Featured
Intuitive Watercolor
Intuitive Watercolor: Expression and Perception
Five Wednesdays Oct 8—Nov 5, 6:30-9:00pm
Cost: $200-$275 sliding scale* plus materials (see supplies list below)
Imagine actively harnessing your creativity through play while also learning the techniques to hone your skill. In this new watercolor class with Paige Quinn-Vasic, you’ll paint imaginatively and create in conversation with your expressive subject instead of against it. Instead of trying to reproduce the beauty of our subject in exactly the same way, we will exercise creative choice and liberties with the unique properties of watercolor. While you will be learning techniques in watercolor such as building washes, working wet into wet and dry, and color theory, you’ll also grow to appreciate the meditative nature of the medium itself. There is a quality to watercolor unlike any other medium that allows for moments of serendipity, happy accidents, and bold expression. Use these occurrences to your advantage to render dreamscape atmospheres or whimsical textures that transition from one subject to the next. You’ll create 2-3 paintings throughout the course with tailored guidance from the instructor.
To register, please email programs@nohoarts.org with your name, address, phone number, and which session you are registering for. Payment can be made via PayPal here, or by mailing a check made out to NCFA to PO Box 366, Northampton, MA 01061.
*Payments on the upper end of the sliding scale help support our continued commitment to accessibility, including sliding scale models and the NCFA Community Fund.
Paige Quinn-Vasic is a local working artist who is trained in many creative mediums such as painting, printmaking, ceramics, and more. She completed her bachelors in fine arts and art education at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which drove her to explore an interdisciplinary practice. Her medium of choice in the last few years has been collage with painted paper, but recently got back into oil painting. The feeling of manipulating color is meditative in a way that other processes feel more removed from the quality of direct play. Her practice tends to hop between mediums as she follows the whims of her creative inner child, exploring whimsy, peculiar curiosities, and microaggressions. Since moving to Northampton in 2023, she has earned a LCC grant for her community project, Noho Art Club, and dove into teaching workshops. You can see more of her work at www.paigesquinn.com or @paigesquinn and @nohoartclub on Instagram
WATERCOLOR SUPPLY LIST
The instructor will have some paint tubes to share small amounts of paint and paper you can buy by the sheet as you go, but do not rely on them to provide full palettes ready for students.
PAPER:
1 full sheet (22 x 30) hot press watercolor paper
2 full sheets (22 x 30) rough watercolor paper
Brands: Arches, Fabriano, Canson, Waterford, Whatman, Strathmore (budget)
A small (at least 8 x 10) spiral watercolor pad
BOARD
To hold 15 x 22 size paper so should be a few inches larger in both directions.
Masonite is best though corrugated cardboard and foamcore will do in a pinch
PAINTS:
Please avoid cheap sets like Reeves, Maries, Sakura etc. They will create poor paintings. Tube paints only and please bring all the tubes to class Stick to quality brands like Winsor Newton Cotman or Professional, Grumbacher Academy, Da Vinci, Holbein, Schminke, and Van Gogh. The catalogue stores/online like Dick Blick and Cheap Joe’s (American Journey) have their own brand which is very good and cheaper. Colors: any white, any black, ultramarine blue, pthalo blue, alizarin crimson, cadmium red (or hue), cadmium yellow (or hue), yellow ochre Additional colors if you want to add more are cadmium orange, dioxazine purple, lemon yellow, and permanent rose.
BRUSHES: Good brushes – a combo of synthetic and natural- are essential. Poor brushes lose many hairs and flatten out when used which will frustrate the painter. So stay away from cheap sets. Sizes: Rounds # 4, 8, 12. Also, a Japanese Hake brush at least 1 ½” wide as well as a small stiff bristle brush (used for oil painting)
PALETTE: large rectangular palette around 10 x 14, like a John Pike palette, with wells for paint all around and large mixing area in the middle. Again, the online art companies sell their version of this palette for half the price of the other brands. Please don’t get the small round ones with a small area for mixing in the middle. They won’t do.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Small color wheel
Blue painters tape (like masking tape) from hardware store
Liquid mask (sometimes called frisket) non-permanent
White vinyl eraser
#2 pencil
Rubber cement pick-up
Black fine permanent marker (micron is good)
2 Water containers (deli containers, big yogurt container)
Small portfolio to carry artwork home – not mandatory.
Paper towels
Machine Sewing with Confidence
Machine Sewing with Confidence
Session One—Sewing Machine 101: Three Sundays, Sept 14-28, 4-6pm
Session Two—Make and Mend: Three Sundays, Oct 5-19, 4-6pm
Cost:$100-$175 sliding scale* per session, plus supplies (below)
Do you have a sewing machine that’s gathering dust? Do you want to feel more confident with your sewing?Brush it off and untangle the challenges of machine sewing! Session One is for you if you want to learn your machine inside and out with personalized support. Discover what you can do with all of those stitches, from basic to advanced. We will cover machine set up, basic stitches and their applications, and more advanced skills like buttonholes and zippers. Session Two is a great place to level up your machine sewing skills. Are you not well served by fashion sizing? Do you want to learn how to customize thrifted clothing to fit your body and your personal expression? This class is perfect for folks who completed “Sewing Machine 101” or for home sewists who are already confident with their machines but want to expand their expertise. We will focus on building and/or improving wearable items, and making simple alterations. Unlock the life changing magic of adding pockets to any garment you want!
For questions or to register, please email programs@nohoarts.org. If registering, please include your full name, mailing address, and phone number. Payment may be made in advance via PayPal here or by check to “NCFA” mailed to the Northampton Center for the Arts, PO Box 366, Northampton MA 01061.
*Payments on the upper end of the sliding scale help support our ongoing commitment to accessibility and sliding scale models. If financial assistance is needed, participants may apply for Community Fund support
Michelle Sullivan is a lifelong home sewist with a special interest in garment history, engineering, design and construction. Michelle holds a BA in Theater from UMass Amherst, and continues to enjoy a 29 year career as an educator in Hampshire and Hamden counties.
Materials
Materials (please scroll down for complete list)
For both sessions:
Sewing machine
Fabric scissors
A spool of good quality, all purpose thread (example, Gutermann or Coates and Clark)
An empty bobbin spool
Seam ripper
Straight pins
For session 1:
Practice fabric-
At least 1/2 a yard or two “fat quarters” of mid weight, non-stretch fabric, (quilting cotton is fine)
At least 1/4 yard of stretch fabric (a stretchy tee shirt is fine)
For session two:
Materials are dependent on what you want to make. We will discuss personalized project plans during the first class and determine exactly what you need then. You can also bring in clothing that you wish to modify- things that need hemming, mending, size adjustments, or pockets added.
Figure Drawing and Anatomy
Figure Drawing and Anatomy
Six Mondays, Sept 15—Oct 27, 1:00-3:30pm (NO CLASS ON 10/13)
Cost: $250-$350 sliding scale,* plus supplies (Tuition covers the live model fee)
Learn how to capture the human form in this comprehensive "Figure Drawing and Anatomy" course taught by Don Smith. This class is designed for both beginners and experienced artists looking to refine their skills in creating realistic and accurate life drawings. Along with learning about the specifics of understanding human anatomy for artists, students will also better understand the fundamentals of drawing that are necessary to more accurately draw the human figure.
Key Focus Areas:
Anatomy: Learn how to build the human figure from basic shapes and how to recognize and apply anatomical (skeletal and muscular) benchmarks and construction lines to “build” figures.
Basic Drawing Processes: Develop a strong foundation in page composition, exploring how to arrange elements for balanced and dynamic drawings.
Measuring Techniques: Learn measuring techniques to capture accurate proportions and perspectives, ensuring lifelike representations of the human figure.
Volumetric Shapes: Understand how light, dark, and shadows interact to create volume and to describe solid anatomical forms for more realistic figures.
Foreshortening, Depth, and Perspective: Develop skills in foreshortening to accurately depict the human form in dynamic poses and create perspective in a three-dimensional space.
Lessons from the Masters: Study drawings and traditional drawing principles to gain insights into time-honored techniques and approaches to figure drawing.
Media: Discover drawing media options, including pencils, charcoal, and conte’ crayons to to effectively enhance your artwork, and develop your own individual style.
Throughout the course, students will draw from various models and lengths of poses, in an encouraging, supportive and collaborative learning environment. By the end of the course, you will have developed the confidence and technical skills needed to create anatomically accurate figure drawings.
For questions or to register, please email programs@nohoarts.org. If registering, please include your full name, mailing address, and phone number. Payment may be made in advance via PayPal here or by check to “NCFA” mailed to the Northampton Center for the Arts, PO Box 366, Northampton MA 01061.
*Payments on the upper end of the sliding scale help support our ongoing commitment to accessibility and sliding scale models. If financial assistance is needed, participants may apply for Community Fund support
Supplies:
Materials will be discussed in detail during the first class. For the first session, please bring a pad of drawing paper (newsprint not recommended) at least 16 x 20 or larger, a set of pencils, eraser, and a portable easel if you have one (optional). The cost for supplies need not exceed $20.
About the instructor: Local art students are familiar with Don Smith’s fine art courses offered throughout New England for nearly 20 years. His first class, and one he currently offers is “Drawing from the Classics”, an anatomy class conducted at the Springfield Museum of Art in their plaster casting gallery. He has taught various academic-based painting and drawing courses at the Springfield Museum School, and currently teaches painting and drawing courses at the Hill Institute in Northampton MA, as well as on-line classes, and annual workshops throughout New England. In additional to being a full-time artist and teacher, Don recently joined a non-profit in Willington CT as their new Managing Director to expand visual art education into northeast CT. Don earned a fine art degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Hoffberger School of Painting in Baltimore MD.
Make, Mingle, Be Merry!
Make, Mingle, and Be Merry!
A Cut Loose Collage Workshop with Michael Sjostedt
Saturday, November 15 from 10:00am to 12:30pm
Cost: $45-$75 sliding scale*, all materials included
Join Michael Sjosted of Cut Loose Collage for a special holiday collage workshop! Create your own unique decor or gifts while experimenting with collage using vintage magazines and ephemera. Enjoy a joyful and stress-free atmosphere, where making art with others becomes a fun and memorable holiday experience. Unleash your creativity and celebrate the season with us!
To register, please email programs@nohoarts.org with your name, address, and phone number. Payment can be made via PayPal here, or by mailing a check made out to NCFA to PO Box 366, Northampton, MA 01061.
*Payments on the upper end of the sliding scale help support our continued commitment to accessibility, including sliding scale models and the NCFA Community Fund.
About the instructor: As the founder of Cut Loose Collage Workshops, Michael Sjostedt offers laid-back classes for all skill levels. These sessions foster a fun, stress-free environment where participants can experiment, let go of perfection, and connect with fellow creators. Through design exercises, he guides participants in exploring new techniques and challenging unhelpful inner narratives. His blog series, Make Art, Feel Better, explores how art making can enhance well-being. @michaelsjostedt
Noho Art Club with Paige Quinn-Vasic
Noho Art Club
Friday 11/8, 5:00-8:00pm
Friday 12/13, 5:00-8:00pm
FREE!
Paige Quinn-Vasic brings her popular Noho Art Club to NCFA during Arts Night Out! Check out the new exhibits at 33 Hawley, then head downstairs to Eli’s Room for a Noho Art Club meet-up! Come play with collage and gelli plate printing, and and check out Paige’s felt sushi demo, an original wet felting technique that she’ll be offering through the Center soon!
Center for the Arts Drawing Group
Wednesday mornings, 9:45am to 12:45pm, $15/session ($10/session if the month is paid in advance)
The Northampton Center for the Arts Wednesday Morning Figure Drawing Group is looking for artists to join us. Please email Steve at artfromsteve@gmail.com if you're interested in joining us.
Each Wednesday morning session begins with a nude model assuming a series of short poses that increase in length from 2 minutes to 30 minutes. There are no requirements other than a desire to draw, so bring your paper and pencil, water colors, crayons…whatever medium you choose. Beginners and experts and all in between are welcome. No critique or instructions, just drawing. Tables, chairs, and easels are provided.
Don’t be late!
Please, no fixatives sprays or other materials with noxious odors.
The Drawing Group will begin meeting in Eli’s Room at 33 Hawley.