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.

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

Looking for a creative way to kick off your week? Join us every FIRST and THIRD 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!

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

Additional Information:

Please help us be respectful to our neighbors.
Do not park in front of neighbors or turn around in their driveways.

Join North River Arts for Figure Drawing!

Settle into a relaxed, creative atmosphere and spend your Monday evening drawing or painting from a live nude model. Each session begins with a series of short, dynamic poses designed to help you warm up, loosen your hand, and explore gesture. We then transition into longer poses, giving you the opportunity to dive deeper into proportion, anatomy, shading, and more refined detail at your own pace.

This is an uninstructed studio session, making it a wonderful option for artists of all levels who are looking to practice, build confidence, or simply enjoy dedicated time to create in community with others. Bring your preferred materials and enjoy a supportive, inspiring environment to grow your figure drawing skills.

Easels provided by NRAS. $20 drop in fee at the door, cash only. Space limited to 14 students. 

Stuck on a sewing project and need some guidance or motivation? Come to the Open Sewing Studio every second Monday of the month to work alongside other sewing enthusiasts! Hosted by NRAS sewing instructor Olivia Harvey, you’ll be able to ask questions and receive assistance, if desired, to help fine-tune your skills. Bring any project, your sewing machine, and the supplies you need, and let’s get sewing! Please note, this is not a structured class and is intended for those with some prior sewing experience.

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!

Additional Information:

Please help us be respectful to our neighbors.
Do not park in front of neighbors or turn around in their driveways.

Jing-Jingle-ing! Get in the spirit of the holidays by gathering to paint together! Join us in creating a couple of small paintings of Holiday Trees that you can keep for yourself or gift.

Bring 2 small canvases or canvas panels (up to 6x8) (I will have some canvas panels on hand if anybody needs them) and a limited palette of paint (I will be using acrylics, and will have enough to share, you can use whatever medium you are comfortable with). Bring waxed paper or a disposable palette and a water container and paper towels and a few brushes (small and medium). I’ll also bring some fun add-ons! We’ll look at all kinds of decorated or lit trees and create a Little Painting of our own! It promises to be lighthearted and fun, to launch us into the Season’s celebration! You can bring photos from your phone that you like. Lunch (pizza) provided, bring beverages! 

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. 

]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.

Additional Information:

Please help us be respectful to our neighbors.
Do not park in front of neighbors or turn around in their driveways.

Once your art is completed - then what? Where do you go from there?  This intensive one-day workshop will help you examine artistic goals for your career and hone your business skills. Designed by an artist for artists this workshop will inspire you with tips and techniques to help you keep track of your art, self promotion, selling your art, pricing, competitions, bookkeeping tips, and much more. Bring a notebook and your questions for a lively conversation. Handouts will be included.

Liz Haywood-Sullivan, IAPS/EP, PSA-MP, has been dedicated to working exclusively in the pastel medium since 1996. Her attraction to the medium is pastel's unique ability to capture light and atmosphere in the landscape. She is a sought-after instructor and judge for pastel societies and arts organizations around the world. Liz authored the popular book Painting Brilliant Skies and Water in Pastel (Northlight, 2013). Her award-winning pastel paintings have been featured in numerous books and magazine articles, and have appeared in national, international and museum exhibitions worldwide. Liz is a President Emerita of the International Association of Pastel Societies (2013-2017) and past president of North River Arts Society (2021-2025). Her online instruction can be found at www.epiphanyfineart.com.

Additional Information:

Please help us be respectful to our neighbors.
Do not park in front of neighbors or turn around in their driveways.

Stuck on a sewing project and need some guidance or motivation? Come to the Open Sewing Studio every second Monday of the month to work alongside other sewing enthusiasts! Hosted by NRAS sewing instructor Olivia Harvey, you’ll be able to ask questions and receive assistance, if desired, to help fine-tune your skills. Bring any project, your sewing machine, and the supplies you need, and let’s get sewing! Please note, this is not a structured class and is intended for those with some prior sewing experience.

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!

Additional Information:

Please help us be respectful to our neighbors.
Do not park in front of neighbors or turn around in their driveways.

This workshop by Liz Haywood-Sullivan is designed to guide artists to the next level in their painting. This intensive three-day experience encourages a more deliberate and thoughtful approach by focusing on essential building blocks that are often overlooked. We begin with the concept of intent, the “why” behind what you choose to paint. Intent influences every aspect of your work, from materials and technique to composition and execution.

Composition and value are often at the heart of painting challenges, and we will address these structural elements through exercises using simplified shapes and clear value patterns. We will also take a deeper dive into reference images, learning how to see more effectively, crop and edit with purpose, and understand the limitations of the camera. Through this process, artists will begin to make stronger, more intentional decisions in their work.

Participants are invited to bring a painting they have struggled with and revisit it using the principles explored in class. Daily demonstrations, individualized instruction, and collaborative discussion will support each artist’s development. Immerse yourself in what makes a painting truly sing.

Materials List: NRAS Build Better Painting.docx

Liz Haywood-Sullivan, IAPS/EP, PSA-MP, has been dedicated to working exclusively in the pastel medium since 1996. Her attraction to the medium is pastel's unique ability to capture light and atmosphere in the landscape. She is a sought-after instructor and judge for pastel societies and arts organizations around the world. Liz authored the popular book Painting Brilliant Skies and Water in Pastel (Northlight, 2013). Her award-winning pastel paintings have been featured in numerous books and magazine articles, and have appeared in national, international and museum exhibitions worldwide. Liz is a President Emerita of the International Association of Pastel Societies (2013-2017) and past president of North River Arts Society (2021-2025). Her online instruction can be found at www.epiphanyfineart.com.

Additional Information:

Please help us be respectful to our neighbors.
Do not park in front of neighbors or turn around in their driveways.