Bristol Art Museum invites you to dive into the world of art with
our enriching art classes designed for all skill levels.
our enriching art classes designed for all skill levels.
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Take advantage of special pricing and more by
becoming a BAM member by completing the online membership form here: Membership Form |
Class Offerings Overview:
Oil and Acrylic Painting with Bill McLane
Watercolor for Beginners (& up) with Lana Quann, The Wandering Brush: Pigment Ratios
Illustrated Storybooks with Emily Johnson
Wool Needle Felting with Patricia Ward
Pysanky - Slavic Decorated Easter Eggs with Hanka Robertson
Magic Colors & Flowers: Silk Painting Workshop with Lidia Mikhaylova
Introduction to Cyanotype with Kim Arthurs
Advanced Cyanotype with Kim Arthurs
Coming Soon:
Photography Class and Lecture with Shane Gutierrez
Embrace the Face with Suzanne O'Shea
Oil and Acrylic Painting with Bill McLane
Watercolor for Beginners (& up) with Lana Quann, The Wandering Brush: Pigment Ratios
Illustrated Storybooks with Emily Johnson
Wool Needle Felting with Patricia Ward
Pysanky - Slavic Decorated Easter Eggs with Hanka Robertson
Magic Colors & Flowers: Silk Painting Workshop with Lidia Mikhaylova
Introduction to Cyanotype with Kim Arthurs
Advanced Cyanotype with Kim Arthurs
Coming Soon:
Photography Class and Lecture with Shane Gutierrez
Embrace the Face with Suzanne O'Shea
Drop in Sundays!
Open Studio Time Join fellow painters at the Bristol Art Museum Sunday Open Studio 1:00-3:30 in the Piccoli Classroom Beginning Sunday, September 29, 2024. All are welcome. $5 cash donation is appreciated.
2026 Open Studio Schedule No January Dates February: 22nd March: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd |
Watercolor for Beginners (& up) with Lana Quann, The Wandering Brush: Pigment Ratios
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 | 10am - 1pm
$50 Members / $55 Non-members
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 | 10am - 1pm
$50 Members / $55 Non-members
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Mastering the water to pigment ratios in watercolor painting. The biggest challenge in watercolor is knowing and using the proper mixture of watercolor paint and water, this class teaches an easy "tea, milk, honey" process to build confidence and better understanding of the medium. We will practice mixing and applying varied thickness of paints onto hot and cold press paper. Starting with simple shapes to watch how the paint reacts on paper to a more complex painting of when each application should be used. Brush work is also a focus of this great workshop. |
Oil and Acrylic Painting with Bill McLane
Fridays, February 20th, 27th, March 6th, and 13th | 1pm-3pm
Fees: $140 Members/ $180 Non-Members
Fridays, February 20th, 27th, March 6th, and 13th | 1pm-3pm
Fees: $140 Members/ $180 Non-Members
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In this course, students will focus on creating a sense of place. Students will learn to simplify their paintings by editing and enhancing colors, shapes, and forms. Students will also learn more about two kinds of perspective, Atmospheric and Linear, and how to apply them to gain a three-dimensional space in your paintings. Remember, it’s not what you paint, it’s how you paint it! For more information, email [email protected]. The supply list for this class is included on the website. Image: Main Street in Autumn, Warren, RI |
| Painting with Bill McLane Supply List |
Illustrated Storybooks with Emily Johnson
Saturdays, January 31st, February 7th, 14th, and 21st, 2026 | 1pm-4pm
Fees: $140 Members/ $180 Non-Members
Saturdays, January 31st, February 7th, 14th, and 21st, 2026 | 1pm-4pm
Fees: $140 Members/ $180 Non-Members
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You know that idea for a children’s book you’ve had for months, maybe years, but haven’t been able to make it happen? Then, this class is for you! During this action packed four week class we will be memory mining and brainstorming for story ideas, writing a rough draft, and then getting to work on illustrating our stories. We will be covering which ideas work best for children’s stories, how text and illustration work together on the page, and creating a book dummy with three finished, illustrated pages. This class can be done digitally, or with traditional media.
Students should bring traditional art supplies of their choice, including paper, pencils, coloring mediums.
Students should bring traditional art supplies of their choice, including paper, pencils, coloring mediums.
Wool Needle Felting with Patricia Ward
Friday, February 6th, 2026 | 12:30pm-4pm
Fees: $55 Members / $75 Non-Members
Fees: $30 Fee Payable to Instructor on Day of Workshop
Friday, February 6th, 2026 | 12:30pm-4pm
Fees: $55 Members / $75 Non-Members
Fees: $30 Fee Payable to Instructor on Day of Workshop
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Learn the basic principles of wool needle felting in this introductory workshop. No prior experience is necessary. Each participant will be provided with all of the required materials, including helpful resources for purchasing wool roving for further projects. To learn the basic techniques of felting, you will begin by making a wool tree with a natural birch base. Once you have completed your first project, you will create two mushrooms atop a mossy mound nestled in a terra cotta clay pot.
All participants will take home their two completed projects and all the necessary materials to embark on your own creative journey. Materials included within supply fee are: 8 x 10 x 2 dense foam felting pad, 2 wooden holders for needles; smaller one holds 1 needle, larger one can hold from 1-8 needles, 2 finger protectors, 30 felting needles in 3 assorted sizes, including needle bottles, small scissor snippers, case to hold needle felting tools, birch base and stem for felted tree, terra cotta clay pot for felted mushrooms, and wool roving. |
Pysanky - Slavic Decorated Easter Eggs with Hanka Robertson
Saturday, March 21st, 2026 | 1 - 3pm
Fees: $55 Members / $65 Non-Members
Saturday, March 21st, 2026 | 1 - 3pm
Fees: $55 Members / $65 Non-Members
Pysanky (pee-san-key) are decorated eggs created by using a wax resist (similar to batik) method with traditional folk motifs and designs.
In this workshop, students will learn how to draw on a whole plain white chicken egg with a special pen (kistka) and melted wax, then dye the egg with special dyes. The drawing and dyeing are repeated several times as each layer of the design is applied until the egg is finished at which time the egg is blown out, the wax removed, and a ribbon is threaded through. All supplies are provided. The students will receive an egg to work on and a kistka to use. They will share the dyes and other supplies. They will also receive a short history of Pysanky, instructions with an explanation of the process, motifs and pictures for design inspiration, an explanation of the caring for the completed egg, and a container in which to take the egg home.
Our teacher, Hanka Robertson, was born in Slovenia and, as a child, learned to make Pysanky from her mother who was born and grew up in the former Czechoslovakia where making Pysanky every Eastertime was a tradition. Making Pysanky became Hanka’s tradition too.
The workshop lasts 2 hours and starts promptly at the scheduled time. Children aged 8 and over are welcome. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a participating adult.
In this workshop, students will learn how to draw on a whole plain white chicken egg with a special pen (kistka) and melted wax, then dye the egg with special dyes. The drawing and dyeing are repeated several times as each layer of the design is applied until the egg is finished at which time the egg is blown out, the wax removed, and a ribbon is threaded through. All supplies are provided. The students will receive an egg to work on and a kistka to use. They will share the dyes and other supplies. They will also receive a short history of Pysanky, instructions with an explanation of the process, motifs and pictures for design inspiration, an explanation of the caring for the completed egg, and a container in which to take the egg home.
Our teacher, Hanka Robertson, was born in Slovenia and, as a child, learned to make Pysanky from her mother who was born and grew up in the former Czechoslovakia where making Pysanky every Eastertime was a tradition. Making Pysanky became Hanka’s tradition too.
The workshop lasts 2 hours and starts promptly at the scheduled time. Children aged 8 and over are welcome. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a participating adult.
Magic Colors & Flowers: Silk Painting Workshop with Lidia Mikhaylova
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 | 1 - 4pm
Fees: $85 Members / $95 Non-Members
Saturday, April 25th, 2026 | 1 - 4pm
Fees: $85 Members / $95 Non-Members
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Do you want to explore your creative side? Do you want to experiment with colors without fear of making a mistake? Come join me in this easy, magical, and relaxing adventure into the world of freedom and creativity, after which you will get a masterpiece created by your own hands.
We aren’t going to learn how to paint or try complex techniques but observe how the paint lives and reacts on the fabric, directing it wherever our imagination wants the paint to go. During this master class, you will tap into your creativity and grow your unique Flower, a symbol of feminine beauty and divine blessing. We will be working for 2.5 – 3 hours in a small group. You don’t need to bring anything. All necessary materials will be provided. Looking forward to painting on silk with you! Experience Art. Experience Creativity. Experience Happiness |
Introduction to Cyanotype with Kim Arthurs
Saturday, May 2nd, 2026 | 1 - 2:30pm
Fees: $35 Members / $45 Non-Members
Saturday, May 2nd, 2026 | 1 - 2:30pm
Fees: $35 Members / $45 Non-Members
Join Providence-based artist Kim Arthurs (@moonersmakes) in a hands-on Intro to Cyanotype workshop. A cyanotype is a historical, alternative photographic blueprint process that uses ultraviolet light-sensitive iron salts, and produces a negative of an object or image through contact-printing, typically using sunlight as the source of exposure, and developing the image in water. In this workshop, students will learn the history and science of the cyanotype, and make their own 5"x7" (x2) cyanotype print. The first 5"x7" print will be pre-treated with cyanotype solution by Kim, and ready to be printed in this workshop. The second 5"x7" print will be blank, and treated with cyanotype solution by the student during the workshop for them to make a second print on their own at home after this workshop. Students will have access to an assortment of locally foraged botanicals to choose from for their cyanotype print, and are also welcome to bring their own botanicals/materials to create their composition. Students will first create their composition on a pre-treated 5"x7" paper, print their cyanotype using an ultraviolet light, wash their print, and let their print dry. Once dry, the cyanotype print is complete and archived. Next, students will learn how to treat their own paper with cyanotype solution. Students will then have a new 5"x7" cyanotype that is ready to be printed with whenever they are ready to make their second print at home, after this workshop.
Advanced Cyanotype with Kim Arthurs
Saturday, May 9th, 2026 | 1 - 4pm
Fees: $45 Members / $65 Non-Members
Saturday, May 9th, 2026 | 1 - 4pm
Fees: $45 Members / $65 Non-Members
Join Providence-based artist, Kim Arthurs, for an Advanced Cyanotype workshop! A cyanotype is a historical, alternative photographic blueprint process that uses ultraviolet light-sensitive iron salts, and produces a negative of an object or image through contact-printing, typically using sunlight as the source of exposure, and developing the image in water.
In this workshop, students will expand their knowledge and understanding on the cyanotype process by learning new techniques with the art of cyanotype. Students will first create and print their own 8"x10" Wet Cyanotype for 2.5 hours. During this extended printing process, students will prep and create a double exposure cyanotype using their own pre-made cyanotype print, and will have an hour at the end of class to add mixed media to their own Cyanotypes brought from home. Please bring a lunch/snack since this class is on the longer side with opportunity for downtime (3 hours). Please also bring one pre-made cyanotype print of your own for double exposure, and 1-5 pre-made cyanotype prints of your own for adding mixed media to. Students are welcome to bring their own crafting/collage/mixed media materials and objects of their own to print with, but these materials will also be provided by the instructor.
Intro to Cyanotype is encouraged but not required for this workshop.
Students please bring to class:
All other materials will be provided by the instructor!
In this workshop, students will expand their knowledge and understanding on the cyanotype process by learning new techniques with the art of cyanotype. Students will first create and print their own 8"x10" Wet Cyanotype for 2.5 hours. During this extended printing process, students will prep and create a double exposure cyanotype using their own pre-made cyanotype print, and will have an hour at the end of class to add mixed media to their own Cyanotypes brought from home. Please bring a lunch/snack since this class is on the longer side with opportunity for downtime (3 hours). Please also bring one pre-made cyanotype print of your own for double exposure, and 1-5 pre-made cyanotype prints of your own for adding mixed media to. Students are welcome to bring their own crafting/collage/mixed media materials and objects of their own to print with, but these materials will also be provided by the instructor.
Intro to Cyanotype is encouraged but not required for this workshop.
Students please bring to class:
- 2-5 finished cyanotype prints of your own (one cyanotype will be used for double exposure, others will be used for adding mixed media)
- Please bring a snack/lunch, this is a longer class than intro with some downtime.
- (optional) Mixed Media and crafting/collage supplies/materials, your own objects to print with. These materials will also be provided!
All other materials will be provided by the instructor!
Have an idea for a class? We'd love to hear from you. Please reach out to us at [email protected].
