Expressive Landscapes with Unconventional Tools

This workshop is designed to spark a fresh perspective and a real appetite for working with oil paints and unconventional tools. You’ll experiment with instruments you probably never imagined could be used for painting, exploring how each one can shape texture, movement, and expression. We’ll focus on creating a landscape, using a variety of tools and techniques to bring it to life.

Please bring your own materials and a good mood to match the creative energy of the day.

• 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

Explore the vibrant possibilities of colored pencil on Yupo paper in this engaging workshop. Yupo is a smooth, synthetic surface with unique properties that allow for rich color, subtle blending, and striking detail unlike traditional paper.

Participants will create fruit studies while learning techniques for layering, burnishing, and working with this non-absorbent surface. The class will focus on achieving luminous color, depth, and texture through careful observation and mark-making.

Students should bring Yupo paper and a small set of quality colored pencils. Here is the recommended supplies list: Blick Shopping List

• 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!

Bring a touch of handmade charm to your garden with a ceramic bird feeder crafted by you! In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will learn slab-building techniques to construct a functional and decorative feeder that birds will love.

You’ll roll and shape clay into a teardrop form, add texture using stamps or natural materials, and attach end caps and hanging holes to complete your design. Along the way, you’ll explore surface decoration and handbuilding basics while creating a piece that’s both artistic and useful.

All tools and materials are provided. Finished bird feeders will be fired and ready for pickup at a later date.

• 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.

Discover the fundamental techniques needed to create expressive and dynamic portrait paintings in this engaging workshop. Through a step-by-step approach, you will learn how to break down complex forms into manageable shapes, making the portrait painting process approachable and enjoyable. Working from a live model, we will cover key concepts such as basic facial anatomy, imprimatura (underpainting), color mixing, and the importance of value and light to achieve depth and realism. Model fee included in tuition.

Click HERE for a materials list for this course!

• 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!

Begin indoors with a brief look at the powerful history of the Yellow Springs hospital ruins (built between 1777–1780) as the only purpose-built hospital commissioned by the Continental Congress and once headquarters of the Revolutionary War’s medical department. After learning about the site’s layered past, we’ll move outdoors to sketch the existing foundation and surrounding medicinal garden.

Students will then incorporate a “ghost image” or translucent overlay of the original structure, exploring perspective and architectural drawing techniques while visually reconstructing history. Participants may work in dry or water-based media and are encouraged to bring a sketchbook and outdoor seating. This workshop blends observation, imagination, and storytelling through art.

Recommended Materials: Participants are encouraged to bring preferred sketching supplies. The following materials are suggested options; feel free to select what best suits your working style. Blick Shopping List

• 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!

Experience a deep dose of rest, relaxation, and reflection as the sun sets over our serene grounds. This immersive hour of sound healing, led by White Wave Restorations, features a rich blend of vibrational instruments—including gong, handpan, singing bowls, chimes, drums, and more—designed to calm the nervous system and gently guide you into a state of peaceful presence.

As the sky shifts into evening, you’ll lie or sit comfortably and allow waves of sound to wash over you. This practice of deep listening supports stress relief, mental clarity, emotional balance, and improved sleep—offering space for both release and renewal.

Please bring your own yoga mat and any comforts to support your relaxation (pillows, blankets, bolsters, eye pillow). You’re also welcome to bring a journal to capture insights or reflections following the session.

Rain Date: May 24

• 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!

Spend five weeks learning about and exploring the different functions for your lidded forms. What works best–a flange on the pot, or on the lid? Consider vessel purpose and use case to help discover the right lid and fit for your specific piece. Glaze techniques will also be explored. Some throwing experience necessary.

This class is held in a ADA accessable studio space.

• 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!

Create a unique slab-constructed mug and personalize it with a custom relief print in this hands-on ceramics workshop. Learn slab-building techniques, surface decoration, and how to transfer a relief design onto clay. No prior experience needed!

• 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!