Art Gems & Art Bites

May 24 - AM  - Intricate Dotillism with Jolene HassardLearn the techniques of dotillism, and the basics of makingconsistently sized dots to create an image. We will cover patternlayout, the techniques of dot making, and making patterns tocreate floral images. The end result will be a 4”x4” canvas with asimple...

May 9 – Luscious Landscapes – Joan Larson Four hours of fun learning the basics of Landscape Painting in Pastel! We will cover: trees, trees and more trees; how to use your greens for believable landscapes; how to create distance and depth through Atmospheric Perspective; Basic Perspective; Skies and Clouds.  We...

May 2 – Mosaics – Debra Hagen Feel like creating with a medium that’s been used for thousands of years? In this class you will have the opportunity to do just that! We will be using a glass tile from Italy called smalti. It comes in many different colours and...

April 25 – Keeping it Simple: Acrylics with Tom Shardlow Painting can be one of the most difficult and complex of undertakings. There are many rules, all of which can be broken. However, keeping it simple can cut through the confusion and produce rewarding results. This one-day workshop will focus...

April 11 – Driftwood (oil painting) – Elissa Anthony Here on the West Coast seascapes are a way of life for many artists. Driftwood comes in many shapes, sizes and colours. It can make or break your beach scene.  We will be painting with traditional oil paints with a focus...

March 21 – Fantastic Florals with Gelli Plates! - Linda Greig We will start in the morning by creating unique papers using a gelli plate and a variety of materials. During the afternoon session we will create an abstract floral painting using acrylic paint and the gelli prints we created...

March 28 – Drawing: Stretching Your Skills – Jennifer McIntyre Though artists strive to be original they are often encouraged/taught to draw realistically or formulaically.  This workshop includes exercises, games and skill development that help the participants draw in expressive ways that encourage creativity and originality  All materials provided About...

March 14 – Exploring Oil Painting – Margery Blom Covering the fundamentals of oil painting using several Techniques (Blocking, Layering, Alla Prima and Glazing) this workshop offers step-by-step guidance with demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and individual feedback to help students learn how to select and use materials, apply paint in different...

March 7 – Marks, Scars & Tattoos – Dennis Brown No not on you!!  On canvas or paper. Dennis will demo playing with various marks, then adding in scars and finally doing a form of tattooing. He will then provide individual guidance to each participant as they explore these features...

Feb 28 – Watercolour Sketching – Diane Micheline While sketching a landscape, we will identify the non-essentials and discuss composition, light and shadow.  With a limited palette and ink pen, you’ll create sketches in a variety of formats go home with your own little sketchbook to take everywhere for daily...

Feb 21 – Fun with Charcoal Portraiture – Peggy Burkosky Peggy will guide you with step by step instructions on how to compose a professional style portrait, using vine charcoal.  Once you have learned the basic composition of a portrait you will be able to begin sketching friends and family...

May 10 PM – Bold, Opaque Watercolours with Carol Ann OwersDiscover 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 yourwork to life. Perfect for all skill levels. Carol Ann’s engaging and supportive teaching style will guide you through...

May 10 AM – Unique Oil Pastels with Deborah Nicol An oil pastel is a painting and drawing medium in a stick! Explore this soft and blendable pastel to easily create vibrant and colourful images. All materials provided for this class. About the Instructor: Deborah Nicol is a versatile artist who works...

May 3 PM – Brilliant Alcohol Inks with Mary Unger In this session you will create with colourful alcohol ink using various tools andtechniques while making free flow abstract designs. All materials provided for this class. About the Instructor: Mary Unger was raised on the east coast of Canada and moved...

April 12 AM – Botanical Zentangle: Part 2 with Rita Blom Beginner Botanical Zentangle: Part Two - Shading techniques and pastel pencils. With Rita Blom (CZT42), discover your inner artist through the Zentangle technique of line drawing with a pen. Learn to bring dimension to your fantasy botanical pieces with shading and have...

May 3 AM – Palette Knife Painting with Deborah NicolA 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 canvas All materials provided for this class. About the Instructor: Deborah Nicol is a versatile...

Mar 22 PM – Needle Felting a Beach Scene with Darrell Giraldeau This Art Bites class will provide an introduction to needle felting. Students will have the opportunity to use wool to create a small 4x6 beach scene. Shells can be added after the class for more detail. All materials provided About...

Mar 22 AM – Acrylic Island Scene with Wide Brush with Alex Carr Paint a beautiful island landscape using bold strokes. Explore the possibility of acrylic and many marks you can make with a wide brush and get more comfortable laying paint down.  All materials provided About the Instructor: Alex...

Mar 15 PM – Impressionism 101 with Sylvie Peltier Come and learn about Impressionism and try your hand at a water lilypainting inspired by Claude Monet’s famous Blue Water Lily paintings.You will practice bold brushstrokes, painting loosely and usingcomplementary colours for a vibrant effect. All materials  provided About the Instructor:...

Mar 15 AM – Urban Sketching in Perspective with Jim Sears Create a pen and ink sketch, and bring a Qualicum streetscene to life utilizing linear and atmospheric perspective tocreate depth and a 3D picture on a 2D paper.  The pen andink sketch can be completed with watercolour or watercolourpencil....

Mar 8 PM – Hand Stitch a Quilt with Carolyn ShawUse fabric scraps, needle and thread to hand stitch a small “kawandi” quilt. This style of quilting has its roots in India and Africa. Sewing a kawandi is sustainable, relaxing, creative, fun and very addictive!  Even if you have never previously sewn, you...

Mar 8 AM – Mixed Media Mosaics with Debra HagenFeel like experimenting with a medium that’s been used forthousands of years?! In this class students will have the opportunityto use the most coveted of mosaic material, Italian smalti. This glasstile comes in many different colours and is treasured for its...

Mar 1 PM – Intricate Dotillism with Jolene HassardLearn the techniques of dotillism, and the basics of makingconsistently sized dots to create an image. We will cover patternlayout, the techniques of dot making, and making patterns tocreate floral images. The end result will be a 4”x4” canvas with asimple to...

Mar 2 AM - Fun with Gelli Plates with Alex CarrCome experiment with gelli plates and see what incredible papers, patterns and unique one of a kind mono-prints are possible to create.  Pick a favourite and make it to a greeting card.  All materials supplied. About the Instructor: Alex Carr is...

Feb 22 PM – Intro to Pastels: Pacific Shores Beach with Jolene Aarbo Join artist Jolene Aarbo for a relaxing two-hour introduction to pastel painting, inspired by the tranquil beauty of Pacific Shores Beach. In this beginner-friendly class, you’ll learn the basics of working with soft pastels — from layering color and blending techniques...

Fascinating Fluid Art with Barbara Townsend Sun Apr 26th 2026 -1-3pm 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. All materials provided...

Paint and Play with Watercolour with Carol Ann Owers Sun April 26 2026 - 10AM -12PM 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...

 Miniature Painting with Lynn Orriss Sun April 12 2026 - 1-3pm   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...

Double Art Bites– Decoding Colour Theory with Margery Blom Sun Mar 29 2026 10am-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 Gems - Abstract Expressionism with Patricia Carroll Sat April 18, 10 am - 2pm When viewing abstract paintings one might feel that abstracts are easy. Well… anyone can throw paint on a surface, but making that surface personally satisfying is not so easy. Join me in creating an abstract...

Feb 15 AM – Botanical Zentangle: Part 1 with Rita Blom Back by popular demand! Draw fantasy botanical shapes on plain tiles and pre-dyed tiles. Have fun as Rita guides you through the process of discovering your inner artist through the Zentangle technique of line drawing with a pen and...

Feb 22 AM – Abstract Painting with Texture with Kat Cearns We will be creating small, abstract, textured paintings on a cradled woodpanel. This will be an introduction into using highly textured paint withscrapers and palette knives. With planning, mixing materials, and usingtools you’ll create your own abstract, textured composition....