Your instructor, Mary Laury, is an accomplished watercolorist and highly esteemed teacher. She encourages all her students to believe they can be successful. Painting is an exciting medium; it flows and moves and does beautiful things. If you have never painted in watercolors, we will start at the beginning. If you have painted before, you will pick up some new tips and tricks as well. We all learn together!

THERE IS A $50 CANCELLATION FEE (no exceptions).

More about the Prospect Harbor location: Escape to a Victorian Inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine, with an intimate group of artists, cooks and creatives! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private house concert by Grammy-balloted sing-songwriter, storyteller, and author Gordan Ward. For more information about the workshop, call Mary at 207-632-2251. To book your stay at the inn call 207-963-9122 or visit https://harborviewhousellc.com/. **Lodgings not included in price.

More about the Campobello location: Step back to a time when President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor, and their family escaped to their “beautiful little island” in the Canadian Maritimes, Campobello Island. We will be exclusive guests of the international park, staying in historic Victorian cottages. Workshop participants will explore and paint the same coastal scenery enjoyed by the summer residents at the turn of the 20th century. All meals are included in the workshop fee as well as specially planned optional evening activities designed to extend your learning from the day’s workshops. Register for the retreat then call Sherry Mitchell at 506-752-2922 to make room reservations. Acadian Arts Retreats participants will have exclusive overnight access to accommodations in the park. **Lodgings not included in price.

Bring a sketchbook and pencil and join us for an afternoon of drawing in one of Maine's fabulous museums. Forge an intimate connection with museum collections, while improving your own work by studying the techniques of the masters. Guidance and critical feedback are provided as needed. At the end of our visit, we will meet up to share our results with the group. Museum admission is included in fee. Location: Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick. Participants will meet at the museum.

In this two-part workshop, you’ll explore the dramatic and hands-on process of raku firing. In Part 1, you’ll sculpt a piece in clay and watch a live raku firing demo. Three weeks later in Part 2, you’ll glaze and fire your own work using the raku method—removing red-hot pieces from the kiln and placing them into combustibles for stunning, unpredictable results. This class will be taught by Zachary Fields. No experience necessary. All tools and materials provided. $20 materials fee payable to the instructor. Finished pieces will go home after the second session. (rain date for Part 2: 11/8)

In this class we will explore three different hand bound books that can be used for special photographs, travel journals or scrap books. On the first evening we will emboss frames in our book pages and bind them as a button hole book. The second night we will create a folded triptych photo frame, which can stand on display. Finally we will make a stab-binding with added thickness in the spine for scrapbook materials. A materials fee of $30 payable to the instructor is due on the first night. Tools will also be provided.

Illustrate Maine’s beautiful fall foliage with dip pens, ink, and watercolor. This all-levels class begins with a nature walk to gather specimens and soak up inspiration. Then, back at the studio, we’ll learn techniques for drawing with pen and ink, and create exciting watercolor textures with salt, soap, and more. Everyone will leave with their own unique study of autumn leaves. Students can either buy themselves the required materials - the materials list is linked here - or they can buy material kits from the Mix, an art store in Brunswick (here is a link to a student-grade kit, and here is a link to an artist-grade kit).

Learn more about instructor Claire Loon Baldwin and see her illustrations for books and magazines on her website: CLICK HERE

Come join us and paint this amazingly beautiful Blue Jay bird With a prominent crest and a bold black necklace. No Prior experience is necessary; Shirley welcomes beginners with open arms. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or picking up a brush for the first time you’ll find this to be a fun and engaging class. Canvas and paints are supplied.

NOTE: This class has been rescheduled from September to October 16 and 23rd and will meet from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Dive into the creative world of fabric design and create personalized hand-printed napkins. This beginner-friendly course is designed for those eager to explore the traditional art of block printing combined with the magic of fabric embellishment. Over two engaging sessions, participants will learn the skills needed to hand carve their chosen motifs and transform plain cotton napkins of their color choice into beautiful family heirlooms. A $45 materials fee is due to the instructor immediately following registration and is non-refundable after material orders are placed.

Learn the Zentangle method for mindful drawing and create your own art even if you don’t think you are an artist. Using the Zentangle motto of “anything is possible one stroke at a time,” you’ll learn simple pen strokes that will open up doors to creative pattern-making for relaxation, creativity, and focus. In this introduction, Irene Burgess, certified Zentangle teacher, will provide you the basics of the method in a stress-reducing atmosphere designed to make you appreciate your own creativity. All supplies needed will be provided.