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 Friday Night Figure Drawing!

Settle into a relaxed, creative atmosphere and spend your Friday evening drawing or painting from a live 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. 

In this four week class, students will be guided in collage, assemblage, and photomontage techniques that they can incorporate into their own studio practice. We will be playing with scale, juxtaposition, repetition, and composition. Students will also gain familiarity with materials such as exacto knives, cutting mats, modge podge, and mixed media mark making tools like oil pastels. By the end of the session, students will walk away with a small body of work and the confidence to keep a momentum to utilize these methods at home. This class is perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike. This will be an open studio-like atmosphere with instruction and demonstration at the beginning of class, studio time to create independent projects, and a critique at the end to get feedback from peers.

About the Instructor: Lindsey Caputo

Materials: 

• Found ephemera (recipes, newspaper clippings, photos, etc.)
• Magazines (any genre)
• Newspapers (all points of view, the globe or the post)
• Exacto Knives
• Scissors
• Pencils
• Cutting Mat
• 18x24 mixed media paper
• Modge Podge Matte

Additional Information:

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

Watercolor has long been used to create colorful illustrations that highlight this versatile medium’s unique and luminous qualities. These small paintings stand beautifully on their own, or can be used in many other ways including cards, prints, pattern design, collage, and more.

In this class, we will focus on sharpening our drawing and painting skills with in-class exercises and a series of your own small paintings of subjects of your choice. We’ll practice fundamental concepts from developing a drawing through to layering paint to build depth and dimension with color and value. Through demonstration and instructor guidance, you’ll learn core drawing, painting, and color mixing techniques that will help provide you the tools and inspiration to create one-of-a-kind watercolor illustrations.

During class we’ll also look at a variety of watercolor styles as inspiration, and we’ll discuss how you can digitize and use your paintings for sharable art such as small prints and stationary.

This class is best suited for students with some prior watercolor experience.

Materials List: TC_NRAS_WatercolorMaterialsList.pdf

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. 

Additional Information:

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

Discover the colorful world of mosaics in this hands-on workshop with artist Cathy McCarthy. During the class, you'll explore techniques for creating mosaic art using glass, beads, and other materials, giving you a solid foundation to create your own piece.

Each participant will receive all supplies needed—glass, beads, glue, grout, and a surface to work on, and a glass cutter. Finished pieces will be yours to keep, and you’ll have the option to purchase your glass cutter for $20 to continue creating at home.

This class is perfect for beginners or anyone curious about the mosaic-making process. Come see what goes into crafting a mosaic and leave with a unique work of art!

Cathy McCarthy is a self taught mosaic artist. Her first experience in mosaics was a life size shark that she installed at the bottom of a swimming pool in Southern California, when she decided to just try out a new form of art.  From there on she was hooked and has created hundreds of mosaics including murals, a life size mosaic cow, and her most popular mosaic heart rocks.  “I will mosaic anything that stands still!”  

Cathy‘s mosaic work uses ceramics, stained glass, hand made tiles, and various found objects. Cathy’s formal education was in graphic design and illustration and now works primarily in pastel and acrylics.  Her Mosaic work is secondary but actually her favorite medium to work with.  “I’m always working on a mosaic in between my other work.  It’s just fun!” Cathy lives in Scituate with her husband Kevin and her dog Samson.