Unlock a new perspective. Students are encouraged to learn how to move beyond realistic depiction, using landscapes as a springboard to create compelling, personal abstract art focused on emotion and composition. Let’s make space for expansion, creativity, and real transformation. Click HERE for the materials list
-
Join this 8-week course to learn techniques and principles of pet portrait painting. Connie will walk you through each step of making a pet portrait; from recognizing and simplifying shapes to building values, getting the details of the features, and rendering fur textures with bold, confident brushstrokes. Plenty of individual feedback will be provided throughout the course. Click HERE for Bold and Brushy Paint Your Pet Materials List
-
This 8-week intermediate painting course invites artists to loosen up, paint boldly, and explore expressive brushwork inspired by the energetic brushwork of Vincent van Gogh. Working in acrylics or oils, students will paint a different subject each week—ranging from dynamic landscapes to vibrant florals—using colour, rhythm, and intentional mark-making to bring their paintings to life. Each class will include instructor demonstrations focused on expressive techniques, colour mixing, and building movement through brushstrokes. Students will have ample studio time to paint, experiment, and develop their own voice, with ongoing individual feedback and guidance throughout each session. This course is ideal for painters who are comfortable with basic materials and techniques and are ready to push beyond realism, embrace texture, and paint with confidence and emotion. Click HERE for HdH Acrylics 2026 Supply List
-
Join this 8-week course to learn techniques and principles behind the art of wet-on-wet painting. We will explore various concepts that are essential ingredients for successful portrait painting: getting the right proportions, mixing colours to create skin tones, strategically placing facial features, and understanding planes and shapes of the form. We will have different focuses for the first 4 weeks and the second 4 weeks: First 4 weeks: Proportions, value, colour mixing, brush techniques, demonstrations. Second 4 weeks: One Alla Prima painting each week. Click HERE for Alla Prima Portrait Painting Materials List
-
If you are new to art, begin your journey here! Relax and enjoy as you discover the freedom inherent in watercolour. In this course, Diane will lead you to learn and control the fascinating interaction between water, paint, and paper. Focus on handling edges, backgrounds, negative painting; learn how to add washes, layers, and texture. From florals to landscapes, you will have fun learning the techniques needed to create a successful watercolour painting while you develop your own style. You will love Diane’s demonstrations and enjoy lots of individual attention. No pressure, just fun! Beginner Paint Materials List
-
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 people linger until mid afternoon.
-
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.
-
An understanding of values (light and shadow) is fundamental to the successful creation of representational art. The focus of this four week course is to develop the understanding and application of the principles of light and shadow, or ‘chiaroscuro’, in order to achieve a sense of volume and realism in depicting three-dimensional objects. Each session will consist of an intensive step by step delivery, with students working closely with the instructor towards the goal of achieving impressive results. This will be demonstrated with a final realistic charcoal still-life rendering.
-
Growth happens when we allow ourselves to stay open, curious, and flexible in the unknown. This class encourages imagination and experimentation. Moving beyond technical skill, students are encouraged to explore using paint, tools, recycled materials and more in this class. Click HERE for the materials list
-
Join Jacintha to follow along in her step by step approach to painting the glory of seasonal florals. Focus will be on creating impressions of loosely styled compositions in varied and vivid palettes. Learn to capture on canvas the beauty of our spring and summer florals in their resplendent beauty outdoors as well as bouquets of garden fresh cuts. Learn the art of layering with multiple brush strokes while using varied techniques to capture movement and light to create paintings that sing! MATERIAL LIST Spring 2026 OAS
-
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!
-
Newly added to the late fall class series, we are excited to welcome the president of the Oakville Sculptors and Woodworking Guild to introduce our students to wood carving. This class -- perfect for beginners -- is ideal because Tim will be joined by one or two additional instructors at every class. Everyone will have lots of individual attention to move step by step to complete a project of choice -- a 3D dolphin or police car, or a relief carving of a duck -- over the course of six weeks. All materials (cut wooden blanks, hand carving tools, sandpaper, protective gloves) are provided. Just come and enjoy something new!
