North River Arts Society upcoming events

Open Studio (Friday, October 02, 2026)

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

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.

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, October 05, 2026)

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

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.

Expressive Arts for Self-Care with Maura Raymond (Thursday, October 08, 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Join us for a deeply restorative expressive arts series. Expressive Arts for Self Care is a course in which you will learn to connect with your feelings, emotions, and inner wisdom through process-centered art-making. Each session opens with a grounding mindfulness practice to help you drop into your body and access your innate creativity. After an immersive art-making experience, Maura will guide you through reflective journaling, and supportive community sharing, teaching you how to derive wisdom within your imagery. The goal is not to create conventionally-pleasing works of art; in this course, we center process over product to foster play, curiosity, discovery, and self-growth.

Supplies will be provided but students are welcome to bring your favorite (quick-drying, portable) materials if you choose.

Maura Raymond is an expressive arts facilitator, high school art educator, certified yoga and breathwork instructor. She has a professional teaching license in Massachusetts, where she has been teaching high school visual art since 2014. Maura has ample experience teaching conventional art skills, but she is most aligned with teaching art from an Expressionist perspective. She is passionate about facilitating process-centered art workshops that promote participants’ creative and mental wellness.

Additional Information:

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

Open Studio (Friday, October 09, 2026)

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

The Business of Art with Liz Haywood-Sullivan (Saturday, October 10, 2026)

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

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.

Open Sewing Studio with Olivia Harvey - October (Monday, October 12, 2026)

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

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.

Open Studio (Friday, October 16, 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Pumpkin Paint and Sip Night with Sue Casey (Friday, October 16, 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Celebrate the season by creating your own pumpkin masterpiece on canvas. Grab your friends and enjoy a relaxing evening of painting, laughter, and fall vibes.

No experience necessary

All supplies included

Step-by-step instruction

Take home your finished masterpiece

Sue Casey is a local artist and educator who studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and earned her degree in Art Education from Rhode Island College. She taught art in the Attleboro Public Schools for more than 30 years, inspiring generations of students through her passion for creativity and learning. Today, Sue devotes much of her time to her own artistic practice while teaching art classes and workshops throughout the South Shore.

Additional Information:

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

Painting Your Landscape with Pete Hocking (Saturday, October 17, 2026)

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Toward the end of her life, reflecting on the beginning of her work in New Mexico, Georgia O'Keeffe said, "I thought someone could tell me how to paint a landscape. But I never found that person. I had to just settle down and try...They could tell me how to paint their landscape, but they couldn't tell me how to paint mine."

Finding and painting one's landscape (joyfully) can be the work of a lifetime. Drawing on O'Keeffe's wisdom, this workshop will not focus on specific techniques or approaches to landscape painting, but rather will work with each participant to develop confidence in their skills and individual visual language. One develops their skill as a painter by painting, so the goal of this workshop will be the development of small suite paintings of modest scale.

We’ll start our workshop looking at the work of some contemporary landscape painters, and we’ll spend most of the day painting. The instructor will work in parallel with other participants (offering requested demonstrations for the group), while also circulating to provide individualized support to each participant.

Materials List: Hocking Materials List.pdf

Pete Hocking is a painter, teacher, curator & writer on Cape Cod. His work is concerned with nature, place, poetics, and identity. He's a founding board member of Provincetown Commons, an economic development center for the creative economy. He taught part-time at RI School of Design from 1997- 2022. From 2003-2021 he was full-time faculty in Goddard College’s MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts program. He was director of RISD’s Office of Public Engagement (2007-11), and Associate Dean of the College & Director of the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University (1992-2005). More information about his work and teaching method is available at petehocking.com

Additional Information:

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

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, October 19, 2026)

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

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

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.

Open Studio (Friday, October 23, 2026)

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Creating Atmosphere, Mood and Depth in Watercolor with Irena Roman (Saturday, October 24, 2026)

Sat, 24 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Learn how to create sparkle, luminosity and vibrancy with the transparent medium of watercolor!

Most often, watercolor is considered a light-to-dark medium. But in this one-day workshop, we’ll challenge that approach! Learn how to achieve instant atmosphere in your paintings by establishing the background first, maximizing your value scale by leaving foreground details for last. Glowing watercolors are within reach!

Some previous watercolor experience is helpful but beginners are welcome.

Materials List: Basic Supply Kit_6404.docx

Irena Roman, AWS, DF, is a transparent watercolorist from Scituate, MA. In addition to being a nationally recognized award-winning painter, she’s a professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, with over thirty years of teaching experience.

Additional Information:

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

Drop In Figure Drawing (Monday, October 26, 2026)

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

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.

Open Studio (Friday, October 30, 2026)

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Hue & Harmony: A Deep Dive Workshop with Allison Krajcik (Saturday, October 31, 2026)

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Unlock the secrets of vibrant, balanced color in this hands-on workshop focused on the core principles of color harmony. Whether you are a beginner or looking to refine your palette, this session will teach you how to move beyond random color choices, toward an intentional palette for a painting in oil, acrylic, gouache, or pastel.

We begin with two of the most effective color schemes in art:

Triads: Using three colors equally spaced on the color wheel to create a vibrant, high-contrast palette.
Split-Complementaries: Pairing a base color with the two colors next to its’ complement, offering the visual interest of contrast with a more sophisticated, neutral palette.

Participants will first construct a detailed color chart, in oil, acrylic, or gouache, mapping out the chosen scheme and discovering the range of color that is produced from just 3 tubes of paint! From there, we will explore the concept of dominance and create swatches based on learning how to apply the 60-30-10 rule—where one color leads the composition while the others provide support and accents. Using these custom charts and swatches as a road maps, artists will spend the second half of the workshop creating color studies and a small painting. Although the charts are made with liquid paint, pastelists can isolate and collect the colors on the charts to take advantage of the inherent harmony of paint.

What You Will Learn:

How to mix triad or split-complementary color chart in oil, acrylic, or gouache.
The role of a color chart in planning successful painting.
How pastelists can gather pastels to coordinate with the charts and borrow the inherent harmony created with a liquid painting medium.
Strategies for establishing color dominance to support your vision for a painting.

Materials List: KrajcikAllison_1Day Workshop Proposal-HueHarmony .pdf

Allison Krajcik is a fine art pastelist and oil painter known for her luminous land and seascapes, still life, and florals that radiate with atmosphere and emotion. Allison builds depth through layered washes and warm underpaintings, resulting in pieces that feel both grounded and ethereal. Her subject matter often reflects the quiet beauty of the natural world – from the windswept coast to delicate botanicals – each rendered with sensitivity to light, color and movement. A Southeastern Massachusetts native, Allison brings an intuitive sense of place to her work, inviting viewers to slow down and observe the subtleties of their surroundings.

Since her reemergence in 2020, she has achieved Master Circle status with the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS), signature status with the Pastel Society of American and the Pastel Painters of Cape Cod and has been accepted into several exhibitions with the American Impressionist Society. Her paintings have earned widespread recognition including awards from the Copley Society of Art in Boston and Dakota Pastels International Competition. Her work has also won “Best of Show” awards in international competitions with the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod and the Pastel Society of New Hampshire. Her work has also been exhibited at the National Arts Club in New York and the Butler Institute of Ohio.

Her landscapes have been featured in American Art Collector Magazine and Plein Air Magazine and she was invited to write about her creative process for the French magazine, Pratique des Arts, where she shared insights into the “inner glow” that characterizes much of her work. Michell Albala, author of Landscape Painting and The Landscape Painter’s Workbook, will include her painting “Veiled” in his upcoming book New Lessons in Landscape Painting, expected in October of 2026.

Additional Information:

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

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, November 02, 2026)

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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

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.

Open Studio (Friday, November 06, 2026)

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Exploring Values with Heather Quay (Saturday, November 07, 2026)

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Value is defined as the degree of lightness or darkness of a color. Establishing correct values is critical to creating a strong composition and sense of depth. In this one-day workshop, we will focus on accurately assessing values, learning to reduce an image to a set of limited values and to focus on value shapes rather than discrete objects and colors. As you will discover, “value does the work and color gets the credit!” In the morning, you will create a number of small value studies. In the afternoon, you will create a larger piece, applying the lessons you have learned. All students will have personalized feedback and guidance. This class is appropriate for all levels. While the instructor works in pastel, students in this class are welcome to work in any medium.

Materials list: Quay Materials List Values November 2026 4936-2487-8272 v.1.pdf

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 national and international juried exhibits, 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, the Central Massachusetts Pastel Society, and the Maryland Pastel Society. She is also a member of the North River Arts Society, the Pastel Society of New Hampshire and the Lyme Art Association. Heather’s paintings have appeared in The Pastel Journal and she is a Featured Artist on the Artsy Shark website. More about Heather and her work can be found at www.heatherquay.com

Additional Information:

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

Open Sewing Studio with Olivia Harvey - November (Monday, November 09, 2026)

Mon, 09 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Additional Information:

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

Open Studio (Friday, November 13, 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 14:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, November 16, 2026)

Mon, 16 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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

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.

Open Studio (Friday, November 20, 2026)

Fri, 20 Nov 2026 14:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Open Studio (Friday, November 27, 2026)

Fri, 27 Nov 2026 14:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Drop In Figure Drawing (Monday, November 30, 2026)

Mon, 30 Nov 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Join North River Arts for Figure Drawing!

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

Open Studio (Friday, December 04, 2026)

Fri, 04 Dec 2026 14:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, December 07, 2026)

Mon, 07 Dec 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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

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.

Open Studio (Friday, December 11, 2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 14:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Open Sewing Studio with Olivia Harvey - December (Monday, December 14, 2026)

Mon, 14 Dec 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Additional Information:

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

Open Studio (Friday, December 18, 2026)

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 14:00:00 GMT

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, December 21, 2026)

Mon, 21 Dec 2026 23:00:00 GMT

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

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.

Drop In Figure Drawing (Monday, December 28, 2026)

Mon, 28 Dec 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Join North River Arts for Figure Drawing!

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

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, January 04, 2027)

Mon, 04 Jan 2027 23:00:00 GMT

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

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.

Monday Craft Night Open Studio (Monday, January 18, 2027)

Mon, 18 Jan 2027 23:00:00 GMT

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

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.