Looking for more space to spread out and work on a project? Or maybe you want to work amongst other artists to feel inspired and get some helpful feedback on your work. Join other local artists any time between 9am-12pm, for Open Studio. Please pay $10 cash at the door. Bring all supplies you need to use, NRAS has easels available. 

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Embrace creative opportunities with collage and mixed media.

Join us if you would like to explore new territory in constructing a painting using collage elements and water based media. Steps in the process include loosely determining composition with shapes, simplifying detail, applying collage materials, creative mark-making, asemic writing and more. 

Find your unique voice as you explore how various media can influence the outcome of your artwork while discovering what processes best align with your vision and goals.

Strategies learned often result in a more contemporary, abstracted interpretation of  traditional subject matter as you combine media for a more personal expression.

About the Instructor: Karole Nicholson 
Karole Nicholson attended Rhode Island School of Design studying graphic and advertising design; she currently works in mixed media and collage engaging an abstracted, contemporary approach to expressing her spirit on canvas. Texture, a gentle palette and an abstract view of the environment are the components that draw her into developing each painting.

She exhibits her work as a member at the Attleboro Arts Museum, North River Art Society, Next Door Gallery, Gallery Twist and the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative.

facebook.com/karole.nicholson

instagram.com/karolenicholsonart

URL: karolenicholson.com

Recommended materials and tools list:

• Canvases, wood panels, or mixed media paper (choose sizes based on your comfort level) Plan to bring enough to work on more than one piece as drying time is a factor
• Matte medium (I use Utretch brand, but Golden or Liquitex are great.)
• Collage materials such as: newspaper, book pages, tissue paper, old letters, fabric, blue prints,  vintage papers, maps, newsprint, rice paper, corrugated cardboard, magazines, letters, envelopes, music, grocery lists, stamps, tickets, ... anything! If you have done in collage in the past, bring some of your stash of collage papers
• Acrylic paints (minimum, one red, one blue, one yellow, one white and one black, more if you choose).
  
• Brushes,catalyst blades,color shapers to apply paint, your choice
• Palette knife (preferably with square end) or old credit card to apply medium
• Paper palette for mixing paint
• Any of the following: Aquarelle crayons, “Woodies”, “Stabilio All” pencils, “Inktense” pencils, lead pencils, compressed charcoal, soft pastels, watercolor paints, inks
• Container for water (1 quart or larger)
• Spray bottle for water
• Plastic tray or heavy ply plastic*
• Masking tape
• Paper towels
• Ruler
• Scissors, Exacto knife
• Reference Photos (see below)

Reference photos:

Reference images, photos or drawings of the subject matter you are interested in translating into painterly collages. Still life images, landscapes, animals, nature, food and cooking, plants, fruit/vegetables, gardens, photos from trips all work well

Additional helpful items:

Newsprint pad , Rags (cotton t-shirts work well), Kneaded eraser, Sharpie marker

This workshop will stress a few constants that are the basics for any successful painting, composition, value recognition, and movement. This is all starts with getting the drawing right. The class will also cover the importance of doing studies and evaluating the elements of a painting that are important to the design and composition.

About the Instructor: Christine Bodnar

Christine has earned the level of Eminent Membership from the International Association of Pastel Societies. Her paintings have been shown in museums and galleries throughout the U.S. in national and international exhibitions and are in private collections across the country.

• International Association of Pastel Societies, Master Circle and Eminent Pastelist
• Signature Memberships with
• Pastel Society of America 
• Connecticut Pastel Society
• North River Arts Society
• South Shore Arts Center, Cohasset, MA.

Articles/Publications

• Southwest Art Magazine - Artist To Watch, November Issue, 2019
• American Art Collectors - April Issue 2019, Artist Focus and Advertisement
• Pure Pastel- Contemporary Works By Today’s Top Artists Feb 2019
• Boston Voyager on-line interview and publication, September 2018

christinebodnar.com

Supplies

We will try and do 2 paintings during this workshop using sizes of various sizes. 

Sanded surface type papers

• Pastel Premier Sanded Pastel Paper - fine, white
• UART Sanded Pastel Paper or Board 400 or 600 grit
• Pastel Mat Sanded Paper - White
• Art Spectrum Colourfix Fine Tooth Pastel Paper - White
• Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper - white, grays, nuetrals 

Soft Pastels - Landscape colors or set ( I will be bringing a variety with me to share )

• Unison
• Terry Ludwig
• Great American
• Mount Vision
• Sennelier
• Schminke 

Other materials

• Sketsch Pad / charcoal pencil for value studies.
• Easel supplied ( can work on tabletop easel )
• Drawing board for mounting paper
• Masking tape - supplied
• Paper towels

This workshop will have you mixing colors with confidence in no time! By taking a deep dive into a limited complementary color palette of reds and greens, you will gain of thorough understanding of how color works. This knowledge can then be applied to other suggested limited palettes. Let me help take the mystery out of color theory for you!

About the Instructor: ​Mary L. Moquin

Mary Moquin is a professional artist and teacher. She lives on the cape and spends part of the year in a remote dune cottage on the peninsula known as Sandy Neck in Barnstable, MA. The inspiration for her paintings comes from observing time passing as the light and shadows fall across the structures there. The structures have transformed into metaphors for meditation. Her work has won numerous awards and has been included in several regional and national juried shows. Mary holds a BFA in printmaking and an MFA in painting from Umass Dartmouth. Her work is represented in Wellfleet, MA at the Cove Gallery, North Water Gallery in Edgartown , MA, Alper’s Fine Art in Rockport, MA and at www.marymoquin.com

​Materials:

• ​oil or acrylic paint
  
• ​Cadmium Red Light (a very orangey red)
  
• ​Magenta (a red that leans towards violet)
  
• ​Pthalo Green (an intense blue green)
  
• ​Lemon yellow (we will use this to create a vibrant yellow green)
  
• ​Titanium White
  
• ​(for oil painters, Gamblin Cadmium Chartreuse is a fun color to add and can replace the lemon)
  

PLEASE bring the above colors for a successful experience. Feel free to bring along any other tubes of red or green paint that you have as I will be discussing paint properties and you may want to experiment with other reds and greens. But I know you will have success with the ones I've listed.

• ​A pad of canvas paper at least 16x20, 18x24 preferred. Acrylic painters can use any large sheets of paper instead, oil painters can bring gessoed paper or primed canvas instead of a pad if need be. 
  
• ​Palette knives for mixing paint. 
  
• ​A variety of brushes.
  
• ​Paper towels.

This workshop will embrace the importance of a daily painting practice as a path to improving creativity and image making skills. Through a combination of demos, in-class assignments, and individual instruction each student will learn techniques to create fresh, deliberate marks. Guided by an artist who has made over 5,400 daily, consecutive, paintings (so far) you’ll embrace the painting process while learning tricks to stay inspired and motivated, as well as generate ideas for your own daily practice. All levels are welcome.

About the Instructor: ​Lisa Daria Kenedy

Lisa Daria Kennedy has been making one small painting every single day for the last 5,400 days, this spring marks her 15th year anniversary. After this many years, she has no intention of stopping. Having cancer as a young adult, she has discovered living is not just surviving. She questioned what can a life amount to and was acutely aware of all the time she’d wasted and the things she put off - like painting. But, the idea of starting an artistic project and failing was terrifying. She had a moment of clarity and pared the creative process down to this one idea - show up for the job. And she started showing up for her new job in 2009 and without excuse wakes up every day at five and paints.

BIO Lisa Daria Kennedy grew up along the northeast edge of the Hockomock Swamp in Massachusetts. She received her BA from Roger Williams University in Graphic Design, a BFA and MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Illustration and 2D, where she is currently an Associate Professor of Illustration. She lives 9 nautical miles from Boston in World’s End in an old fishing camp with her Wheaten Terrier, Olive the dog. When her daily painting is completed, she works on larger, narrative paintings, lisadariakennedy.com

​Materials: Lisa Daria Materials 2024 Embrace the Practice.pdf

Please note that NRAS has easels available for students.

In this workshop, you’ll learn the key concepts of painting interior scenes. Eli will demonstrate and explain her methods and work one-on-one with each student. The focus will be on: How light flows through a scene, illuminating forms and creating an evocative mood. Achieving accurate drawing and correct values; two of the most crucial aspects of representational painting. How to develop a well-balanced composition of light and shadow patterns  (chiaroscuro). How to quickly block in the motif or major elements of the scene. Balancing warm incandescent light with cool natural light.  And lastly how to achieve value contrast and add finishing touches to your painting.

About the Instructor: Eli Cedrone

Eli Cedrone is an award-winning artist from Boston. A graduate of the School of Art & Design, (Suffolk University) she also studied in Florence, Italy; The Museum of Fine Arts School and The Academy of Realist Art, Boston. Cedrone work has been featured in numerous art publications such as Plein Air Magazine and Fine Art Connoisseur. She is the recipient of several residencies and fellowships and has participated in juried invitationals in the US and abroad. Cedrone is also a popular workshop instructor and teaches worldwide.