No registration required – all are welcome! $10 cash only 

Looking for a creative way to kick off your week? Join us and Artist, Nina Cherie Cahill, every Monday night at North River Arts Society for Drop-In Craft Night! Bring your own project—whether it’s knitting, sketching, embroidery, sewing, collage, or any craft you're working on—and enjoy a relaxed, welcoming space to create alongside fellow makers.

All skill levels are welcome. This is an informal, social night perfect for getting inspired, sharing ideas, and making progress on whatever you're into. Come solo or with friends—stay the whole time or just pop in!

If you prefer, Nina will have materials available for loom weaving and can assist those who wish to get started on their own small weaving. Some materials for purchase through Nina. 

This group is open to all ages, levels, skills and crafts. 

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.

The goal of this workshop is to explore what drawing means to you and move outside of your comfort zone to push your drawing practice further as a tool of inquiry, a joyful activity, and a method of attending to the world around you.  Whether it's exploring new compositional ideas, sketching as a way to just loosen up, or delineating a detailed rendition of a favorite object, drawing with a variety of media and purposes is a great way to underpin your personal art practice.

Using both dry and wet media we’ll explore mark-making, composition dynamics, and experiment with surface as we create and explore. This workshop will be lead through discussion, demonstration, and practice.

About the Artist: 

John Rufo is an artist and architect with over 35 years of practice experience. John attended the Rhode Island School of Design and has degrees in architecture and fine art. John’s artwork ranges in subject from landscape to still life to figural and abstract works. John teaches workshops focused on exploring drawing, painting and mixed-media approaches to making art. John’s wife is also an artist and art teacher. They both have studio space in their home in Needham, Massachusetts.

Materials List: 250508_Rufo_Drawing_To_Explore_Materials_List (1).docx

Additional Information:

Workshop Syllabus

John Ruffo Artist Statement

This 4-week class will dive into the world of block printing, covering a crash-course on all things blocks for artists of all sorts who want to bring their creativity to life in the printed world. This class will cover techniques for drawing, carving, and printing block prints on a variety of mediums. Rachel will help you bring to life a block and a variety of prints in different mediums of your own imagination.

About the Instructor: Rachel Nerger (Ray Prints)

I started block printing in 2020 when I was looking to reconnect with my creativity outside of the everyday hustle and bustle and a full-time job in finance. I have always been an artist at heart, and have continued to explore new mediums even as I jumped into the professional world.

Over the past few years, all the hours of drawing, carving, and printing blocks has led me to “launch” Ray Prints where I’ve been able to share my love of block prints with the south shore at different pop ups and markets. I have fallen in love with block printing for the way that it fits into life - it is accessible, affordable and has provided me with hours of escape as I work through each step in creating totally unique pieces of art with each stamp and Speedball carve.

Materials List:

(1 per student) 8"x10" block, black ink, rollers and paper provided by NRAS. Students should bring a set of carving tools, Rachel recommends this one for beginners. Rachel also suggests bringing watercolor supplies, different ink colors if you want and any old clothing, canvas bags, etc. that you may want to play around printing on! 

Get down and dirty with the wonderful medium of charcoal! This class is great for the novice and the seasoned artist. Students will work from still lifes and learn drawing basics to accomplish dramatic statements in black and white.  The eraser will be an important tool as we sculpt a 3-dimensional drawing on the 2-dimensional surface of the bright white paper. Bring gloves and hand wipes - It'll be dirty fun!

Materials List:

• Thick vine charcoal sticks
• 6B compressed charcoal
• White eraser
• Eraser pen
• 11x14 or larger, acid free, bright white paper with smooth surface
• Painters Tape
• Masonite drawing board with clips
• Gloves and hand wipes

About the Artist:

Jo Killion Wildes is a Marshfield Hills, MA Artist who works primarily in oil, acrylic and charcoal. Jo is a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston and Massachusetts College of Art (BFA). Her works are colorful studies of people, land and seascapes, interiors and still lifes. Jo is a former instructor at the Lighthouse Center for the Arts in Tequesta ,Fl. and the Ellison Center for the Arts in Duxbury, Ma. She is a member of the North River Arts, South Shore Center of the Arts, Cohasset, MA and Duxbury Center for the Arts. Her works hang in private collections throughout the United States, Italy, England, and Greece.

This class is open to adults and high school students, please contact the office with any questions at northriverarts@gmail.com.

Materials List:

• Sewing machine (North River will have a few machines for students to share if you do not have your own machine.)

• Fabric scissors

• Pins

• Seam ripper

• Soft measuring tape

• Pencils/sketchbook

• After students learn the basics, they will be asked to purchase a simple pattern and fabric for a project

Olivia Harvey is an avid sewist and upcycler who first learned how to sew as a kid right here at NRAS with Brooke Stanton — and she hasn’t stopped since! Along with making and embellishing her own clothes, Olivia also sells her upcycled creations through her online shop OHpleeze. She believes that everyone should learn how to sew because it makes life (and your closet) a lot more interesting!

Continue to study landscape in oils on Wednesday evenings or join the group!

This class is for intermediate students, and will focus on the studio landscape process using a cartoon composition and a layered approach to painting in oils.

We will attempt to complete two paintings in the six weeks, with some work to be done at home between classes. We will limit our painting sizes to under 16 inches on a side. Our palette will be a warm cool palette with two of each primaries to expand our possibilities!

About the Instructor: Ann Musto

Ann has been a plein air and studio oil painter for over twenty years. Her interest lies in working to capture the beauty of what we see in light and color.  Ann’s work includes portraits, landscapes and still life. Ann completed her studies at the Academy of Realist Art in Boston, a traditional atelier. She has been a long time member of North River Arts Society and has served on the NRAS Board of Directors and on the NRAS Arts Committee.

annmustofineart.com

NRAS supplies tables and easels.

Materials List: coming soon

One of the best ways to really explore and know a subject is to work in a series.  Each week we will explore a subject of our choosing in a different way.  In this class we will work on different examples of a single subject.  Whether it is florals, images from travel, pet portraits, figures, water scenes or any subject you desire, …each student will have the opportunity to delve deep into their subject.  A welcoming supportive atmosphere allows experimentation and growth.  Use the medium you are familiar with!  Come join us for this wonderful session! 

About the Instructor: Kelley MacDonald

After getting her Art History degree at Wheaton College, Kelley continued taking art classes at various Art Associations for 10 years before she started painting.  First with watercolor, then oil and now happily with acrylic and mixed media, it has been a lifetime of growing and exploring all things art.  

Kelley has won numerous awards, and has taught classes and workshops for many years.  While for the majority of her career Kelley has been a literal, representational painter, in the past 4 years she has been diving into abstraction, particularly Intuitive Abstraction.  The history involved on the canvas, the multiple layers, the reveal and conceal and push and pull are what attracts her to this method. 

A favorite thing to do is to travel, and be inspired by different landscapes and  cityscapes.  Kelley has traveled to Holland to paint, along with many places on this side of the ocean, namely Nova Scotia, Sedona, Santa Fe, St. Simon’s Island, Seattle, San Miguel de Allende, MX, California and Maine. 

In 2009 Kelley founded the Artists’ Challenge Group “Girls Just Wanna Paint” which is a collection of award winning artists  who post a response to a new topic every month consecutively since July of 2009. Aside from the Providence Art Club Kelley is a member of the North River Arts Society in Marshfield, MA.  She has taught at the Art Club, Bristol Art Museum, and at North River Arts Society.

Materials List - All, or as many as you can manage:

Materials List for Developing A Series Class

-Any size canvas (new one each week) you choose - from 6x6 to 30x30 - whatever you are comfortable with.  Canvas, board, canvas board… whatever you like to paint on.  Your goal is to start a new painting each week

Disposable Palette

Colors - whatever medium you choose (acrylic, watercolor, pastel, oil) I would suggest  at least this limited palette:

• Large tube of titanium white
• 1 warm and 1 cool tube of
• Yellow - (ex. Cad lemon and cad yellow medium)
• Red (ex. Cadmium red light and Alizarin Crimson, magenta or rose)
• Blue (ex. Ultramarine and pthalo)
• Neutral such as BURNT umber (not raw)

Brushes in an array of sizes - I use flats, but you may use whatever you are comfortable with, in a 1/4 inch size, a 1/2 in size and a 1 inch size.  Then a BIG one and a tiny, detail one.

At least one palette knife - any size

Water container such as a large yogurt or ricotta tub

Apron or overshirt - optional

Paper towels

Come study with Ann Musto on Tuesdays this winter!

This class, for beginner to intermediate oil painters, will focus on learning from doing a tonal grisaille (black and white, or burnt Sienna and ultramarine blue) one week, and a limited primary color painting the following week.

By repeating the painting, we will explore the importance of tone/ value and how to use color to explain the same relationships.

We will do three different painting ideas over the six weeks - starting from a tonal composition weeks 1,3, and 5 - to limited palette paintings of the same during weeks 2, 4 and six.

About the Instructor: Ann Musto

Ann has been a plein air and studio oil painter for over twenty years. Her interest lies in working to capture the beauty of what we see in light and color.  Ann’s work includes portraits, landscapes and still life. Ann completed her studies at the Academy of Realist Art in Boston, a traditional atelier. She has been a long time member of North River Arts Society and has served on the NRAS Board of Directors and on the NRAS Arts Committee.

annmustofineart.com

NRAS supplies tables and easels.

Materials List: coming soon

This Mixed Media Collage workshop will focus on creating art by combining various materials and techniques. Participants will explore the possibilities of collage, often incorporating mark-making, paint, and a variety of papers to construct unique, layered artworks. Throughout this workshop experimentation and creative expression will be emphasized, allowing individuals to discover new approaches to art-making and push the boundaries of a traditional collage. 

About the Instructor: Sue Casey

I don't think of “art” as being separate from myself - it is and always has been a part of who I am. I've been thinking about, looking at, making, and teaching art for as long as I can remember. 

My inspiration for my work comes from nature where I enjoy walking along the beach, hiking in the White Mountains and paddle-boarding and kayaking in the North River. Every day I am inspired by the beauty of nature and the light and color that surround me. 

I have always been drawn to mixed media due to the ability to experiment with layering materials and textures help me reset and work through ideas. I am particularly drawn to geometric shapes and how they appear in an organic setting. My goal is to simplify these shapes and be less deliberate over the arrangements of found and painted paper shapes and edges to create an overall cohesive composition.

Suggested Materials List:

Substrate:

• Mixed media paper or heavyweight paper (e.g. Canson XL Mix Media)
• Wood panels (8"x10" or larger)
• Canvas
• Heavyweight paper, cardboard, or old book covers

• Good quality glue sticks (e.g., UHU)
• Matte or gloss gel medium
• PVA glue (e.g., Elmer's, Sobo, or Jade 403)

• Scissors (one regular/large pair and one small pair for fussy cutting recommended)
• X-Acto knife with #11 blades
• Small cutting mat

• Pencils
• Pens (e.g., Micron Pens)
• Paint pens
• Markers
• Oil pastels or crayons
• Gouache

• Acrylic paints (various colors, including red, blue, yellow, white, black)
• Brushes:
• Assorted “cheap” paint brushes (various sizes and shapes, for applying paint and glue)
• Collage materials:
• Variety of papers: construction paper, newspaper, wallpaper, scrapbook paper, tissue paper, wrapping paper, magazine pages, book pages, sheet music, decorative papers, paint chip samples, junk mail, old letters, photographs, maps
• Stamps and stencils

• Palette knife (for mixing paint and tearing paper)
• Rubber brayer (for smoothing down collage materials)
• Water container for rinsing brushes
• Paper towels or cloth for cleaning
• Apron or smock
• Gelli plate for printmaking
• Q-tips
• Old phone book, magazine, or notebook for gluing surface
• Freezer paper and wax paper (for drying dyed papers and separating collages)
• Spray bottle for water or alcohol
• Toothbrush to spritz with
• Ruler
• Paper Towels
• Reference photos: still life, landscape (bring a few ideas to choose from)