you how to needle felt a serene winter scene into a 5” x 7” wool painting. She will show you how to stab wool into a felt sheet canvas using a special needle to create your own masterpiece. Students will learn various needle felt painting techniques which includes blending wool to make gradients, felting birch trees, a pair of birds, and more. Learn about composition, shading, highlights, and texture. Cathy will help each of you individually if you need more instruction.
Materials included in the cost: Wool, 2 needles, and a wool felt sheet with drawing on it. Foam felting pads are provided for students to use during class and can be purchased separately, if you would like to keep yours for future projects.
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In this workshop you will learn to appreciate the power of creative play to reinvigorate your art practice with energy and playfulness, the benefits of which will spill over into other aspects of your creative life. In the process you will gain ideas for integrating gelli printing into your studio practice, even if you are not going to pursue gelli printing as a focus. Classes will be a combination of systematic step by step learning and ‘play time’ focusing on risk-taking and problem solving as part of the creative process. This workshop is ideal for artists looking to expand their practice by integrating something new, and to introduce an element of abstraction and playfulness to their work. Materials List for Feb Weekend Gelli Printing Workshop at OAS
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Want to up your painting game? Let's consider what we have been painting, and where we'd like to take it next. Robin will begin with a different focused demonstration each week -- clouds in the sky, water on the beach and crashing waves, trees near and far, green of all sorts in the landscape -- and anything else you are having trouble with. Robin is incredibly talented at honing in on what's working well in each artist's piece during his highly anticipated group discussions each week. Everyone comes away feeling validated, and knowing what steps to take next, resulting in real improvement. You'll even get time to paint! If you ever feel stuck, you will be amazed at what the reactions to your painting can bring -- and how you can get to the final work that you have been wanting to complete.SupplyList2025-MentoringLateFallOAS
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From elevating your painting, to framing, pricing, marketing -- and more. Shelley is ready to support you and help you take your watercolour practice more seriously!
