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.

Is there anything more exciting and rewarding than painting plein air?  Join us as we navigate the thrills and challenges of painting in nature this Spring!  Learn or master the skills of judging the light, fending off the breeze, capturing that certain something that appeals to you in an outdoor setting!  This highly engaged, friendly and supportive group is intrepid and inclusive. 

Each week we are at a different location - we’ll paint the ocean, marshes, architecture and gardens!  Perhaps this year we will add a figure in the landscape?!?!  I will get all of your phone numbers so I can text you if there is a sudden change in location due to weather, or any other reason. Students can use any media they have familiarity with.  All levels, but I will be painting in acrylic or gouache.  I usually know where there is a nearby restroom.  Some weeks I will demo but will mostly be occupied with your progress and efforts.  

MATERIALS LIST: Materials List for Safari 2023.pages

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.

In this class, students will explore and develop a deeper connection with their internal artistic voice—the inner guide that inspires, critiques, and shapes creative expression. Through a combination of abstract drawing exercises and exposure to influential artists from history, students will learn how spiritualism and other esoteric themes have informed artistic practice.

By embracing abstraction, students will experiment with mark-making, intuitive gestures, and freeform composition to access a more instinctual mode of creation. They will also study artists who used art as a tool for channeling subconscious thoughts, emotions, and mystical ideas, such as Hilma af Klint, Wassily Kandinsky, and Emma Kunz.

Through guided exercises, discussion, and personal exploration, participants will open new channels of creativity, deepen their artistic intuition, and discover fresh ways to engage with their own practice. Whether new to abstraction or looking to expand their creative process, students will leave with a greater sense of artistic freedom and connection to their unique visual language.

About the Instructor: Lindsey Caputo

Lindsey Caputo is an everywhere based artist. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in Art Education. During her time at Massart, she volunteered in several Boston Public Schools while earning an initial teaching license in K-12 Visual Arts education. Caputo received an MFA in Studio Art at Maryland Institute College of Art with a Certificate for College Teaching. Since then, she has been expanding her studio practice by engaging in her interest in “the weird” and the Avant Garde.

In 2022, she became an Adjunct Faculty member in the Arts and Humanities Pathway at Tidewater Community College where she taught Art Appreciation, 2D Design, and Foundations of Drawing. You can view her portfolio at knotlindsay.com

Materials: 

Charcoal (hard, vine, etc)

Charcoal pencils

Blending tool or rag

18x24 drawing paper

Drawing pencils

Sharpie

Drawing pens any brand

Newsprint paper

This uninstructed plein air series offers artists of all levels the opportunity to paint outdoors in various inspiring South Shore locations. Each session will be guided by a different experienced plein air artist, providing insight into the plein air process without formal instruction. Participants will work independently while benefiting from the guidance and camaraderie of fellow artists. 

Each session begins with a 10-minute orientation led by the guiding artists, covering suggested compositions and tops for working in the environment. At the end of the session, participants will gather for an optional 15-minute discussion too are work and experiences. 

In case of inclement weather, sessions may be rescheduled. 

Registration is required. Limited spots available per session. No refunds or pro-rating for missed sessions. Leading artists will contact students prior to the session for parking info, etc. 

Open to all skill levels, artist must bring all their own supplies. 

This uninstructed plein air series offers artists of all levels the opportunity to paint outdoors in various inspiring South Shore locations. Each session will be guided by a different experienced plein air artist, providing insight into the plein air process without formal instruction. Participants will work independently while benefiting from the guidance and camaraderie of fellow artists. 

Each session begins with a 10-minute orientation led by the guiding artists, covering suggested compositions and tops for working in the environment. At the end of the session, participants will gather for an optional 15-minute discussion too are work and experiences. 

In case of inclement weather, sessions may be rescheduled. 

Registration is required. Limited spots available per session. No refunds or pro-rating for missed sessions. Leading artists will contact students prior to the session for parking info, etc. 

Open to all skill levels, artist must bring all their own supplies. 

Dive into summer with a new hobby!  Come learn the addictive, portable, hand stitching craft of English Paper Piecing. Gather your fabric scraps or pickup a handful of fat quarters in varying colors and motifs.  We’ll play with tessellating patterns using the classic hexagon shape.  No experience necessary!

About the Instructor: Marissa Flynn

Marissa Flynn has always been a maker at heart.  As a young mother, she gravitated toward the portable, hand sewing art of English Paper Piecing. EPP brought her the freedom to create wherever and whenever she found a pocket of time, while also being a slow, meditative craft. When her family moved abroad to Asia, this portable craft accompanied her and was a tool she relied on to establish community.  Most recently, while living in Seoul, South Korea, Marissa began a weekly fiber arts meet up, where women came together to craft and share their experiences of life abroad.  Now, after almost six years away from home, her family is settling back into life on the South Shore. 
Materials List:

• Cotton fabric scraps or fat quarters in a variety of colors and patterns
• Spool of all purpose thread in cream or light gray

• Milliners needle in size 9,10, or 11
• Fabric scissors or rotary cutter

• Hexagon paper pieces in your size of choice 
• Hexagon acrylic template in corresponding size

This uninstructed plein air series offers artists of all levels the opportunity to paint outdoors in various inspiring South Shore locations. Each session will be guided by a different experienced plein air artist, providing insight into the plein air process without formal instruction. Participants will work independently while benefiting from the guidance and camaraderie of fellow artists. 

Each session begins with a 10-minute orientation led by the guiding artists, covering suggested compositions and tops for working in the environment. At the end of the session, participants will gather for an optional 15-minute discussion too are work and experiences. 

In case of inclement weather, sessions may be rescheduled. 

Registration is required. Limited spots available per session. No refunds or pro-rating for missed sessions. Leading artists will contact students prior to the session for parking info, etc. 

Open to all skill levels, artist must bring all their own supplies. 

This uninstructed plein air series offers artists of all levels the opportunity to paint outdoors in various inspiring South Shore locations. Each session will be guided by a different experienced plein air artist, providing insight into the plein air process without formal instruction. Participants will work independently while benefiting from the guidance and camaraderie of fellow artists. 

Each session begins with a 10-minute orientation led by the guiding artists, covering suggested compositions and tops for working in the environment. At the end of the session, participants will gather for an optional 15-minute discussion too are work and experiences. 

In case of inclement weather, sessions may be rescheduled. 

Registration is required. Limited spots available per session. No refunds or pro-rating for missed sessions. Leading artists will contact students prior to the session for parking info, etc. 

Open to all skill levels, artist must bring all their own supplies. 

This uninstructed plein air series offers artists of all levels the opportunity to paint outdoors in various inspiring South Shore locations. Each session will be guided by a different experienced plein air artist, providing insight into the plein air process without formal instruction. Participants will work independently while benefiting from the guidance and camaraderie of fellow artists. 

Each session begins with a 10-minute orientation led by the guiding artists, covering suggested compositions and tops for working in the environment. At the end of the session, participants will gather for an optional 15-minute discussion too are work and experiences. 

In case of inclement weather, sessions may be rescheduled. 

Registration is required. Limited spots available per session. No refunds or pro-rating for missed sessions. Leading artists will contact students prior to the session for parking info, etc. 

Open to all skill levels, artist must bring all their own supplies.