Artists' Workshop of New Smyrna Beach

Workshops

Want to attend our Workshops and need a place to stay?

We are happy to suggest Anchor Inn. Conveniently located within a mile of our studios, they offer the Artists’ Workshop NSB guests a discounted price when you mention AWI.

(386) 428-3499 | anchorinnbnb.com

January 2024

Luminous Floral Oil Painting

Meet your instructor

Michelle Held

Much like a pink spoonbill soaring through the dusky evening twilight, Michelle brings with her a splash of vibrancy, a flutter of unique perspective, and the beautiful song of nature in its truest form.

Michelle knew from a young age that she was meant to fly the vast skies of the art world with a palette and paints tucked beneath her eager wings. Passionately working as an artist and business owner for the past 30 years in Sarasota, Florida.

Michelle currently participates in invitational paint outs and is widely collected throughout the United States. She is also represented thriving galleries in the US and Ireland.

Her success in the art world has come from her winning combination of creative spark and imaginative nature along with her strong desire to evoke a feeling in her paintings. Often commissioned for custom paintings as well as murals, Michelle’s passion for wildlife and its ecosystems brought her to embrace the natural world through painting from life .

From serene, swampy marshes draped in ancient Spanish moss to tiny, rickety oyster towns bursting with rainbow buoys and boats, there is always a sight to behold. Michelle is passionate about the morning glow of a waking sun.

Michelle believes that evoking a feeling of light, space, and passion is the key to any successful contemporary painting. Michelle gives attention to composition, design and value and gives credence to a “go with the flow” attitude as well, and lets the painting direct her, instead of imposing her will on it throughout the entire process.

Plein air has set flight to many paint outs, the real victory however, has come with her love of teaching. There were so many who encouraged her, Michelle finds that paying it forward is the best way to fulfill the soul.

Instructor – Michelle Held

  • January 11 & 12, 2025

  • 9 am to 4 pm

  • Member $350
  • Non-Member $400

In this exciting floral oil painting workshop where artists will explore the art of color mixing and creating dynamic, eye-catching edges in their work. Whether you’re a seasoned painter looking to learn new techniques or a beginner looking to delve into the world of oil painting, this workshop is perfect for all skill levels.

Through a series of hands-on exercises and demonstrations, and working from life, you will learn techniques and dive deeper into the luminosity and juicy brushwork that oil paint allows you to create. You will also learn how to use edges to enhance depth and dimension in your paintings, creating dynamic and visually appealing compositions.

Led by Sarasota Fine Artist, Michelle Held, this workshop will provide you with the tools and techniques needed to take your painting to the next level. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn something new and expand your artistic horizons. Sign up today and unleash your creativity with color mixing, edges, and more in this exciting oil painting workshop.

Materials List
Registration Form

If paying by mail please complete the attached form

Purchase Online

The workshop is full. Please call the office to join the waitlist.

February 2025

Fundamentals of Oil Painting

Meet your instructor

Martha Ferguson

“My inspiration comes from the familiar subjects that surround me. I love to paint the scenes of old gritty towns, capturing the nostalgic feel of the area and local characters that walk the quaint streets. I am fortunate to share my vision through art while documenting precious moments in time.”

Martha Ferguson is a national, award winning artist from St Augustine, FL. Painting primarily in oil, she considers herself a contemporary impressionist and avid plein air painter. After college, Martha started her professional art career at the Jersey shore where she lived for 30 years. Moving to St Augustine in 2014, she joined local plein air groups that met regularly. Quickly learning the benefits of painting on location, she spends many days painting in the open air and participates in several distinguished invitational paint outs and juried shows. Martha was recently chosen by St Johns County and the city of St Augustine to accompany them to Aviles, Spain as a plein air artist in August of this year for the 100th anniversary of the “Sister Cities” relationship.

Instructor – Martha Ferguson
  • February 1 & 2, 2025

  • 9 am to 3 pm

  • Member $300
  • Non-Member $350

Focus on:

  • Strong Composition
  • Color and Values
  • Finishing elements
  • End with Critique
Materials List
Registration Form

If paying by mail please complete the attached form

Purchase Online

Paint like the Masters….with the Grisaille Method.

Meet your instructor

Tina Corbett Artist Statement:

When I create a painting, I love to evoke emotion in the natural beauty of things, inclining to paint in bold colors and extend on nature’s brilliance. I want my art to tell you a story, to lead you into the image and make you want to be there.

I want my viewers to feel what it is, and what it can be like. Envious of the old masters and of their skill and pride in their work I want to express myself the way the old masters expressed themselves. This leads me to continue to constantly improve my skills so I can capture the outdoors and all the beauty if offers.

Life will continue to guide me toward that artistic goal.

Tina Corbett Bio:

Presently living in High Springs, Florida, Tina Corbett is a fine art oil painter and pastelist. She has devoted her life to her love of art since she was a teenager in South Florida.  She studied Commercial Art at Miami Lakes Tech and served as the Postal Artist Illustrator for the South Florida District Post Office for almost 20 years until her move to northern Florida. There she has decided to pursue her first love, fine art oil painting.

In the past 10 years Tina has taken fine art workshops with some of the best art teachers in the country and has also completed a full year of instruction on pastel with Marla Baggetta. Most of Tina’s works in oils and pastels are nature and wildlife oriented with emphases in Plein Air. Her art is still growing and experimenting with old masters and modern ways, sometimes depicting realism and abstraction in one piece.

Tina actively pursues Plein Air painting all over Florida and the Southern United States. This particular area of Florida has inspired her creativity with its “artsy” spirit and its wonderful array of springs, beautiful ranches, farms and historic “Old Florida”.

She is an active member of the First Coast Plein Air Society, First Coast Pastel Society, Gainesville Fine Arts Association, NOAPS – National Oil and Acrylic Painting Society, Pines and Palms Association in Valdosta GA and the Southeast Pastel Societ . She is the house artist in her own fine art gallery The Lanza Gallery & Art Supplies in High Springs, FL.  Tina regularly participates in various Art Festivals and Plein Air Events around the southern United States.

Tina’s past affiliations included The High Springs Art Coop for 6 years and served 6 years as a board member of Gainesville Fine Art Association.

www.tinacorbett.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/TinaCorbettArtist

Instagram – tinacorbettart

Instructor – Tina Corbett

  • Feb 8 & 9, 2025

  • 9 am to 4 pm
  • Member $300
  • Non-Member $350

DESCRIPTION:

Paint an underpainting in Grisaille and finish with glazes and impasto.

In this class we will start our painting by concentrating on our light and dark values. We will build our underpainting taking it to almost a finished simplistic black and white painting in acrylics. We will then see the color come to life with our oils using light glazes of colors and opaque’s to finish it off.  Our finished works will be a rich and in depth oil painting, in the style of the old masters.

Materials List
Registration Form

If paying by mail please complete the attached form

Purchase Online

March 2025

Painting the Landscape in Oils

Meet your instructor

Tom Sadler

Altamonte Springs, Fl
www.tomsadler.com

“Observing nature with the intention of creating a painting sparks a keener awareness and appreciation of the inherent beauty in all that we see. Discovering what most excites the eye and how to best communicate the essence of that to the viewer becomes a passion. At times the subject of the painting might be more about the manipulation of light than the physical subject. Other times the color or the atmosphere might become the most telling. To successfully communicate I feel that the canvas should in some sense “come to life” for myself and then hopefully the viewer.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Since moving to Orlando in 1983, Tom Sadler has dedicated his efforts toward capturing the light, color, and mood of the Central Florida landscape. The intense light, combined with the natural beauty of the many lakes, rivers and parks of the area provide a never-ending source of inspiration. His paintings come to life as a celebration of this beauty found in nature, sometimes exuberant, at other times more subtle.

Tom received his BFA at Auburn University. Sadler’s education included the study of oil painting with instructor Jack Dempsey at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, which Tom considers of utmost value. He also attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. Since that time he has studied the work of a variety of artists, each having different influences on his work. Sadler feels a pressing desire and necessity to paint each day. He feels that the door is just opening to the world of revealing all that is possible for him through his artwork.

AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS

• Best of Show Crescent Beach Paint-Out 2005, 2006, 2008
• Art in Embassy Luxembourg, Luxembourg 2011-2015
• Portrait of President of the Senate State Capital, Tallahassee, FL

Instructor – Tom Sadler

  • March 22 & 23, 2025

  • Studio B, 9 am to 4 pm

  • $325 Members
  • $375 Non-Members

Workshop Description

Bring your oil painting to life using light and color! We will learn to work effectively from the student’s photos or from photos that I will bring to class. We will learn about under painting and over painting and how to continue with a painting using glazes and scumbles. If we can darken a light with color and lighten a dark with color, then we should be able to bring any painting with a good composition to a successful conclusion and finish!

(Acrylic also acceptable)

Materials List
Registration Form

If paying by mail please complete the attached form

Purchase Online

April 2025

Color Makes me Happy

Acrylic, Immediate Level

Meet your instructor

Sally Evans

Sally has a BFA in Graphic Design and Fine Art from the University of South Carolina and began her career as a graphic artist. She transitioned into becoming a full-time painter in the early 90’s.  Expressive use of color and bold designs are the hallmarks of her style. Her subject matters range from plein air painting to figurative works of dogs and animals. She works with pastels, acrylics and mixed media.

Currently US Airways features her paintings in the US Airways Club at Tampa International Airport.  Her paintings were also on display in the American Embassy in Rome, through the Art and Embassies Program in 2001. Sally’s work has been selected as the featured art for several art festivals in Florida over the past ten years.  “Santa Fe Poppies” graced the cover of Tampa Bay Magazine in their September-October of 2002 issue. In Spring 2011 Sally was the featured artist of The New Barker magazine with her painting of “Bella and Bentley”.

Recently, Sally’s work has been exhibited in these prestigious exhibitions – Elements Of Expression 2013 NY. NY., National Society of Casein and Acrylic Painters 2016 NY. NY., International Society of Acrylic Painters Florida 2017 (honorable mention), Pastel Society of America 2017 NY. NY. and Acrylic Painters USA 2018.

Sally’s work has been featured in many art festivals around Florida including the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival in 2014. Her work is collected by celebrities and her lithographs have been showcased in the television show Nip/Tuck and the movies American Dreamz. and Rob Reiner’s 2017 film Shock and Awe. Sally is a signature member of The International Society of Acrylic Painters, Acrylic Painters USA, Associate member of Pastel Society of America and The National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic.

Website: www.sallyevans.com                                                             

E-mail: sally@sallyevans.com

Facebook: Contemporary Art and Pet Portraits by Sally Evans

Instagram: sallyevansfineart

Instructor – Sally Evans
  • April 5 & 6, 2025
  • 9 am to 4 pm
  • $325 Members
  • $375 Non-Members

Workshop Description

Join Sally for a transformative painting class where you’ll learn to make your paintings more dramatic and alive with color. This class is designed to enrich your paintings in a modern way by focusing on color theory, design, and self-expression.

Class Highlights:

  • Color Theory: Dive into the principles of color theory to enhance your artistic skills.
  • Design & Self-Expression: Learn to express yourself and design your paintings with confidence.
  • Acrylic Demonstrations: Sally will demonstrate techniques using acrylics, though you may choose to paint with oil if preferred.

First Day Activities:

  • Color Mixing Exercises: Engage in various exercises to master color mixing and selection.
  • Harmonizing Colors: Discover how to use colors to harmonize your paintings.
  • Understanding Values: Gain a deeper understanding of values, complementary colors, tints, tones, and grays through fun and insightful exercises.

Unlock the exciting mystery of color and bring your paintings to life with my expert guidance!

Sunday: Sally will demo a painting for students practice painting with her. It will be an animal painting applying color theories from Saturday’s lesson.

I do provide the drawing for Sunday for them to trace. We just painted a flamingo, but I have painted dogs and landscapes in the past.

Materials List
Registration Form

If paying by mail please complete the attached form

Purchase Online

May 2025

Freedom of Acrylic

Meet your instructor

Instructor – Jane Slivka
  • May 3 & 4, 2025
  • 9 am to 4 pm
  • $350 Members
  • $400 Non-Members

Workshop Description

Jane Slivka Acrylic Workshops offer not just painting instruction; they also inspire, motivate, amuse and entertain as she demonstrates her unique and energetic free-form technique; combining fast, bold, loose strokes and a signature tropical-colored palette into a valuable learning experience – Color and Courage “The Freedom of Acrylics.”

In a casual, charismatic, and user-friendly fashion, Jane challenges her students to complete two different paintings daily – from a whole host of subject matter – while teaching how to capture that same freedom, energy, and spirit seen in her own lively and acclaimed unique painterly style!

Materials List
Registration Form

If paying by mail please complete the attached form

Purchase Online

Studio & Gallery

​540 Barracuda Blvd
New Smyrna Beach
FL 32169

​(386) 424-9254

Gallery on Canal St.

115 Canal St
New Smyrna Beach
FL 32168

(386) 492-9995

Send Post

PO Box 1194
New Smyrna Beach
FL 32170

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Environmental Considerations

Disposal of Paint Waste Water

 

Download printable PDF: Environmental Considerations Disposal of Paint Waste Water

Artists’ Workshop has instituted two paint waste water disposal processes at our studio facility.

  • These processes apply to the dirty water that is created when painting with watercolor, gouache and acrylic or when using glue in a mixed media project.
  • Oil painters will not pour pigments or solvents into the sink and will dispose of their waste by removing it from the site.

Why are we doing this?

As artists, we want to help in keeping our groundwater as unpolluted as possible. Additionally, our lease requires it. The Wildlife Foundation of Florida is our landlord and the following statement is in our lease: “Sub-sublessee shall not use, generate, store, produce, place, treat, release, or discharge any contaminants, pollutants, or pollution, including, but not limited to, hazardous or toxic substances, chemicals, or other agents (except those used, stored, generated, and disposed of by sub-lessee in the operation of its allowed use of the sub-subleased premises) on, into, or from the sub-subleased premises or any adjacent lands or waters. Sub-sublessee shall only use, store, generate, and dispose of such hazardous substances in strict accordance with the law.”

The EPA holds a non-household facility, like Artists’ Workshop, to tighter disposal restrictions than it would for a household.

What does this mean to us?

We have consulted Jennifer Stirk, an environmentalist at the Tomoka Landfill about proper disposal of our waste water. She told us that

  1. We cannot dump waste water onto the ground.
  2. She also said that any waste water containing toxic substances cannot be poured down the sinks or disposed of in the Tomoka landfill. The list of EPA toxic substances is: arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead, mercury and selenium. Cobalt is not on this list and “hues” of these are usually okay, such as “Cadmium Yellow Hue” as they are made of other yellows, not using cadmium.
  3. It is best to discard a solid instead of washing everything down a drain. Allow unneeded paint to dry on the palette or in the jar and discard it in the trash.
  4. Acrylic pigments cannot be poured down the sinks.

What are we doing to address this?

We will be using 2 processes, the pigment disposal process and the sand disposal method. The first method is described on the “Just Paint” newsletter March 1996 from Golden Paint. The second process has been recommended by Kevin Tobin, a Golden Paint representative. Watercolor, gouache and glue waste water can be emptied into our sinks as long as no toxic substances are present. (If using glue with an acrylic project, it is recommended that the artist keep the glue water separate and pour it down the drain. It doesn’t pour well through the filter system in the pigment disposal process.) The pigment disposal process can be used for acrylic waste water as long as no toxic chemicals are present. The sand method can be used for both watercolor waste and acrylic waste either with or without toxic substances.

In both instances, artists need to wipe their brushes and palettes on paper towels and rags before rinsing in the water to reduce the amount of water used. These paper towels and rags will be put in the Tomoka Landfill garbage for proper disposal in the landfill. Once wiped off, rinse out the brushes in no more than two inches of water in your waste water container.

Pigment Disposal Process

This process uses a chemical reaction called flocculation to separate the water and the pigment. Once the clear water is skimmed off the top, the pigment is filtered and the filter is disposed of in the trash. This process cannot be used with toxic paints.
It uses common garden chemicals which are hazardous so read label precautions. Gloves are provided.

The instructions are as follows:

  1. Dump your waste water into the 5 gallon container in the studio filling it to either the one or 2.5 gallon level. 2.5 gallons is the maximum that can be processed in the 5 gallon container.
  2. Using the glass jar, mix the proper amount of aluminum sulfate into the jar, add a few ounces of clean water and mix thoroughly. For one gallon, use a well-rounded half Tablespoon. For 2.5 gallons of water, measure 1.5 Tablespoons. Pour into the waste water and stir vigorously with a wood paint stick.
  3. Add the proper amount of powdered lime and stir vigorously. For one gallon, this is a scant ¾ Tablespoon. For 2.5 gallons of water, measure 1 ¾ Tablespoon lime. Within a few minutes, flocculation of the solids should begin to occur. You should start to see a clear layer of water forming very quickly as the solids settle to the bottom. If, after several minutes, flocculation has not occurred, repeat steps 2 and 3.
  4. After the solids have settled, scoop off as much of the clear water as you can, using the pitcher, and pour it down the drain or outside.
  5. Assemble the filtering equipment as follows: Place TWO filters in the metal funnel and put them over another empty 5 gallon container. Pour the remaining dirty water onto the filters after flocculation has occurred. After the dirty water has been poured through the filters, the water in the 5 gallon container should be clear. If it is not, pour less into the filters in steps and let it filter through before adding more dirty water.
  6. Place the used filters into the garbage can with the other waste going to the Tomoka Landfill. The clean water in the 5 gallon container can now be poured outside on the ground or down the sinks.

Sand Disposal Method:

This process uses evaporation of the water out of the sand in a bucket.

Instructions are as follows:

An alternative method is available for disposing of waste water resulting from washing off brushes used for acrylic paints. There is an orange 5-gallon container in the large (north) studio filled 3/4rds of the way up with playground sand. During classes and open studio sessions, the bucket will be kept outside in the full sun. It is important that the bucket receive 5-6 hours of sunlight and that the lid be kept open (assuming it’s not raining). In the event of rain, the bucket will be kept indoors and, when not in use, a lid has been provided only if it must be kept outdoors. A ‘dent’ was first made in the top middle of the sand. After each day’s session, monitors or instructors are asked to simply turn over the sand lightly and restore the depression in the top surface of the sand.

As acrylic artists paint and need to clean off their brushes, they should first wipe them off on rags, paper towels or old phone books. We will attempt to keep some old phone books in the studios for our use. Once wiped off, rinse out brushes in NO MORE THAN TWO INCHES of water in your waste water container. No more water than this is needed to rinse off brushes and it is critical to the success of this process that acrylic artists don’t use too much water. It doesn’t matter if you use Cadmium-, Cobalt- or lead-based paints, or mix your colors with medium. The waste water is then poured into the sand bucket, which is, ideally, going to be kept outdoors during studio hours. The bucket should be kept in a sunny location, one which gets between 5-6 hours of sun per day, and in the event of rain, under an eave or awning to protect it.

The bucket has been placed on a luggage cart with wheels so that it can be moved easily in rainy season/weather to a shielded area. The sand bucket should be kept uncovered, and at the end of the day, brought indoors to one of our studios. Thanks to the sun, the waste water evaporates, leaving only the pigmented sand behind. Periodically (as mentioned above), the sand should be turned over with the trowel. This method is advocated as an alternative by Golden paint and by one of its artist representatives, Kevin Tobin. Kevin has used his sand bucket without ever recycling the sand for twenty years. In fact, he brought it here from CA! If the AWI ever needed to get rid of the sand (but it would never need to do that), Kevin has advised that it would need to cover the bucket and take it to a hazardous waste dump site. Golden alternatively suggested using the pigmented sand to create a sculpture from concrete. Kevin developed this method after consulting the local DEP and federal EPA.

The trick is to ensure that folks don’t use a lot of water in their buckets (no more than 2″) and that they first wipe off brushes of excess acrylic paint/medium before dunking them in rinse water. If artists use too much water or don’t wipe off excess paint, the sand method will not work.

Assuming our 5-gallon bucket works out, we will purchase another one or two containers for the sand method. Everyone’s cooperation in introducing this alternative method is requested.

Environmental Considerations: Disposal of Paint Waste Water
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