Through demonstrations and tutorials, celebrate the colors of seasonal leaves while learning how to realistically depict your subject matter in pencil, and then in watercolor, with Sarah Roche, on six Mondays, September 29 – November 3, from 10 – 1, online except for two classes which will be held at the Putnam classroom at The Gardens at Elm Bank. All abilities are welcome! The winter topic: Fall topic: Orchids in Watercolor. In fall, we will be studying the Phalaenopsis orchid. With a limited palette and simple techniques, we will work together, step by step, to capture their exotic and vibrant beauty. Using live plant specimens, Sarah will lead you through the processes of accurate drawing and painting in watercolor. Members $385, nonmembers $460. Register at www.masshort.org
In this two-day online Massachusetts Horticultural Society class with Tara Connaughton, we’ll draw and paint birds & bugs with botanical subjects using ink and colorful washes of watercolor. We’ll focus on gathering and using different references, drawing techniques, as well as composition methods for using various references to incorporate flowers, branches and other botanical elements into our illustrations. Class lessons will also include different ways to use ink with watercolor, painting and color mixing techniques, and inspiration for creating beautiful ink and wash illustrations that are full of life. The class takes place September 16 and 19 from 9:30 – 1:30 Eastern.
Tara Connaughton is an artist and art instructor living on the coast south of Boston, MA (where she finds much of her inspiration). She is a graduate of the Certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration Program at Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. Her botanical and nature-inspired paintings have earned multiple awards, and she has exhibited her work through local and regional galleries and venues. She uses her passion for painting and love of nature to inspire others to create and connect with the world around them. MHS members $145, nonmembers $180. Register HERE
Painting outdoors can be lovely and wonderful but that’s not always possible when the weather gets cooler. Fortunately for us, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill has beautiful indoor conservatories with an array of plants to enjoy year-round! Walk together through the Orangery and sit with a watercolor journal, water brushes, and watercolor paints to create your own depiction of the amazing flora NEBG has to share.
Learn the basics of watercolor painting by experimenting with different brushes and water amounts. Discover how watercolors mix with materials like salt and ink, and see how these techniques affect your artwork. Create your own piece in the subtropical conservatory while exploring how watercolors behave and how to control their flow.
All materials are included in this January 15 class. No experience needed.
Meet Your Instructor: Linda Snay
Linda Snay was born in Connecticut and has always been drawn to the world of art. She discovered watercolors at a young age and was encouraged by art teachers. She studied art in college and went on to graduate from Eastern Connecticut State University with a BA, double major in Studio Art and Art History. After moving to Massachusetts, her career led to positions in education in museums and art centers, and she is currently a teaching artist leading engaging art classes for both children and adults. She works in various media, including watercolor, acrylic, oil, and pastel. She is a member of Arts Worcester and participates regularly in exhibitions in Central Massachusetts.
$55 Member Adult | $66 Adult (includes admission to the Garden on the same day of the event) Register HERE.
Explore wind, water and sky with watercolor at the Ropes Mansion Garden on September 16 from 2 – 3:30. Immerse yourself in the inner and outer process of creation and make art in dialogue with nature. Instructor Nadine Mazzola will guide participants in weaving together mindfulness, reflection and the act of painting, encouraging each person’s own unique expression. Through playful experimentation, we will explore and celebrate creativity in the natural world and ourselves. All materials are provided and no experience is necessary for this class. Ages 10 and up welcome. Free. Register at https://my.pem.org/17575/20955
Nadine Mazzola is a forest therapy guide, expressive arts teacher and author of the award-winning book Forest Bathing with Your Dog. She has worked with conservation, educational and health organizations, speaking on forest bathing and conducting workshops around New England. She also leads team wellness retreats and advises businesses on how to incorporate nature into their wellness programs. Mazzola is a senior trainer and advisor for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and has appeared on PBS, ABC and in The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine. Learn more on her website, nenft.com.
Smithsonian Associates presents a four session online studio arts course from May 30 – June 20 with Natalia Wilkins-Tyler. Learn to see like a scientist as you use watercolor and ink to illustrate specimens from nature. Gain confidence in observing form while documenting and interpreting what you see. Learn how to apply key techniques such as composition, working with color, and recording fine detail in nature journaling, watercolor painting, drawing, and creating stand-alone biological illustrations. Students with drawing or illustration and composition experience are welcome. Some previous drawing and watercolor experience is required.
This studio arts program is a Zoom Meeting to allow for patron and instructor interaction online. All Studio Arts programs require an online ticket for each participant so that the instructor can provide individual attention to every student registered for the online program. This program will be recorded. Please see our FAQ for recording terms and conditions. Please refer to the “Materials for this program” section on the registration page for any applicable supply list information and/or special documents for this program. $155 for Smithsonian members, $175 for non-members. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/scientific-illustration-watercolor-and-ink
In this Massachusetts Horticultural Society in person workshop, we will explore combining Asian paper collage with watercolor paints. The class takes place at the Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley on March 3 from 10:30 – 2:30. $55 for Mass Hort members, $75 for nonmembers. Register at www.masshort.org
The various textures of the papers and the slight resist quality of the glue, will result in interesting textural accidents when watercolor paints are added. Demos and handouts will be provided to create these uniquely textured paintings.
Instructed by Nan Rumpf
Nan Rumpf grew up in a small Iowa town on the banks of the Mississippi River, where she spent much of her childhood exploring the outdoors on her bicycle and daydreaming under a lilac bush. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts. She has studied watercolor painting with Susan Swinand, Jane Goldman, Paul George, Charles Reid, Miles Batt, and Cheng Khee Chee.
Her paintings have been exhibited at The DeCordova Museum School Gallery, The Danforth Museum, The Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, The Attleboro Arts Museum, The Wellesley Free Library (First Place Award), The Center For The Arts in Natick, Art on the Common in Needham (First Place Award), The Clinton Art show (Best In Show), Post Road Art (First Place Award in the Abstract Show), The Wellesley Community Center (Margaret Fitzwilliam Award for Excellence in Watercolor), The New England Watercolor Society Show in Cotuit (Woodruff Art Center Award) and her painting Soaring was awarded by George Nick in Concord Art’s Juried Members show.
She is a member of the Concord Art Association, the Wellesley Society of Artists, The Rhode Island Watercolor Society and is a signature member of the New England Watercolor Society. She was chosen as one of the two art judges for The Amazing Things Summer Juried Art Show in 2012.
She has been a visiting artist instructing students at Framingham State University, The Bancroft School, and at Medfield High School. She has given artist talks and demos for many art groups in New England.
Using watercolor paints, oil pastels, colored pencils, and decorative papers we will paint, tear, and collage an abstract floral painting. Design, composition, and color theory will be explored. The class will take place October 6 from 1 – 3:30 at NEBG at Tower Hill.
Suzanne Hauerstein is a professional teaching artist and the Coordinator of Volunteer & Intern Services at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. She has over 25 years of experience designing and facilitating art-based programs for informal learning environments. Suzanne is committed to creating programs that are accessible, positive, and enjoyable learning experiences for students of all ages and abilities.
$40 Member Adult; $55 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) All materials will be provided for this workshop. Register at www.nebg.org
Go beyond flat botanical drawings with Susan Fisher at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens for five days in July, July 11 – 15 from 10 – 1. Exercises in both graphite and watercolor will give you the opportunity to shift your work from blah to bright. Work with all the skills necessary to create the three-dimensional appearance so necessary to botanical art. Make better choices at the beginning of a piece to avoid a big “fix” at the end. Students should have completed at least two Foundation classes, or be otherwise qualified. Wellesley College Botanic Gardens members $375, non-members $475. Email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu
This Tower Hill Botanic Garden course on September 12 from 10:15 – 12:15 with Carol Schwartz is focused on learning and applying botanical illustration skills. It is an all levels workshop but it is encouraged that participants have some basic illustration experience. During this workshop, take a short walk along the wooded paths at Tower Hill and find just the right mushroom to paint. Snap a few pictures, then back in a classroom learn about how to use watercolors to create a beautiful mushroom illustration. Carol will provide tips, tricks and guidance for your illustration.
Required Materials (Not Provided With Registration)
Watercolor or mixed media paper pad, 9″ x 12″, such as Canson XL or Strathmore 400 Series
No. 2 pencil and an eraser
Watercolor set, pan or tubes, suggested brands include Winsor & Newton, Pelikan, Raphael, Royal Talens Van Gogh, Koi
Three watercolor brushes; one small round brush size 0 or 1, one medium round brush size 2-5, one large round brush size 6-8
Carol graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.
$30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE.
This workshop sponsored by the Trustees at Weir River Farm in Hingham focuses on painting the landscape using the Premier Coup Technique. We’ll put a mark down, leave it and finish the painting in one session. This technique aims to simplify the process of seeing, color mixing, and composing, and includes a pared down materials list. Through a combination of demos and in-class assignments we’ll learn approaches to create direct, energetic paintings.
All levels welcome, demos will be in acrylic. Materials list will be sent to registrants. Since 2009, instructor Lisa Daria Kennedy has committed to an on-going daily painting project. As a young adult cancer survivor, she discovered living is not just surviving. Each painting seeks to give a voice to the fiber of the everyday.
Kennedy received a BA from Roger Williams University, a BFA in Illustration and an MFA in 2D from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Currently she is the Design Editor for the literary publication Mount Hope and an Assistant Professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA. She lives in an old fishing camp at World’s End in Hingham, MA with Olive the dog. View the daily painting project and everything else at lisadariakennedy.com
Workshops to be held outside with access to inside studio with doors open. Masks required inside the building
$152 for Trustees members, $180 for nonmembers. Register HERE.
