New Year – New Art Beginnings
Welcome 2023 and the opportunity to learn new skills and enhance your talents!
Back to the Beginning: Watercolor Tips and Techniques
Anne Wert
Dates: 4 Wednesdays: January 11th – February 1st
Time: 9:30am-12 Noon
Location: Portsmouth Arts Guild Hall
Tuition: $155 Members/$170 non-members
Materials List
Left Unguarded
In this class we will explore what makes watercolor so unique. Often considered a difficult medium, watercolor certainly can be the most technical, but also the most beautiful!
Open to all levels, each class will begin with a focus on different watercolor techniques, with special emphasis on wet on wet and washes. I will work with students individually to determine how to find the strongest composition and best use watercolor to create a successful painting. Beginners will get a solid watercolor foundation, while more experienced watercolorists will benefit from renewed focus on the basics, and may even learn a trick or two!
About Anne Wert
Anne is an artist, illustrator, and educator. Anne started oil painting in high school as part of an amazing art program run by Walt Bartman. After graduating from the University of Richmond, Anne moved on to studying studio art at Parsons School of Design in Paris.
She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design Children’s Book Illustration Certificate program and a member of the Society of Children’s book writers and illustrators since 2012.
Anne is also an exhibiting artist member at the Providence Art Club, the Rhode Island Watercolor Society and Art League Rhode Island.
February 6th and 13th, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Open to artists of all levels
Members: $155, Non-Members: $170
Spend two days exploring the amazing versatality of Acrylic Paint.
Pour, brush, build, collage: complete paintings of traditional still lifes or abstract shapes and forms, and work from photographs to create personal or realistic landscapes.
We will use this fun and easy paint to develop basic foundation skills and have fun just playing with paint!
George Peter’s Cows
About Mandy Howe
“My art is always inspired by the landscapes around me and I always try to translate what I see into paint and paintings: mixing colors, applying color, describing a place with color. I use big brushes, flat brushes, fan brushes; palette knives, sidewalk chalk, charcoal sticks; sponges, stamps, and fingertips. These materials all create different marks and textures that are similar to what I see in nature.
I use collage, mix sand, shells, dirt, sticks, plastic shards with various glues and mediums then pour, draw or paint them onto the canvas.
The flexibility of quick drying Acrylic Paint allows for endless explorations and expressions!”
Mandy Howe is an artist and art teacher from Rhode Island. She is a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts.
As a member of the Deblois Gallery she exhibits her work annually in small group shows. Recent work has been included in exhibitions at the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, Warwick Center for the Arits. Wickford Art Association, Aquidneck Island Earth Week, Windows on Pawtucket, Arts League Rhode Island, Artists for the Ocean at Clean Ocean Access and many other regional and virtual shows. See www.mandyhowestudioarts.com for more information.
A Two Day Workshop with
Jodi Manca
March 25th and April 1st 9:30am – Noon
Open to artists at all levels
$125 Members, $140 non-Members
Discover the versatility of gouache with Jodi Manca. For those who’ve been waiting to try this exciting medium to those students with experience with goauche, this class is for artists of all skill levels.
You will learn about gouache painting techniques and how to use different styles and variations to paint beautiful paintings and portraits. This class is appropriate for beginners to intermediate painters.
A materials list will be sent upon registration.
Getting to Know Gouache
Jodi Manca , Marsh
About Jodi
Born and raised in Rhode Island I have been in love with creating since I can remember. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration, I acquired my MAE from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. This year marks my 20th year as a visual arts teacher in the Cranston Public School System.
Landscape is my primary inspiration, but it is color that really drives me to create. Exploration of color is what I set out to do every time I pick up my paintbrush. I no longer feel compelled to “get it right”, my purpose is to experience the light, seasons, and times of day that influence color.
I am a member of the South County Art Association, the Conanicut Island Art Association and the Wickford Art Association.
Four Sessions via ZOOM
April 18th and 25th, May 2nd and 9th
1:00 – 5:00pm
Open to artists of all levels
Members: $155, Non-Members: $170
Can I Get Directions is an exercise in showing how to get from one place to another through illustrations. Participants will choose a local trip and paint or draw directions as well as sights along the way. Will it be from home to your favorite coffee shop, best beach or comforting restaurant? Will you walk, drive or use public transportation? What do you see that lets you know a turn is coming up? You’ll work plein air, when possible, or from original photos.
This class is online on Zoom – Each class includes: Lecture, Independent painting time and Review.
Thea Ernest arrived in Rhode Island in 1983 ready to surrender to art at Rhode Island School of Design. After receiving her BFA in Jewelry and Light Metals in 1987, she created custom cabinet hardware and decorative metalwork both for private homes and historic properties. In the past several years, Thea has gravitated toward the immediacy, color and portability of plein air watercolor. Throughout the year, no matter what the weather, you may see Thea in her AutoStudio – a 2010 Honda Fit – or outdoors capturing scenes across RI. Thea has taught and presented workshops at Portsmouth Arts Guild, What Cheer Flower Farm, East Bay Bikeway Art Day, Providence Art Club and the Seekonk, Rehoboth and Washington Park Public Libraries. She was an Artist in Residency at the Whiterock Conservancy, Coon Rapids IA, in the fall of 2021. Her commissioned home portraits grace walls in several states.
Thea is one of the founders of a chapter-in-development of Urban Sketchers in Rhode Island. The group is all about making art from direct observation which inspired the concept for our class.
Workshops
Experience something new in 2023.
SoulCollage®
Photography, Painting with Light
Paper Towel Collage
Cake and Cocktails
Create Your Own Sketchbook
Layering and Puzzle Block Relief Prints
2022 COVID Policy for In Person Classes
The Guild is currently following the vaccination policies in place per the Rhode Island Department of Health.
The Guild will continue to adapt and adjust according to current guidelines. Thank you for your assistance as we navigate these challenges.
Classes and Workshops FAQs
All classes and workshops will be paid in full at time of registration.
What if I need to cancel or change my workshop?
Transferring your registration to another class or to a gift certificate toward a future class can be made with no fee up to 7 days before a workshop start date. Cancellation within 7 days of a workshop start date results in the full loss of tuition.
In the case that I am unable to attend a workshop, can I give my space to a friend?
Yes, though we ask that you please let us know if someone else will be taking your place in a workshop.
I can’t make all the days of the workshop; can I still take it?
In most cases, students can take part of a workshop, though you should let us know so we can check with the teaching artist. In general, workshops are not pro-rated if you are unable to attend the entire session.
What if PAG cancels a workshop?
In the event of under-enrollment, the Portsmouth Arts Guild will cancel a scheduled class within five days in advance of the start date. In this case, tuition will be refunded in full.