elebrate the beauty of late summer by starting your own botanical sketchbook inspired by the vibrant natural surroundings of Historic Yellow Springs. In this relaxed, hands-on workshop, participants will explore techniques for observing and rendering seasonal plant life—whether it’s a delicate wildflower, a garden vegetable at its peak, or an earthy woodland mushroom.

Through guided instruction and individual exploration, you’ll learn foundational drawing and watercolor techniques that bring botanical subjects to life on the page. This workshop is perfect for beginners looking to start a sketchbook practice, or for artists seeking fresh inspiration and new ways to document the world around them.

Click HERE for a materials list for this workshop!

Create a one-of-a-kind ceramic trinket dish using simple handbuilding techniques in this relaxed, beginner-friendly workshop. You’ll shape and personalize your dish with texture, stamps, or sculptural details—perfect for holding jewelry, keys, or small treasures. No prior experience needed—just bring your creativity and enjoy a fun, hands-on introduction to working with clay.

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support the mission of HYS.

Unlock the expressive power of the palette knife in this dynamic one-day workshop. Without the need for preliminary sketching, you'll jump right into painting, using bold strokes and rich textures to bring your vision to life. Whether you're creating vibrant still lifes or emotive abstract scenes, this spontaneous approach encourages creativity, experimentation, and a fresh perspective on your process. Perfect for artists looking to loosen up and explore new techniques in a supportive, hands-on environment.

Click HERE for a materials list for this workshop!

• We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
• Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

In this hands-on workshop, explore the art of creating vibrant paste papers and transform them into beautiful, functional pieces. Participants will begin the day by experimenting with a range of surface design techniques, using stamps, found objects, and even natural botanicals—gathered from the Historic Yellow Springs gardens or brought from home—to create unique, layered patterns.

As the papers dry, students will shift focus to simple bookbinding structures, creating reusable templates and learning how to construct journals, portfolios, or folded book forms. Additional ideas for using decorated paper—such as handmade cards, collages, and embellishments—will also be explored.

This workshop is perfect for artists, crafters, and paper-lovers looking to combine surface design with book arts. All levels welcome.

In this workshop, Taylor will demonstrate how she layers surface decoration techniques at the leather soft, leather hard, and bone dry stages to create colorful, tactile porcelain pottery. Slip trailing, refining by carving, and underglaze painting with paper resists will be covered. Strategies for choosing color palettes, fixing or incorporating mistakes, and composing a compelling surface will be discussed. These techniques can also be applied to stoneware.

Taylor Sijan is a full-time studio artist from Catawba Island, Ohio. She earned a BFA in 3-D Arts from Bowling Green State University (2016), completed two years of post-baccalaureate study in ceramics at Wichita State University (2016-2018), and obtained an MFA with ceramics emphasis from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2021). She has taught workshops at institutions including Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft, Peters Valley School of Craft, Gasworks NYC, The Hudgens Center for Art and Learning, Touchstone Center for Crafts, Saratoga Clay Arts Center, Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts, and Wooten Clayworks.