Art Prompt Cards
An Intuitive Mixed Media Workshop

With Jennie Levesque

September 20

1-4pm

Step away from the pressure of "getting it right" and into the joy of creating without a plan. In this workshop, we'll explore intuitive painting using a variety of mixed media ; paint, ink, collage, mark-making, and more, letting color and texture lead the way rather than a fixed idea of the outcome.

Once our intuitive paintings are complete, we'll transform them into a personal deck of art prompt cards: cutting, layering, and adding hand-lettered prompts and affirmations that reflect your own creative voice. Each card becomes a small, meaningful object, something you can return to whenever you need a spark of inspiration, permission to play, or a gentle nudge to start creating again.

No experience or "talent" required just a willingness to experiment, embrace imperfection, and trust the process. Come ready to get a little messy and leave with a one-of-a-kind deck made entirely by your own hands.

$35

Cyanotype Botanical Printing

With Emily Lutze

September 27

1-4pm



In this course students will learn how to do cyanotype printing using transparency photographs and botanicals. These images are exposed and charged in the sun creating beautiful indigo impressions.

Materials will be provided.

About Emily:

I am an avid artist and photographer. I revamped and revitalized the photography and fibre arts programs at EMCS, as a fine arts educator I have enjoyed watching students, creativity blossom and grow. As a photographer, I have enjoyed experimenting with the cyanotype process as it marries my love of photography with my love of botanicals.

$35

Meditative Painting
With Emily Lutze

October 11

1-4pm



Artist ability is not required for this workshop, just a willingness to let go of restraints and tap into your intuitive self. We will paint an abstract piece as we listen to healing sounds. Come ready for connection and creative space for healing.

Material will be provided.

About Emily:

I am an avid artist and photographer. I am also a reiki practitioner and was a high school counselor for 5 years. I feel as though art is a place for healing and everyone should have access to it no matter how experienced they are. This class is specifically created to inspire creativity as a meditative experience. Please bring intuition and intention.

$35

Make Your Own Magic Wand
With Jennie Levesque

October 17

1-4pm

Step into a bit of everyday magic. In this hands-on workshop, you'll craft your own one-of-a-kind wand; no wizarding degree required. Using simple materials (think: hidden household staples, paint, hot glue, and raw quartz crystal points), we'll transform humble objects into something enchanted, personal, and entirely your own.


Whether you're channeling a favourite story, a bit of whimsy, or your own inner spellcaster, you'll leave with a wand that's as unique as you are and maybe a little more magic in your everyday. No experience necessary. All materials provided.

Note: This workshop will be held on SATURDAY, October 17; it is not a Sunday session.

$35

Wet Felting
With Lynda Slater

October 18

1-4pm



Have fun making a wool felted little bowl. Learn the basics of wet felting and take home a cute little bowl.

Please if possible come dressed in clothes that withstand wet! Please bring 2 towels for use. They will get wet so no need to worry about the towels being ruined. Also bring a container for water, large yogurt container will suffice.

About Lynda:

I have always been enthralled with textiles all my life. Spinning, weaving, sewing and dyeing have all been explored. The last 40 years, dyeing has been top of the list. Over the years I have had the good fortune to study different dyes, techniques and fibres in various places: Italy, Bali, Java, USA and Canada. I dyed thousands of kilos of silk for Treenway Silks and when the company was sold and moved to the USA, I found other ways to use my dye skills. Some of my dyed silks were used to make a sash for the Queen so somewhere in the bowels of Buckingham palace are silks dyed in Sooke. Wet felting and Nuno felting are fun techniques to learn as there are no mistakes!

$35

From Reference to Masterpiece

Laying the foundation for a great painting from reference material

With Linda M Anderson

October 25

1-4pm



1. Choose photos with strong lighting and value structures.

2. Discover your personal interpretation of composition and design.

3. Answer the questions of why, for whom and what reactions or feelings you wish to invoke.

4. Learn to make color choices and styles of technique to engage the viewer.

5. Understand the importance of pre planning with thumbnails to explore values and interlocking shapes. 

$35

Painting with Words

With DK Eve

November 1

1-4pm

I’ve written a lot of bad poetry. I didn’t grasp the concept until taking several workshops with Juan de Fuca Poet Laureate Wendy Morton. As we walked her scenic, forested grounds, staring over the ocean to draw inspiration, it occurred to me that writing poetry is much like painting. It’s more than telling a story in a concise and rhythmic form. In this workshop, we’ll look at words in a new way and be guided in creating poetry, with activities to suit all writing levels. Whether you’re a beginning beginner looking to start or a seasoned poet wanting inspiration, this workshop will help you find and apply words in fresh and fun ways. Everyone will create their own original poetry.

What you need: something to write with such as a notebook and your favourite pen, or a laptop.

About DK Eve:

Presenter DK Eve is grateful to reside in traditional territory of T'Sou-ke people. She is a visual artist and writer who draws on Vancouver Island’s characters and settings in award-winning poetry and short prose published in several literary journals and anthologies. Her poetry has won awards in Vancouver Island Regional Library’s Poem in Your Pocket contest (2021) and Delta Literary Arts Society Poetry Contest (2022) and is featured in Where We Reside and Still Breathing (Sooke Writers Collective 2022 and 2025), Art and Word (Sooke Arts Council 2018), and Sea & Cedar Literature & Art Magazine (VIRL 2025).

$25

Colour Mixing to Paint the BC Coast

With Robin Woodworth

November 8

1-4pm



Experiment with colour mixing from 6-8 pigments to paint West Coast landscapes in a lively way. A limited palette helps us learn faster how to depict the light effects, values and colours that we see outside. Partly mixing two single pigments and maybe a bit a third gives us richer colour to apply while avoiding mud.

Robin will show how to achieve a greater sense of light in your paintings using the full range of value and colour contrasts.

About Robin:

Robin has been painting with acrylics for 20 years plus 25 years of watercolour before that. She’s experimented with oils. She paints outside and in the studio and sketches wherever she goes.

Questions? Contact Robin at:

woodworthrobin@gmail.com

250-884-1737

Supplies to Bring:

2 small canvases or panels - 9x12” is good. Larger than 12 x 16” takes too long.

Paper to experiment with colour mixing

Water vessel or other as needed for your painting medium

Paper towel or rags

3 brushes - a 1” flat, a medium flat or round, a liner or rigger brush

Your paints - a cool and warm of each primary (yellow, red, blue), an earth like burnt sienna or transparent red oxide and white if painting with acrylics or oils. Most painters in watercolour reserve the white paper as their white. 

IF you can, please bring Quinacridone Magenta PR122 as your cool red and Pthalo Blue Green Shade PB15:3 as cool blue. Together, these pigments can mix very transparent darks that contrast well with opaque mixes including white for sunstruck areas. 

Robin will bring some glazing liquid and soft gel to try out for acrylic mixes that dry with clearer colour than mixing with water alone. Both give more time painting outside.

Robin’s Colour Mixing Palette - one example of a limited palette

Benz. Yellow Light PY175

Yellow Ochre PY43

Cadmium Red Light PR106

Transparent Red Oxide PR101

Quinacridone Magenta PR122

Ultramarine Blue PB29

Pthalo Blue Green Shade PB15:3

Titanium White PW6

Single pigments work best for colour mixing. These are rated Lightfast 1 by Golden Acrylics. Benz Yellow Light is their substitute for Hansa Yellow Light which showed problems in lightfast testing. Pigment codes help you identify the same pigments across different manufacturer’s names. For example, Windsor Newton watercolour Windsor Yellow is a Benz Yellow.

$35

Watercolour Christmas Cards
With Linda M Anderson

November 15

1-4pm

Get creative for the holiday season by making your own watercolour Christmas cards! In this workshop, Linda Anderson will guide participants through creating festive cards using watercolour techniques. A selection of templates suitable for all levels of ability will be provided, giving you inspiration and a starting point for your own creations.

This workshop is also a great introduction to watercolour for those who are new to the medium. Whether you’re trying watercolour for the first time or already have some experience, you’ll have the opportunity to create your own unique cards to share with family and friends this holiday season.

$35

Instagram Basics for Artists
With Beth Cougler Blom

November 22

1-4pm

Would you like to feel more comfortable using Instagram to share your art and connect with others?

In this hands-on three-hour workshop, we'll explore what you want Instagram to do for you as an artist, what might be getting in your way, and how to develop an approach that fits the time and energy you actually have.

You'll get oriented to the basics of Instagram, explore ideas for what you could share, and learn simple techniques for taking more useful and interesting photos of your artwork. You'll have time to practice taking artful photos before learning how to turn one into an Instagram post, including writing captions, tagging and mentioning others, and scheduling posts. We'll also explore ways to interact and connect with others on Instagram.

Bring a smartphone or tablet you use for Instagram, with the Instagram app installed and an account you can access. Bring along 2–3 small pieces of your art if possible. You won't be required to publish anything on Instagram during the workshop if you don’t want to.

You'll leave with more confidence using Instagram and a manageable plan for how you'd like to use it to support your art practice.

About Beth:

Beth Cougler Blom is currently the Social Media Volunteer for the Sooke Arts Council. In her professional life, she is a learning designer and facilitator who has been running her own business for more than 15 years. She regularly uses Instagram and other social media to share her work and connect with clients and communities.

$35

Heritage Christmas Ornaments
With Linda M Anderson

December 6

1-4pm

Get into the holiday spirit by creating your own beautiful heritage-inspired tree ornament!

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to prepare a blown egg for decorating, choose from a selection of transparent paper designs, and apply your design using gloss medium. Finish your ornament with fancy ribbon and glitter varnish to give it a festive sparkle.

No previous experience is necessary, and all supplies are provided. You’ll leave with a unique, old-fashioned-inspired ornament to hang on your tree or give as a special holiday gift.

$35