White Sunlit Florals in Watercolour

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

There is something so beautiful about white flowers bathed in sunlight.  No matter how many times you see this, it always takes your breath away.  Have you ever wondered how to capture that feeling of sunshine?  To be able to reproduce this is a magical experience.

What you will learn:

  • How to paint shadows with a myriad of colours
  • How to paint a dark background for drama
  • How to paint the illusion of light
  • How to use lost edges to connect the flower to the background

Join us and infuse your painting with life and light.

 

Thank you for your interest. The waitlist for this workshop is now CLOSED.

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The Contemporary Botanical

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

This workshop takes a contemporary approach to the traditional subject of flower painting. The first day includes a project inspired by the amazing flower paintings of the Dutch 17th century artists. Working from real flowers, students create an unconventional composition using multiple drawings and tracing paper. This study will be transformed into a dynamic watercolour painting.

On the second day, participants use collage to develop a fantastical composition as a basis for a painting. The projects will be done in watercolour, however previous watercolour experience is not necessary.

This workshop will be a great experience for all those who love flowers and have a desire for a creative adventure.

Material fee includes supplies provided by instructor.  See student supply list for further details.

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Urban Sketching with Ink & Watercolour

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

The Urban Sketching movement is catching on, and for good reason! In this workshop you will learn to create quick and loose watercolour sketches that capture the mood and essence of a place. We will investigate and practice the choice of subject and composition while learning a systematic approach to sketch your environment. We will then add some colour with watercolour to our drawings. Weather permitting, we will also work plein air on the Shawnigan Lake campus.

Have fun and join the movement!

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Drawing with Science

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Are you interested in the natural world? Drawing is the perfect medium for exploration and discovery.

This drawing workshop will indulge and feed your curiosity by delving into the fascinating space where visual art meets science. In this class, students will be led through a series of experimental drawing projects, will be encouraged to discuss ideas and concepts, will learn about contemporary artists and have opportunities to share their discoveries with fellow classmates.

Drawing projects will include working with watercolour, gouache, graphite and ink on paper. Students will draw from real-life specimens and will also have a chance to express imaginative, personal interpretations of the subject matter. While scientific drawing often incorporates forms of repetition and methodical approaches, students will discover its whimsical and playful side as well. Topics will include observational drawing, intentional design, scientific illustration, infographics, specimens and using microscopes.

The instructor will provide short slideshow presentations that will encourage and inspire students and share about historic and contemporary partnerships between artists and scientists. After each project, participants will be invited to share their work and individual discoveries with the group.

This workshop will largely take place in a studio room with some time spent outside observing and collecting specimens. At the end of this weekend, participants will leave with a completed series of scientifically inspired drawings and the resources to continue exploring drawing with science at home.

 

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Writing the Body, Writing the Land

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

This two-day writing workshop explores participants’ rich and diverse connections to the lands they carry with them. All people hold powerful stories of land, whether those are narratives of lifelong connection to one landscape, or stories of places left behind and new places gained as immigrants, refugees, and displaced peoples.

Working in collaboration with the beautiful Shawnigan Lake School campus, participants will walk the grounds together, delving into snippets of essential anchoring texts along the way from diverse writers such as Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Robert Macfarlane, Dr. Rita Wong, and more.

Together, participating writers will seek different ways to move through and sit deeply with place, and come together to craft, share, and discuss the stories of the lands they carry in their bones. Specific land-based exercises and suggestions for further reading will leave everyone with inspiration for additional writing after the workshop itself has ended.

Thoughtful accommodation will be made for participants living and working with mobility concerns.

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Contemporary Calligraphy: Modern Pointed Brush Lettering

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Leave your smartphone at the door and let your imagination unwind in this slow-paced workshop, where you’ll learn a contemporary pointed brush alphabet that will make your calligraphy more expressive and lively, or inspire you to add lettering to your painting or mixed media repertoire.

A modern calligraphy style with roots in many cultures around the world, the technical aspects of this versatile and fun lettering alphabet will be presented via assignments using inspirational quotes and the Pentel Color Brush pen. The instructor will also introduce the use of gouache and watercolour with a pointed paint brush in a personalized booklet project.  As a bonus, a whimsical alphabet, written with a fine point pen, will be demonstrated to complement the brush calligraphy.

Material fee includes supplies provided by instructor.  See student supply list for further details.

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A Rhythmic Use of Clay

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Inspire a sense of painterly expression in clay.  Learn a subtle variation in colour transition and tonal gradients.  Placing distinct shapes create a three dimensional composition, which harmoniously emphasizes a symmetrical or asymmetrical visual balance.

Use your interest of the environment to inspire your design and envision these compositions. The rhythm of nature provides the movement and balance needed to construct the pieces.

Learning this exciting method,  combining painterly expression and technical foundation, pushes the edge of both traditions to another level. It goes beyond tradition to an exciting rhythmic creation to “sing up the earth”.

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Rhythmic Joy: Hand Drumming & Singing

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Explore different rhythm styles of hand drumming and incorporate our voices into the experience. This workshop is for all levels. Hand drumming is an enjoyable way to learn how to play with other musicians. As well, it can be a deeply personal experience. It can be utilized in various situations for celebratory, and therapeutic purposes. As well, there are many physical benefits in drumming and singing.

This workshop will cover a number of basic rhythm structures, and we will learn a few songs to go along with them. There would be a possibility of doing a short performance at the completion of the workshop.

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Introduction to Mokuhanga: Japanese Woodblock Printmaking

This is a 2-day workshop.  Classes run 9-4pm with lunch included.

Mokuhanga is a traditional waterbased printmaking method developed in Japan in the early sixteen hundreds. Many of the iconic Japanese images we still see today, such as The Great Wave off Kanagawa, were created in this method.

On the first day of this course participants will develop an image and complete the carving of two wood blocks. On the second day they will learn to mix inks, apply inks to wood using brushes, and press their image onto paper.

Results of Mokuhanga can be both delicate and bold with strong imagery that is both minimalistic and reminiscent of the natural world. The skills developed during this workshop are easily transferable to other mediums especially other printmaking forms.

Material fee includes supplies provided by instructor.  See student supply list for further details.

**THERE IS JUST 1 SPOT LEFT IN THIS WORKSHOP!**

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Figurative Sculpture

This is a 5-day workshop. Classes run 9 – 4 pm and tuition includes daily lunch.

Whether you already love sculpting or imagine a new adventure in artistry , this workshop is designed to inspire individual creativity and style.

Students will be working with traditional Italian Sculpting tools and will learn the method of building ‘hollow’ with struts and texture .

We will start with sculpting feet or hands, using supporting references, hand-outs and individual attention.

You will be guided into sculpting a unique abstract sculpture or traditional classical sculpture.

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