Celebrate fall with a handmade ceramic pumpkin! Learn basic hand-building techniques to shape and decorate your own clay pumpkin, perfect for displaying on a table, shelf, or mantel all season long.

All tools and materials are provided. Finished pumpkins 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.

You asked for it, a whole day focused on the basics of watercolors! This class is for the beginner watercolor painter, or the practiced painter looking to refresh their skills. In the morning, we will complete a worksheet with 15 watercolor application techniques, and then in the afternoon we will practice our skills on a small watercolor painting.

Refer to the "Watercolor & Gouache, Student Supplies" list HERE

• 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 beginner-friendly workshop, participants will explore the magic of working with alcohol inks. In this workshop you will: - Begin by working on a blank 6" x 6" white ceramic tile focusing on the intuitive nature of inks and the fine balance between controlling the inks using a variety of tools and allowing the painting to process. - Apply inks to a number of different surfaces including a variety of synthetic papers, canvas and panels. - Learn to use tools such as paint brushes, foam brushes, and hot and cool airflow to move and control the inks. All tools and materials are provided. You will go home with several frame-worthy pieces of your own work to keep for yourself or to give as thoughtful gifts.

All necessary materials are provided for an additional $35 fee, payable directly to the instructor.

• 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!

This is your chance to relax aand learn about the oldest way to wake up your surface designs! Bring one or two leatherhard pots to work on or experiment with leatherhard tiles we provide.  

In the morning we will learn about this ancient technique and demo modern ways to use it.  You will want to stay all day because in the afternoon will be your chance to procatice what you've learned as you enjoys everyone's company.

• 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!

Celebrate Autumn and Thanksgiving In this seasonal edition of our popular Watercolor Free Spirit Workshop.

Instructor Jackie Kane, will kick off the workshop with a lively, 30-minute practice demo of essential brush handling techniques to achieve the desired effects. Then, the studio is yours! Whether you want to freely draw your own designs of any subject or one of our Autumn / Thanksgiving themed designs, with the option to use our tracing templates (featuring pumpkins, leaves, corn stalks, turkeys and scarecrows), you'll have 3.5 hours of pure painting bliss to bring your vision to life. You'll leave with your very own painted interpretation of Autumn images or your own design!

Streamlined for Your Peace of Mind

Forget the stress of packing a bulky supply bag! You are welcome to bring your own favorite watercolor supplies, or, for $25, purchase an All-Inclusive Customized Materials Kit from the instructor on the day of the workshop. Kits may be purchased with cash or check and can be taken home for future use. The kit may also be used in future Watercolor Free Spirit workshops!

Each kit includes:

• Two 9" × 12" sheets of 100% cotton, 140 lb. ARCHES cold press watercolor paper
• A professional-grade 12-color watercolor set in a metal palette tin
• One Winsor & Newton Cotman brush

Experienced painters who prefer the comfort of their own familiar, professional-grade supplies are welcome to bring their favorite materials. Just be sure your palette includes key fall colors such as vivid oranges and reds, yellows, and browns, along with your standard colors. Click HERE for a full materials list.

Seats are strictly limited to ensure personalized instruction. Grab your spot today and let's get into the spirit of Autumn!

• 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!

Want to learn how to create brilliant watercolor with refined depth? In this workshop you will be guided to develop or improve the skill of realism in watercolor by learning how to layer colors and create a rich three dimensional quality. You’ll work at your own pace from various objects or photo reference as we explore a variety of textures such as smooth, slick, rough, bumpy, grainy, coarse, fluffy, fuzzy, silky, and more. There will also be a brief demo on how to seal a painting for framing without glass.

• 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!

Materials List: HERE

Inspired by the 18th- and 19th-century tradition of collecting natural specimens, artifacts, and unusual discoveries, this collaborative series brings together Historic Yellow Springs and Historic Sugartown for four workshops exploring botanical preservation, ceramics, paper marbling, cyanotype printing, and traditional bookbinding.

Each workshop can be enjoyed independently, or attend two or more to build a collection of materials for your own Cabinet of Curiosities journal.

• Saturday, October 24 | Historic Yellow Springs | 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Collecting & Preserving Specimens — Sarah Rafferty
  • Explore ways to collect, dry, and press botanical specimens. Create a small ceramic element by pressing a natural specimen into clay to make a unique button or fastener.
• Saturday, October 31 | Historic Sugartown | 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Traditional Paper Marbling — Ramon Townsend
  • Learn the historic art of paper marbling and create one-of-a-kind decorative papers for future covers, endpapers, or journal pages.
• Saturday, November 8 | Historic Yellow Springs | 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Cyanotype Specimens
  • Transform plants and natural objects into striking blue-and-white cyanotype prints for display, journaling, or future creative projects.
• Saturday, November 21 | Historic Sugartown | 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.Traditional Bookbinding — Ramon Townsend
  • Bring your collected materials together in Historic Sugartown’s working bindery. Learn traditional bookbinding techniques to create a handcrafted journal incorporating your marbled papers, cyanotypes, specimens, and other discoveries. Those attending two or more previous workshops can create a more finished, personalized Cabinet of Curiosities journal

Each workshop can be enjoyed independently, or attend two or more to build a collection of materials for your own Cabinet of Curiosities journal. No previous experience is required. To participate in the bookbinding workshop, you must attend at least one of the three preceding workshops so you have materials to incorporate into your journal.

• 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 the beauty of autumn indoors with a handmade ceramic leaf bowl! Use real leaves as inspiration to create a nature-inspired bowl with beautiful textures and details. Perfect for seasonal décor or everyday use.

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

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!