Come join expert teaching artist Tracy Grisman for an afternoon of painting and drawing in the great outdoors. In this 3-hour workshop, Tracy will share techniques learned from her studies and practice through many years of painting. You will start by choosing a scene, and then you'll learn how to go about painting or drawing what you see, using concepts of perspective, color choices, composition, edges, focal points and more — all while having fun! 

This workshop is for beginning to intermediate painters who would like to participate in a class that takes place in part on the periphery of the Northwind Art summer gala, which starts at 2:30 p.m. at Fort Worden State Park. That's the last half-hour of the class, when we'll soak up the festive energy and camaraderie of the event. Gala guests will have a chance to observe the workshop students from a distance, and see Northwind Art School in action.

LEVEL: Advanced Beginner to Intermediate

AGE GROUP: Adult (ages 18+)

SUPPLY INFORMATION

Please bring a sun hat, water bottle, sunscreen and layers. You may also want to bring an apron, camera or viewfinder. 

All art supplies will be provided, but students are welcome to bring their own. A list of optional supplies will be provided upon registration. 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR 

Tracy Grisman learned to paint with oils at Philadelphia College of Art in 1976 having won a Saturday school scholarship for young painters. Then while earning her nursing degree, Tracy learned more about the medium from Gary Moeller at Rogers State College in Oklahoma. Since then she has studied with oil painters Craig Nelson, Camille Przewodek, Daniel Keyes, Max Ginsburg, Peggy Kroll Roberts and others.   She has been a member of the Portrait of Society of America since 2005 and is a Cecilia Beaux member. 

Tracy has won many awards for her art, and has shown her work in many solo and group exhibits.  A lifelong learner, she continues to study with master painter Max Ginsburg. She particularly was drawn to portraiture at a young age, having asked many people to pose for her at a moment's notice.  In 1977 while living in Brazil as an exchange student with the American Field Service, she was inspired to continue with portraiture after drawing each family member of her Brazilian family. 

Tracy is excited to teach classes and share her knowledge with beginner to intermediate painters.  The main thing is to have fun while creating shapes of color!

Artist website: Tracy Grisman

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.

In this two-day workshop, you will interpret your observations of the Fort Worden State Park environment to create abstract art that is wholly your own. You’ll also expand your artist’s eye by learning different ways of seeing, loosen your grip on realism, and move into an exploration of essence. Teaching artist Meg Kaczyk guides you in an iterative approach, so you can lean into a variety of mediums, including watercolor, graphite, oil pastel and cut paper, to personally express the magic of the Olympic Peninsula landscape. Along the way, creative process insights are shared that can free your hand and strengthen your visual voice. 

LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate

AGE GROUP: Adult (ages 18+), Youth (ages 15-17)

SUPPLY INFORMATION

Students should bring:

• A smartphone or tablet with a camera or a digital camera. Photographing in the field can be the sole or supplemental source material for the workshop’s studio sessions.
• Whatever they may normally use for outdoor, informal field sketching such as portable sketchbook, watercolors, pencils, pastels, etc. Sketching in the field can be the sole or supplemental source material for the workshop’s studio sessions.

All other course materials and supplies are provided.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Meg Kaczyk guides artists of all levels in classes and workshops based on her own studio process. Her work is fed by daily life, the natural world, poetry, and a long-standing meditation practice. Originally trained as an illustrator and graphic designer, Meg has enjoyed a long creative career including art direction, graphic design, arts administration, and teaching. She exhibits her paintings across the region.

Artist website: Meg Kaczyk, @megkaczyk

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.

Have you ever seen painters out in the field capturing the beauty of the landscape before them, and wished you could do that? Well, you can! Painting outside can be an exhilarating experience. Join expert teaching artist Tracy Grisman for this two-day workshop of painting and drawing in beautiful Fort Worden State Park.

Tracy will go over the plein air basics of alla prima style — art made in one sitting and from life — sharing techniques learned from many years of painting. These two sessions will cover materials and setup, how to choose what to paint, block-in and development, light and shadow, color choices, composition, perspective, edges, and focal point. Join us for a weekend workshop to get you started on a lifelong adventure of learning and creating in the great outdoors! 

TOTAL COST: $160

Course Fee: $160

Non-refundable Materials Fee: $0

LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate

AGE GROUP: Ages 18+

SUPPLY INFORMATION

Students should bring their own easel, palette, paints, brushes, and canvases. A detailed list of supplies will be provided upon registration. Tracy will be demonstrating with oil paints and the workshop is open to any medium the student wants to work in. 

Please also bring a water bottle, sun hat, sunscreen and layers. You may want to bring an apron, camera or viewfinder. 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Tracy Grisman learned to paint with oils at Philadelphia College of Art in 1976 having won a Saturday school scholarship for young painters. Then while earning her nursing degree, Tracy learned more about the medium from Gary Moeller at Rogers State College in Oklahoma. Since then she has studied with oil painters Craig Nelson, Camille Przewodek, Daniel Keyes, Max Ginsburg, Peggy Kroll Roberts and others. She has been a member of the Portrait of Society of America since 2005 and is a Cecilia Beaux member. 

Tracy has won many awards for her art, and has shown her work in many solo and group exhibits. A lifelong learner, she continues to study with master painter Max Ginsburg. She particularly was drawn to portraiture at a young age, having asked many people to pose for her at a moment's notice. In 1977 while living in Brazil as an exchange student with the American Field Service, she was inspired to continue with portraiture after drawing each family member of her Brazilian family. 

Tracy is excited to teach classes and share her knowledge with beginner to intermediate painters. The main thing is to have fun while creating shapes of color!

Artist website: Tracy Grisman

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.

You may know the term “ekphrastic” — when a poet is inspired by a work of visual art and writes from that inspiration. In this 3-hour workshop, we turn the ekphrastic process around: You get to read and reflect on poems, and then respond with your visual creations.

Teaching artist Meg Kaczyk provides plenty of choices, including poetry from well-known writers such as David Whyte, Liesl Mueller, Mary Oliver, William Stafford, Billy Collins and other contemporary poets. Meg also guides you in exploring different modes of expression, including typographic, narrative, symbolic and non-representational ways to convey the feelings and the tone of the poems. Your art will honor the mystery of the poet’s magic, tapping into the reciprocity possible between art forms. Prior to the first class, students will receive an email with a poem packet and guidance on supplies. 

TOTAL COST: $80

Course Fee: $80

Non-refundable Materials Fee: $0

LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate

AGE GROUP: Ages 15+

SUPPLY INFORMATION

You’re invited to bring your own supplies and work with your favorite mediums. The exploration is in the expression itself, and not training with the mediums. Please have your supplies ready and handy in preparation for making art.

Any kind of dry or wet media is great! Some suggestions: collage with painted or colored papers, acrylic, watercolor, oil pastels, water soluble oil pastels, soft pencil. Mixed media can be a good way to work too. Please bring a generous supply of papers in small to medium size formats, approximately 4" x 6" to 10" x 12".

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Meg Kaczyk guides artists of all levels in classes and workshops based on her own studio process. Her work is fed by daily life, the natural world, poetry, and a long-standing meditation practice. Originally trained as an illustrator and graphic designer, Meg has enjoyed a long creative career including art direction, graphic design, arts administration, and teaching. She exhibits her paintings across the region.

Artist websites: Meg Kaczyk, @megkaczyk

DISCOUNTS

This course is eligible for a 10% member discount at the Supporter level and beyond. Get a membership today!

Don's Pharmacy and Art Toolkit in Port Townsend offer a 10% discount for Northwind Art School students.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.

This class is for beginners with a little or no experience painting with acrylics, as well as for those who are coming back to painting and would like a little help getting started again. We will explore the basics of acrylics including materials, surfaces, brushes and other tools, then a little about color theory, color mixing, paint application, and composition — and then we'll move into techniques!

In this fun one-day workshop, teaching artist Beth Herrild takes you through her creative process.  She will demo how she paints trees, and you'll then create a background and paint your own trees or whatever subjects you choose. You'll also have a chance to paint on a couple of different surfaces. 

The natural world is full of endless inspiration! Beth loves painting trees because they are easy to draw: nature comes in all shapes and sizes and isn't perfect! When you complete the class, you'll have one completed (or almost complete) painting, and you'll be ready to take your paints and brushes home and continue painting and exploring on your own. 

LEVEL: Beginner

AGE GROUP: Adult (ages 18+)

SUPPLY INFORMATION

At minimum, you should bring acrylic paints in the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), white, and black. No craft paints, but the acrylics you bring don't have to be high end. Beth recommends a set of Liquitex basics, but if you already have some tubes of another brand they should work (as long as they're not liquid craft paints).

For brushes, Beth recommends having a couple of flats, around 1/2" wide and around 1" inch wide. If they're not exactly those sizes no big deal. 

You can bring your own canvas board if you have one, or use what is available at Northwind Art School.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Beth Herrild is a mixed media acrylic painter on Whidbey Island. Her work is an exploration into our perception of the physical world, its importance in our lives, and how our understanding is shaped by our environment and our own perceptions and attitudes. She combines vibrant color, value, and texture, to create pieces that balance the representational and abstract. She has an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and a Master's in Whole Systems Design. Many years ago she was fortunate enough to see the profound impact art can have in people's lives. She taught art to children, as an art docent, in public schools for over 12 years, taught at a juvenile detention center, worked with youth & young adults experiencing homelessness, and currently teaches art to inmates at the Island County jail. She shows her work at Cultus Bay Glass on Whidbey Island. 

Artist Website: Beth Herrild, @bethherrild_art

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.

In this new workshop, you'll explore the tactile, expressive, and meditative qualities of shape and line. Teaching artist Meg Kaczyk will guide you through simple visual prompts that inspire symbol-making. Over two hours, you'll develop your own personal visual vocabulary through repetition, creating unique symbols using a variety of dry and wet media — including sumi ink, charcoal, acrylic, and graphite — as well as subtractive techniques like erasure and resist.

Mark-making as a practice encourages relaxation while building a practical understanding of how different media respond to different surfaces, helping you develop line and symbol as elements of your art. You'll leave with a bound booklet of your exploration pages.

TOTAL COST: $90

Course Fee: $60

Non-refundable Materials Fee: $30

LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate

AGE GROUP: Ages 15+ 

SUPPLY INFORMATION

All supplies are provided. 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Meg Kaczyk guides artists of all levels in classes and workshops based on her own studio process. Her work is fed by daily life, the natural world, poetry, and a long-standing meditation practice. Originally trained as an illustrator and graphic designer, Meg has enjoyed a long creative career including art direction, graphic design, arts administration, and teaching. She exhibits her paintings across the region.

Artist website: Meg Kaczyk, @megkaczyk

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.

Ready to quiet your inner critic, and just play with paint? This expanded 4 ½-hour workshop is all about jumping into the colorful world of cold wax and oil painting — with zero expectations and maximum fun. The extra time gives us room to slow down, experiment, build multiple layers, experience the magic of cold wax and oil, and—most importantly—play without feeling rushed.

We’ll explore the magic of making messes, happy accidents, and discovering what happens when you let go of needing it to be “good.” We’ll dive deep into texture, mark-making, and the delicious satisfaction of layering and scraping paint.

In this relaxed yet dynamic class, you’ll learn:

• The Mix: How to blend cold wax with oil paint (it’s like frosting!).
• The Texture: Using tools to build rich, touchable surfaces.
• The Marks: Using everyday objects to create visually interesting patterns.
• The Reveal: The joy of layering — and then scraping it all back to see what’s underneath.
• The Flow: Working on multiple pieces at once to keep the creativity moving.

Perfect for: Total beginners, "stuck" creatives, or anyone who’s ever said “I’m not an artist.” (Spoiler: You are!)

TOTAL COST: $135

Course Fee: $110

Non-refundable Materials Fee: $25

LEVEL: Beginner to Advanced

AGE GROUP: Adult (ages 18+), Youth (ages 15-17)

SUPPLY INFORMATION

All supplies including paints, surfaces, and wax will be provided. You are welcome to bring old paintings to paint over! To prepare them for class, lightly sand the surface and prime with Gesso. 

Students will have a half-hour lunch break and are encouraged to pack a lunch. 

This is a fragrance-free classroom. Please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, or other strongly scented products.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Raised in Washington State by mountaineering and sailing parents, Suz Carroll grew up with nature as her closest companion. Years spent watching clouds shift, water sparkle, and horizons stretch continue to inspire her art today.

After a long career in business and coaching—including earning an International Coaching Federation certification as a Jungian Life Coach in 2022 — Suz turned fully toward her creativity. In early 2023, she began painting daily and quickly discovered cold wax as a medium that thrives on letting go of control. Within months, she sold her first piece and embraced her true path as an artist.

Her work is guided by five principles: create without attachment, create with joy, embrace imperfection, step away when it feels like “work,” and always go with the flow.

Artist website: Horizon and Spice Studio

DISCOUNTS

This course is eligible for a 10% member discount at the Supporter level and beyond. Get a membership today!

Don's Pharmacy and Art Toolkit in Port Townsend offer a 10% discount for Northwind Art School students.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.

The practice of art journaling can be profoundly and quietly helpful. Designed for those who are interested in journaling as a tool for reflection and response to life, this workshop will spark the possibilities of words and images that are uniquely yours. Through writing prompts and art-making exercises, Meg will guide the creation and completion of your own small journal – an expressive, flexible process that can inspire your future journaling.

TOTAL COST: $130

Course Fee: $120

Non-refundable Materials Fee: $10

LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate

AGE GROUP: Ages 15+

SUPPLY INFORMATION

A high-quality art journal will be provided to all students.

Students should bring:

Notebook or notepad and pen for writing;

Art supplies of your choice – any wet or dry media, collage materials, etc.;

Images you like from your phone, or printed materials;

A snack for break time.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Meg Kaczyk guides artists of all levels in classes and workshops based on her own studio process. Her work is fed by daily life, the natural world, poetry, and a long-standing meditation practice. Originally trained as an illustrator and graphic designer, Meg has enjoyed a long creative career including art direction, graphic design, arts administration, and teaching. She exhibits her paintings across the region.

Artist websites: Meg Kaczyk, @megkaczyk

DISCOUNTS

This course is eligible for a 10% member discount at the Supporter level and beyond. Get a membership today!

Don's Pharmacy and Art Toolkit in Port Townsend offer a 10% discount for Northwind Art School students.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please email admin@northwindart.org if you wish to withdraw or for more information.