Adult FALL Classes
The West Hartford Art League holds year round art instruction for adults and youths in the form of weekly daytime and evening classes Monday - Saturday in the fall, winter and spring. Special weekend and one time workshops are held throughout the year taught by a varied group of instructors.
Fall 2025 Session:
Our Fall 2025 session of classes will begin the week of September 8th.
Registration will open Friday, July 11th for members. Non-member registration will open 2 weeks later on Friday July 25th.
Membership is $50 for one year and gives you a discount on classes, as well as early registration privileges.
Join HERE
View our class policies here.
Fall adult CLASSES
Painting Fundamentals (10 Weeks)
Mondays, Sept. 8 - November 10
10:00 -12:00pm, Zbigniew Grzyb
Painting class for beginner to advanced artists. We will focus on composition, balance of elements, and harmony of painting. The teacher will work individually with each student, giving constructive feedback.
Expressive Abstract (8 Weeks)
Wednesdays, Sept. 10 - October 29
2:00pm - 4:30pm, Heather Neilson
In this class you will develop abstract painting skills and confidence using acrylic paints, mark-making and a variety of other tools. Through a series of fun exercises using high quality mixed media paper, you will learn to loosen up and paint more expressively.
Painting Water, Clouds and Skies in Pastel (5 Weeks)
Tuesdays, October 14 - November 18 No Class 11/11
9:30 am - 12:00 pm , Karen Israel
This 5 week class will focus on capturing Light and atmosphere in the landscape.
Portraiture (10 Weeks)
Tuesdays, September 9-November 11
1:00pm-4:00pm, Antony Zito
Open to all ages and skill levels, this course will guide you through the creation of an in-depth portrait using acrylic paint and collage. Our main focus will be to achieve a balanced sense of proportion and a distinct likeness, while exploring expressionistic mark-making techniques, and learning to blend the borders between collage and paint.
Monday Night Pottery (10 Weeks)
Mondays, Sept. 8 - November 10
6:15-9:15pm, Mary Bramble Scott
The course will cover basic pottery wheel throwing techniques where students will develop or continue to improve, their skills in centering, throwing and trimming pottery forms. Students will learn to make the two most common forms from which almost all pottery stems; a cylinder and a bowl. From there we will learn more advanced skills and how to embellish our pieces with carvings, handles, additions and or other accents.
Wednesday Wheel Throwing (10 Weeks)
Tuesdays, September 9-November 11
6:00pm-9:00pm, Deanna Johnson
The course will cover basic pottery wheel throwing techniques where students will develop or continue to improve, their skills in centering, throwing and trimming pottery forms. Students will learn to make the two most common forms from which almost all pottery stems; a cylinder and a bowl. From there we will learn more advanced skills and how to embellish our pieces with carvings, handles, additions and or other accents.
Dynamic Still Life in Oil (10 Weeks)
Mondays, September 8 - Nov. 10
1-4 pm, Mike Laiuppa
In this class we will learn how to amp up our still life painting skills by focusing on light and shadow relationships as well as working with broken color. You will learn various ways of starting a still-life, as well as techniques for drawing, measuring, composition, and even choosing the right color palette to best suit your pieces. By combining these, and other techniques, we will achieve a dynamic “pop” in our piece(s) as well as create more realistic feeling subjects.
Intermediate Watercolor (8 Weeks)
Tuesdays, September 9 - October 28
6:00 pm-8:00 pm, Doug Fortin
Students are expected to have recent experience with and an understanding of techniques such as painting washes, glazing, layering, creating textures, masking, edge control, and brush application techniques.
Drawing I: The Basics (7 Weeks)
Tuesdays, September 9-October 21 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm , Amanda Surveski
A beginner's drawing class designed for aspiring artists with little to no prior experience, and those who want a refresher. We’ll work toward developing and expanding our observational and rendering skills using a variety of subject matter. Working from life, we will learn basic techniques such as contour and gesture drawing, shading, controlling tones, composition and different drawing methods that will provide you with a solid starting point to embark on your artistic journey
Contemporary Abstract Art (8 weeks)
Mondays, September 8 - November 3 No Class on 9/22/2025 Rosh Hashana
1:00pm-4:00pm, C. Dianne Zweig
Classes will continue to focus on innovative approaches to making contemporary art. The Fall session, will explore abstraction with an emphasis on shapes, color, organization and hard edge interpretations of landscapes, figures, architecture, still life, etc.
Students will focus on the essence of the subject rather than the intricate details.
Non-objective studies will also be included.
Watercolor Workout (8 weeks)
Tuesdays, September 9 - October 28
9:00am-12:00pm, Robert Noreika
This class will focus on simplifying the subject: seeing the simple values and then sketching them into a full color painting. Learn how to take an unsuccessful watercolor and recreate it with fluid acrylics. Many techniques will be demonstrated including ink and watercolor wash.
Beginning Watercolor (10 Weeks)
Monday, September 8 - November 10
5:30pm - 7:30pm, Brianna Colbath
A class for those with absolutely no experience who want to learn how to paint with watercolors.
Beginning Watercolor
Wednesday, September 10 - October 29
(8 weeks)
6:00-8:00 pm, Carol Ganick
This class will serve as an introduction to watercolor painting techniques and reinforcement of techniques for returning beginners, and those who have had previous but limited watercolor instruction .
No previous painting experience is required.
Each class will focus on one or more basic technique. Individual and group instruction is provided and homework assignments are intended for practice to assist students in becoming confident. Students will learn the three primary brush techniques, gain experience in mixing colors and develop an understanding of values (light to dark) and the need to create variety in a painting. A basic drawing practice will be introduced to help develop an understanding of the need to “see”.
Drawing II: Refining Technique (7 weeks)
Thursday, September 11 - October 23
5:00 pm- 7:00 pm, Amanda Surveski
Build off your basic understanding of drawing and work on perfecting your use of composition, line, volume, and value while drawing more complicated forms and objects. In this course we will touch on a variety of topics including creating textures in black & white, perspective, human proportion, animal anatomy and more. Each will expand your knowledge of drawing and help you improve on your ability to draw objects and forms accurately. We will work both from life and from photos.
Students who are interested in taking this course should have taken Drawing I or already know how to create contour and gesture drawings, visually measure objects, create full black and white values drawings, and know the basics of composition.
Thursday Wheel Throwing - 10 week class
Thursdays, September 11 - November 13
6:00pm-9:00pm, Deanna Johnson
The course will cover pottery wheel throwing techniques where students will develop or continue to improve, their skills in centering, throwing and trimming pottery forms. Students will learn to make the two most common forms from which almost all pottery stems; a cylinder and a bowl. From there we will learn more advanced skills and how to embellish our pieces with carvings, handles, additions and or other accents.
Drawing Open Studio Advanced - 7 weeks
Tuesday, September 9 - October 21
6:30 - pm- 8:30 pm, Amanda Surveski
From colored pencils, pens, watercolors and more, this course is an open studio class where students work on their own independent projects while receiving constructive critique and working on independent goals. Perfect for artists of all levels and all media, this course offers the opportunity to develop your drawing skills, receive valuable feedback, and explore your style in a classroom environment.
Friday Watercolor
Fridays, September 12 - November 14
10 am- 12:30 pm, Carol Ganick
This class is open to students who are confident in watercolor application techniques such as wet into wet, wet on dry and dry brush. Critique of completed work will be an important aspect of this course. By sharing and discussing work we gain inspiration, new insights, and different perspectives. Class critique will take place at the beginning of class for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours, followed by painting time. Consideration will be given to composition, color harmony, and value patterns.
Absolute Beginners (10 Weeks)
Thursday, September 11 - November 13 (10 weeks)
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Deborah Velasquez
Express yourself with paint, drawing, and collage with intuition as your guide.? Have fun with new tools and techniques. We will paint to music, use prompts, make marks, make our own collage papers, collaborate, and more.? In this class I share techniques and strategies to enhance one's work. All exercises and techniques will sampled in an art journal which can be used as reference at end of class. I will guide you from paper, to paint, to canvas. Great class to begin your painting journey or add to your body of work. By the end of the class you have two ready to hang pieces. Discover your creative potential and style.
No experience necessary.
Drawing All Levels (10 Weeks)
Wednesdays, September 10 - November 12
1:00pm-4:00pm, Shauna Shane
Class will begin with a discussion and demonstration that is packed with information about the thought process during the planning and completion of a painting. When the weather doesn’t cooperate we’ll work indoors. Learn how to choose your subject with consideration for the time you have How to simplify “spinach” into light and shadow shapes; chaos into masses How to see light and dark rather than objects as your major design element
Oil Painting - 10 week class
Thursdays, September 11 - November 13
9:00 am - 12:00 pm, William Simpson
We can all be better painters, we can all learn how to draw better. You don’t have to take the class to learn the secret – I’ll tell you right now – learn to look closer. Learn to really see what is in front of you. Easy? Not so much. Take my class, and we’ll learn how to see better together.
We’ll also work on composition, and color. Working from your own photos, or choose from the hundreds of images I have. We’ll throw in a still life now and then, and an exercise I particularly enjoy, painting the Schoolhouse interior.
Beginning Painting - 10 weeks
Fridays, Sept. 19 - November 21
9 am - 12pm, Mike Berlinski
Please note late class start.
Learn about painting in a fun and supportive environment. A different basic painting concept will be briefly introduced and discussed for general information each week. Students are encouraged to bring their own images and/or ideas to work from. There will be plenty of individual guidance and help for each student.
Confident Landscape Painting (10 Weeks)
Wednesdays, September 10 - November 12
9:30am-12:30pm, Shauna Shane
Oil or Acrylic. Beginning with an informative demonstration Shauna will show you how to see the world in terms of shadow and light, simplifying the landscape to the most basic masses and values. With specific, individual instruction you will learn the “what, why, and how” of a successful painting. You will learn the steps necessary to be able to express effectively; how to see the world in a new way, and even more, how to achieve the gift of confidence.Known for her positive and enthusiastic teaching style, Shauna will provide instruction, demonstrations, and critique for the most advancement possible in the art of landscape painting. All levels: but some experience with your chosen medium is recommended.
Beginning Painting (10 Weeks)
Wednesdays, September 10 - November 12
6:30pm-9:30pm, Brianna Colbath
Open to beginners and intermediates,. designed for students with little to no experience in painting, who would like to learn techniques to help develop and improve their own artistic practice. Using landscape as the starting point, students will receive individual instruction as they experiment with different styles and methods of painting. The ultimate goal of the class is for each student to understand the process, and develop his or her own personal style.
Art for Everyone: A Creative Journey for All Levels - 10 week class
Thursdays, September 11 - November 13
1:00pm - 3:00pm, Zbigniew Grzyb
This all-levels painting class is designed for beginners looking to explore their creativity, as well as experienced artists seeking to refine their techniques. Whether you're picking up a brush for the first time or returning to your artistic practice, you'll receive individual guidance to help you grow as an artist.
Sketchbook 101 - 10 weeks
Sundays, Sept. 14 - November 16
11am - 1pm, Joe Nicorici
A class designed to help artists develop ideas and solid sketchbook habits. The class will focus on drawing from life, including still-life, models, drawing from photos, digital images and also journaling and collage. We will also look at Renaissance artists to contemporary artists' sketchbooks and how they developed their ideas and practice.
Purchase ADDITIONAL pottery clay below.
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Tuesday Pottery for beginners & intermediate - 10 weeks
Tuesday, September 9 - November 11
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Mary Bramble Scott
The Sunday evening class at West Hartford Art League welcomes students at all levels. All students will have the option to wheel throw or hand build ceramic forms either functional or sculptural. Beginners will learn how to center clay on the wheel, pull the clay into a cylinder with an eye to making bowls, mugs and small vases
Intermediate and advanced students will have the option to focus on their own projects and receive guidance on complex forms and techniques, or participate in graduated assigned projects related to advanced forms such as lidded vessels or teapots. Some tools are available onsite but students should plan to bring their own tools by purchasing a beginner pottery tool set at an art supply store such as Jerry's Artarama or Dick Blick Art Supplies.