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.

Registration is full at this time. Please email the office with any questions.

Calling all artists interested in participating in our Festival Feature! Join us for a creative gathering where you can immerse yourself in a craft alongside fellow artists. This year, our Festival Feature will spotlight handmade bird houses, created by local artist Rick Verzone. You're invited to express your creativity by decorating these bird houses in your unique style. Once adorned, they'll be showcased in a silent auction during the Festival as a fundraiser for NRAS.

Our event will function as an open studio, complete with complimentary drinks and snacks. While some materials will be provided, feel free to bring along any additional supplies you'd like to incorporate into your design.

NRAS will provide acrylic paints, brushes, glue, and any extra bits and bobs we have around. Please bring any additional materials that you wish to use for your craft.

Admission to this event is completely free, but we kindly ask that you RSVP so we can ensure an ample supply of materials for all attendees.

Let's make this Festival Feature an unforgettable celebration of artistry and camaraderie. See you there!

This class is for those who are fascinated with capturing the likeness and character of a person.  From observation of the live model, we will examine the effect of light falling on the structures and forms of the head.  Discover techniques for mixing colors to achieve realistic and nuanced complexions.  We will cover the use of atmosphere and background towards creating a finished portrait.  Regardless of their stage of development (practicing professionals, students, beginners), specific information is given to artists individually, guiding them through each phase of creating a painting.  Students will be given individual attention to help reach their personal goals. While the primary medium is oil painting, participants are welcome to use drawing, pastels, or acrylics. Be prepared to work hard, make new friends and best of all have fun.

About the Instructor: Laurel Stern Boeck’s dedication to her craft is evident in the timeless quality of her work. A classically trained artist with an award-winning career in both portraits and landscapes, she invites viewers to explore the rich tapestry of human experience through her paintings. Laurel’s lifelong passion for figurative art forms the foundation of her practice. She began her studies at the Art Students League of New York, earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, and further honed her skills at the John Murray Atelier before completing her MFA at the New York Academy of Art.Through her authentic approach and attention to fine detail, she captures the likeness and essence of her subjects. Her work can be seen in private collections, boardrooms, universities, supreme courts, and Washington institutions.

Materials List:

LSB Supply List - Workshop 2025.doc

Do you want to explore your creative side? Do you want to experiment with colors without fear of making a mistake? Come join me in this easy, magical, and relaxing adventure into the world of freedom and creativity, after which you will get a masterpiece created by your own hands.

What does red taste like? Of course, it tastes of strength, joy, energy, maturity and love. The taste of red is the taste of the King of all fruits - the Pomegranate! Let's paint together this symbol of sun, life, abundance, rebirth and immortality. Symbol of Love.

We will be working for 2.5 – 3 hours in a small group. The maximum number of participants is 12 people. You don’t need to bring anything. All necessary materials will be provided.

Looking forward to painting on silk with you!

About the Instructor: Lidia Mikhaylova is an abstract artist inspired by the simple beauties of everyday life. Her work ranges from sensual artwork and still life to fine floral paintings. The elegance, playfulness, and depth of her work are demonstrated through rich, vivid colors composed on silk fabric, with oil or watercolor paintings and pastel drawings. Her creative facilitation creates a space where participants can truly tap into their natural creativity to help bring it out to the surface.

·Lidia is a highly creative artist and art facilitator with more than seven years of professional experience delivering visual art classes in the areas of painting.

·In 3 years, Lidia has conducted over 70 different workshops in art studios, public libraries, educational centers, and private and corporate events among people of all ages.

·Lidia’s work has been featured in international art festivals, Art Hole Magazine, A5 Magazine, and art galleries from Brooklyn, NY to Laguna Beach, CA.

·Lidia is the winner of the Billboard Contest 2022, and her work has been featured on the billboard in Sacramento, CA.

Have you ever wanted to create your own giant puppet or participate in the Festival Parade? Join us for an exploration of how to create your own giant puppet!

Artists Michelle and Sally will share their experiences, creative tips, and practical techniques for designing and constructing these eye-catching creations. Together, we’ll brainstorm ideas, discuss different materials and building methods, and provide handouts and resources to guide you in making your own puppet.

In addition to learning about giant puppets, participants of all ages will have the opportunity to paint and embellishsmall, pre-made creatures mounted on tall poles. These vibrant creations will be left at the Arts Society to be proudly displayed in the upcoming parade!

Whether you’re an artist, a community member, or just someone who loves the magic of parades, this is a fantastic opportunity to get creative and be part of something special. We hope you’ll join us!

This is a free offering for our Festival of the Arts which will take place May 24 and 25, 10am-5pm with a Giant Puppet Parade at 1pm both days! Registration is not required but highly encouraged so we can anticipate material needs. 

This fun workshop is designed for experienced painters working in any medium who want to explore ways to create more modern, bold, and expressive paintings using a less representational approach. After a brief presentation on Modern Painting, we will do some quick exercises using the abstract elements of painting: line, value, color, shape, and texture to express an unexpected idea or statement. This is not a “how to paint” class; instead, it serves as a space for exploration and experimentation with fellow artists. We will work independently, using materials of your choice, from still lives and/or photos. There will be a brief conversation about our discoveries at the conclusion of the class.

Any specific materials needed will be emailed prior to the workshop.

About the Instructor: Nancy Colella 

Nancy earned a BA in Fine Art from Muskingum University, then studied painting at the Aegean School of Fine Arts in Paros, Greece and at the Instituto Allende in San Miquel Mexico. After a career in the hospitality business and while raising two children, she resumed her studies at Mass College of Art. She teaches numerous on-line and live workshops throughout New England. She lives in Norwell with her husband and yellow lab Limoncello. 

In this half-day workshop, we’ll practice essential watercolor techniques while creating beautiful hand-painted paper crafts that are perfect for giving on all types of occasions! Materials, demonstrations, and instruction will be provided to create one-of-a-kind cards, gift tags, wrapping papers and more. We’ll discuss finding ideas and inspiration, creating color palettes, how to layout your own unique designs, and the basics of painting with watercolor. This workshop will spark your creativity whether you are new to watercolor or are an experienced artist in need of some playful no-pressure painting.

All levels are welcome and all materials including paints and papers will be provided. 

About the Instructor: Tara Connaughton

Tara Connaughton is an artist/illustrator & art instructor living near the coast in Scituate, MA. Her botanical and nature-inspired paintings have earned multiple awards, and she has exhibited her artwork through numerous local and regional galleries and venues around the Boston area. 

Tara teaches watercolor and botanical illustration through local workshops, privately, and at organizations around the Boston area and South Shore. She has a Certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration, and uses her passion for painting and love of nature to teach and inspire others to find their creative spirit and connect with the world around them.

Tara also creates custom art and illustration for clients across a wide range of subjects, with a focus on custom art for wedding invitations and stationery. 

Ken will discuss strategies for creating better artworks with a variety of common and creative tools. The workshop will focus on concepts for making better starts, compelling artworks, going to new places in your work, and how to make fine art.

Together, we will be going deeper into the how-to of making more appealing artworks with a variety of ideas and tools. After the day's sessions, the group is invited to further discussions and dinner.

After the Sunday session, Ken will present Photoshop techniques for taking your works to the next level and creating better pathways for finishing your artworks. You will be given a simplified Photoshop guide and have access to a large photo file of over 2000 inspiring artworks. Ken will demonstrate painting using oil and pastels, if requested. In addition to making art works, Ken will talk about business and promotion, necessary tools for success in the marketplace.

There will be serious discussions, laughs, and your questions with more continuing after class hours. We will all come away with new tools to take your art to the next level. Ample time will be given to live problem solving, daily critiques and creative options. We won’t be pushing to make completed works during this short time. Rather, we will be looking at making good starts and strategies for going beyond your comfort level.

Artist Statement: 

“From an early age, I’ve been fortunate to have seen remarkably good works of art and met some of the best painters in the field.

My friendships with Wolf Kahn and Forrest Moses along with Wolf’s master classes have been invaluable.​

The paintings I create are rarely portraits of places but rather, they are investigations into color and composition. My goal is to create something more remarkable and outside the familiar scene. To do that, many ideas and moves are used to alter nature in exaggerated, but somehow believable ways.

If successful, what emerges is art that is expressive, apart from the everyday and filled with life and joyfully, II never tire of chasing that goal.

To learn more about Ken Elliot visit https://www.kenelliott.com/about

Supply List:

Write out the things you want to get from this class. 

You are invited to bring whatever you wish to paint with and work on. Bring works to start, works in progress, and finished works to evaluate. You won’t need many images, just a few to begin with.

Art supplies:  Easel, paints, brushes, palette knives if you choose, and minimal supplies and accessories that you typically paint with. Don’t overload yourself. We can share.

One sheet of any paper, copy paper at 8 1/2 x 11 will do fine, along with any kind of pencil in graphite or pastel, charcoal stick etc. We will be doing one abstract drawing exercise and it will be useful to have something to draw with that is more expressive than a pencil.

Canvas (large is good: 30 x30 canvas, 30 x 40, 36 x 36 etc.) or reasonably large paper for acrylic studies or pastels.

In this one-day workshop, we will work on understanding color and value, focusing on how to make informed color choices and create color harmony in a pastel painting. Color speaks to emotions when we view a painting, and knowing how to manipulate color and value allows us to shift and shape a painting’s mood. We will discuss the vocabulary of color (hue, chroma, value and temperature) and the way in which our perception of color can be influenced by the quality of light, by distance and by surrounding colors. In the morning, you will create a number of different studies, all from the same photo reference, exploring distinct schemes for color harmony. In the afternoon, you will create a larger piece, using the approach you find most appealing – there are no wrong choices! All students will have personalized feedback and guidance as you explore the pastel medium and see the power of color and value in a composition. This class is appropriate for all levels. A materials list will be provided in advance.

About the Instructor: Heather Quay

“My goal is to have my paintings capture the feeling of a particular time and place. I have always been fascinated by the way that painters portray the quality and temperature of light. As a pastel painter, I continue to be drawn to scenes where the light is the central character. Whatever I am painting – from landscapes, both natural and manmade, to figures, animals, and portraits – I’m always striving to render the light I see onto the surface of my artwork.”

Heather’s work has been included in juried exhibits across New England and online, and has won a number of awards. She is an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America, and a Signature Member of the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, the Connecticut Pastel Society and the Maryland Pastel Society. She is also a member of the North River Arts Association, the Central Massachusetts Pastel Society, the Pastel Society of New Hampshire and the Lyme Art Association. Heather is a Featured Artist on the Artsy Shark website. More about Heather and her work can be found at www.heatherquay.com

Materials list:

This comprehensive and enjoyable workshop will better familiarize participants with color palettes, the effective blending of colors, use of brushes, and responsiveness of the medium on different papers. A range of exercises will allow painters to explore and apply various wash methods – wet-on-wet, dry-brush, glazing, blending, sharp and soft edges, dilution control, among others. Each dynamic session will address some of the many aspects of color theory. Using still life subjects & from the instructor’s demos, participants will learn ways to structure & simplify a composition, while learning to see and achieve the dynamic elements of light, contrast, values, movement, textures, etc., which make paintings come alive. Experimentation and interpretative methods will also be demonstrated, discussed and encouraged during the workshop. The workshop will comprise two studio classes, for about 8 hours each day, with a 45-60 minute lunch.

The workshop will provide a relaxed place for participants to quickly understand and then develop their skills, with the watchful input of the instructor. Some previous painting experience would be preferable, but not required. Participant’s abilities should include basic drawing, and a comfort level with watercolor. With a likely diversity of skills, capabilities will vary widely, but one-on-one instruction will be tailored to each individual’s level. Expectations are for a creative, exciting environment from which the collective energies and interests will allow everyone to learn much more than otherwise struggling to discover alone. Also, expectations are for making “mistakes”, and for having fun while learning with an award-winning watercolorist.

About the Instructor: Frank is  an accomplished watercolor painter of urban scenes, landscapes, homes, portraits and still life in a plein air, or a direct alla prima colorist style. He is continually inspired by the effortless, masterful works of watercolorists from many eras and cultures; particularly Sargent, Homer, Turner, Wyeth, Zorn, Reid, Prendergast, Hiroshi and fellow Winthrop native, John Whorf. Frank enjoys the fluid challenge and unexpected possibilities of watercolor. Given the inherent transparency of his preferred medium and infinite range of possible values and colors, he strives to express watercolor’s rich, luminous qualities in his pieces. He also enjoys working on figurative sketches in pencil, pen & ink, and other mediums. Frank is a signature member of the New England Watercolor Society (N.E.W.S.) Boston, and elected member of the Salmagundi Club of New York. He is also a multiple award-winning architectural illustrator for over five decades of collaborating with renowned national architects to produce striking illustrations of projects around the world.

"Light, shade, shadow, color, values, textures; the substantive and the fleeting, the design and contours of shape and form; the intersection and interplay of the tangible and intangible – these life qualities are always capturing my attention. The interpretative and unexpected possibilities of the watercolor medium present an exciting artistic challenge to capture these very qualities in every work. "

Materials List: Coming Soon

The goal of the class will be to simplify painting watercolors, from Planning, Materials, Composition,

Washes, Shapes, Perspective, Values, Edges and anything else that comes up. The day will start with a short talk and demo followed by the class trying to paint following the advice given.

1. Materials: Paper, Brushes, Paints, Palettes, Easels, etc..

2. Vision: Perspective, Shapes, Positive, Negative, etc.

3. Paint: Washes, Consistency, Values, Mixing, Application, Edges, etc.

4. Composition: Subject, Contrasts, etc.

All levels welcome

About the Artist

Watercolor artist Jack Haran is the past president of the New England Watercolor Society (NEWS) and past President of North River Arts Society (NRAS). He sits on the Board of Directors for NRAS. He earned a BS in Fine Arts from Northeastern University and a School of the Museum of Fine Arts Diploma. He has studied with Tony Van Hasselt and Judi Wagner, Zygmond Jankowski, John Kilroy, Alvaro Castagnet and Joseph Zbukvic.

Materials List