No products in the cart.
Select a Collection:
McMillan Arts Centre
Parksville, BC, located in Oceanside, Vancouver Island
The MAC presents
Art Bites
Art Bites is all about low-risk experimenting. Try something out – see if you like the materials and the medium. Then keep going, or try something new.
What is Art Bites?
The philosophy for the MAC’s School for the Creative Arts has always been centred on encouraging people to explore their creative side.
We’re delighted about all the workshops and classes we have at the MAC, and how Aging Artfully is reaching seniors in our community, and we’ve been happy to see kids in our summer programs. But something was missing.
When talking to visitors to the MAC, many people indicated an interest in learning or trying out an art form, but there are barriers; classes are too long, too expensive, or require a long supply list of materials. “What if I were to try something and decide I didn’t like it? What if I was no good at it?”
So we set out to create a program series that would address these issues and bring back the fun in getting messy and making art.
- It would be fun and welcoming
- It would be brief
- It would be reasonable in price
- It would include all materials for the class
- It would be taught by instructors who love to share their enthusiasm
Art Bites is all about low-risk experimenting. Try something out – see if you like the materials and the medium. Then keep going, or try something new.
We started in the Fall of 2018 with eight classes: Acrylics, Mark Making, Oils, Origami, Pastels, Watercolour Pencils, Watercolours and Zentangle. The classes grew and grew, often selling out in the first week, and by the fall of 2020, we added morning sessions to accommodate everyone. We were onto a great idea!
Art Bites has grown into an ongoing series of classes running Sundays each spring and fall, with one session 10-12 and a second session 1-3 pm. And we’ve expanded to include Creative Kids, Youth Art Lab, and Monday Art Gems programs to include options for emerging and growing artists of all ages.
We are so appreciative of the wonderful instructors who have come along on this ride with us, some who enjoy one or two classes here and there, and others who are with us on a regular basis. These artists are enthusiastic, welcoming, and encourage all their students to ‘just have fun!’ with their art. Thank you to all of them, and to our Art Bites participants who have taken the plunge with us!
Margery Blom and Rhonda Roy
School for the Creative Arts Faculty
Art Bites
Art Bites -Enchanted Gardens: Acrylics with Alex Carr Sun Sep 14, 10am-12pm Let’s get loose with acrylic paint and create a magical garden scene. Focusing on value and composition we will complete a flower scene using bold strokes and bright colours. All materials provided for this class.About the Instructor: Alex...
Art Bites -Palette Knife Painting with Deborah Nicol Sun Sep 14, 1-3pm A fun and creative session, using palette knife techniques and acrylics to create rich images by ‘smearing and scraping’ your paint (rather than paint brush methods), on your canvasAll materials provided for this class.About the Instructor: Deborah Nicol is...
Double Art Bites: Landscape Collage Using Gelli Plates with Merrilyn Laursen Sun Sep 14, 10 am-2pm Create a collage landscape from papers that you have made! In the first half of the class, you’ll will be creating papers, which you’ll use in the second half to create your landscape using...
Art Bites - Harvest Plein Air at Silver Meadows Farm with Peggy Burkosky Sun Sep 28, 10am-1pm Join us at Silver Meadows Farm for the last Plein Air class of the year. Fall is in the air, and we'll have a chance to paint the turning season. All art materials...
Art Bites - Botanical Zentangle with Watercolour Pencils - Rita Blom Sun Sep 28, 10am-12pm Zentangle is a meditative art form developed 20 years ago by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. It starts with an 8-step process that includes appreciation, creation and then more appreciation. In this class, we will cover...
Art Bites -Abstract Acrylics with Deborah Nicol Sun Sep 28, 1-3pm A brilliant session creating movement, form and design using bold acrylic paint colours and abstract techniques.All materials provided for this class.About the Instructor: Deborah Nicol is a versatile artist who works in a variety of mediums, and primarily in Acrylics....
$90.00
Double Art Bites: Decoding Colour Theory with Margery Blom Sun Oct 5, 10 am-2pm Open the doors to how colours work together to affect our emotions and perceptions. Discover how to mix, match and create while unveiling the mysteries behind colour theory. It is not just mixing, but knowing how...
Art Bites -Textures in Acrylics with Michelle Manke Sun Oct 26, 10am-12pm This class is an exploration of different acrylic texture mediums to create different effects in acrylic and mixed media. Students can choose to create a sampler, abstract or image painting. All materials provided for this class. About the...
Art Bites - Miniature Painting with Lynn Orriss Sun Oct 26, 1-3 pm Miniature Painting: A painting of very small dimensions, anything represented on a greatly reduced scale. We will be working in watercolour and ink to explore creating a true miniature painting. All materials provided for this class. About...
Art Bites - Intricate Pointillism with Jolene Hassard Sun Nov 2, 10 am-12 pm Learn the techniques of pointillism, and the basics of making consistently sized dots to create an image. We will cover pattern layout, the techniques of dot making, and making patterns to create floral images. The end...
Art Bites - Slow Stitch with Margie Davidson Sun Nov 2, 1-3 pm Learn how hand-stitching can be a relaxing, creative, mindful art practice and how it connects to the “slow movement” culture. All materials provided for this class. About the Instructor: Margie Davidson is a quilt artist and surface...
Art Bites -Paint & Play with Watercolours with Carol Ann Owers Sun Nov 9, 10 am-12 pm Dive into the world of watercolour in this fun, beginner-friendly art bite class.Discover how to create beautiful washes, blend colour, and add unique textures with simple, easy-to-learn techniques. By the end of the...
Art Bites - Alcohol Ink with Mary Unger Sun Nov 9, 1-3 pm In this session you will create with colourful alcohol ink using various tools and techniques while making free flow abstract designs.All materials provided for this class.About the Instructor: Mary Unger was raised on the east coast of...
Art Bites - Fascinating Fluid Art with Barbara Townsend Sun Nov 16, 10 am-12 pm Create a fluid art painting using acrylics and a variety of pouring mediums. You’ll find out how to guide and work the mixtures to create the desired results, and finish your unique piece of fluid...
Art Bites - Fabric Collage with Margie Davidson Sun Nov 16, 1-3 pm Explore collage using fabrics to create abstract or realistic compositions. Three different fabric attachment techniques will be covered to create fabric collage compositions, and examples of both abstract and realistic compositions will be shared. You’ll finish class...
Art Bites - Playful Portraits with Michelle Manke Sun Nov 22, 10am-12pm This class is a fun, casual approach to drawing proportionally pleasing faces, then adding colour and embellishments to create unique portraits of real or imaginary people. Students will be able to draw several faces and create one canvas...
Art Bites - Bold, Opaque Watercolours (Gouache) with Carol Ann Owers Sun Nov 23, 1-3 pm Discover 'gouache' (opaque watercolour) in this fun, hands-on class. You’ll learn to create stunning pieces on both white and black watercolour paper, exploring how colour and contrast bring your work to life. Perfect for...
Art Bites - Indigenous Medicine Bag with Barbara Townsend Sun Nov 30, 1-3 pm Learn the meaning and the story of the traditional medicine bag, while creating your own unique piece using leather, glass seed beads and traditional tools. All materials provided for this class.About the Instructor: Artist and...
Double Art Bites: Wet Felting an Illuminated Vase with Darrell Giraldeau Sun Dec 7, 10 am-2pm Explore the art of wet felting and create a holiday themed illuminated vase. When your wet felted vase cover is complete, you’ll be able to add lights and have a lovely holiday centrepiece or...
Showing: 1 -19 of 19
