Join Alexa Saxton Thomas for an 8-week skill-building course designed to deepen students’ fluency in watercolor, gouache, charcoal, and pastel through focused study of value, composition, layering, and paint handling.
Beginning with strong structural foundations in charcoal, students progress into expressive watercolor washes, controlled gouache opacity, and the immediacy of pastel, learning how to integrate media thoughtfully within a single composition.
Emphasis is placed on value hierarchy, color temperature, spatial clarity, and confident mark-making, while exploring spring subjects such as gardens, interiors, figures, and shifting light.
Throughout the series, we reference artists from the Old Masters to contemporary painters, analyzing their compositional strategies, use of atmosphere, and material approaches to inform and elevate each student’s evolving personal voice.
Equally important is the community of artists in the classroom: students will share work, give and receive feedback, and draw inspiration from each other’s observations and interpretations, fostering a supportive environment that encourages experimentation, risk-taking, and creative growth.
“Creativity is not separate from life. It is part of living.”
- Ruth Asawa
Cost: $400 plus cost of art supplies
When: Tuesday nights 7:00 - 9:00
Where: The Painting School 65 Woodhull Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Dates: April 14th, April 21st, April 28th, May 5th, May 12th, May 19th, May 26th, June 2nd.
Join Alexa Saxton Thomas for an 8-week skill-building course designed to deepen students’ fluency in watercolor, gouache, charcoal, and pastel through focused study of value, composition, layering, and paint handling.
Beginning with strong structural foundations in charcoal, students progress into expressive watercolor washes, controlled gouache opacity, and the immediacy of pastel, learning how to integrate media thoughtfully within a single composition.
Emphasis is placed on value hierarchy, color temperature, spatial clarity, and confident mark-making, while exploring spring subjects such as gardens, interiors, figures, and shifting light.
Throughout the series, we reference artists from the Old Masters to contemporary painters, analyzing their compositional strategies, use of atmosphere, and material approaches to inform and elevate each student’s evolving personal voice.
Equally important is the community of artists in the classroom: students will share work, give and receive feedback, and draw inspiration from each other’s observations and interpretations, fostering a supportive environment that encourages experimentation, risk-taking, and creative growth.
“Creativity is not separate from life. It is part of living.”
- Ruth Asawa
Cost: $400 plus cost of art supplies
When: Tuesday nights 7:00 - 9:00
Where: The Painting School 65 Woodhull Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Dates: April 14th, April 21st, April 28th, May 5th, May 12th, May 19th, May 26th, June 2nd.