Hands-on Classes
Visual Arts & Hands-on Programs
All Levels Watercolor Painting for Adults with Drop-In Option
Spring Sessions 2025
Winter Session
January 9/10-February 27/28
Spring Session 1
Thursdays, 10:00am to 12:00pm in the MAC Studio - Two Hours
March 6 - April 24, 2025 (8 weeks)
or
Fridays, 9:30am to 12:30pm in the MAC Studio - Three Hours
March 7 - April 25, 2025 (8 weeks)
Thursday Session (Two Hour Classes): $195 MAC members | $225 nonmembers
Friday Session (Three Hour Classes): $295 MAC members | $325 nonmembers
One Day Drop-In (all levels welcome) THURSDAY: $30 per day
One Day Drop-In (all levels welcome) FRIDAY: $45 per day
Please email info@marionartcenter.org to inquire about drop-in for the current session.
Jay Ryan, Instructor
Minimum 4 students, supplies not included
Description: This course is great for those with a little painting experience and is also a perfect “next step” for those who would like to explore watercolor painting beyond a basic understanding of color and brush strokes. Using the brilliant nature of light (and dark), we’ll “push” the medium, adding other water media, brushes, and paper surfaces, and experiment with palette color mixing to capture magic and luminosity. In each class, we will start a new painting together using landscape, still life, the figure, abstract or imaginative thought, or narrative ideas as subjects. Each class will also provide a brief and supportive group “critique”. Students will leave with expanded knowledge of technique and traditional and contemporary use of watercolor.
About the Drop-In Option: Can't commit to a full session? If you'd like to join an "open paint" session guided by an instructor, this option is for you! Drop-in students should register by Wednesday at 2:00pm for the upcoming Thursday 10:00am class or Thursday at 2:00pm for the upcoming Friday 10:00am class. Drop-in registration is accepted on a week by week basis, for the upcoming class only. Space is limited and may change on a weekly basis. A MAC representative will contact drop-in students with any changes to availability or if the class has filled for the week.
To register, please fill out the form below. If the form is unavailable, that means the class is full for this week. Please check back on Friday afternoon to register for the next drop-in class.
About the Instructor: Jay Ryan is a Fairhaven painter and a Gallery Instructor at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A former K-12 public school art teacher and administrator, Jay has studied at Massachusetts College of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Framingham State and Lesley Universities. His work has been locally shown at the Judith Klein Gallery, ArtWorks! and Gallery X in New Bedford, and the Marion Art Center.
Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Spring Session 1, 2025
Thursday evenings, 6:00-8:30pm in the MAC Studio
April 3 - May 1 (5 weeks)
$150 MAC members | $160 nonmembers
Plus $10 loom/equipment fee payable directly to instructor
Lisa Elliott, Instructor
Maximum 6 students
In case of cancellations, make up dates will be determined by the instructor.
Accessibility: There are several steps with handrails leading downstairs into our lower level studio.
Due to limited class size, tuition is non-refundable unless we can fill your spot.
Description: Learn a new fiber skill on a rigid heddle loom! Have you ever wanted to try weaving but not sure where to begin? In this course over five weeks, you can create and take home your very first woven project. Students will weave one of the following: a scarf, table runner, set of placemats, or set of tea towels. Looms and weaving equipment are provided for a $10 fee, but let us know if you have your own rigid heddle loom that you would like to bring to class. Students will provide their own yarns. After registering, students will contact the instructor before the first class to discuss your project and calculate the amount of appropriate yarn needed for your project. To register, please fill out the form below. 
About the Instructor: Lisa Elliott comes from a family of artists: her parents, siblings, husband, and children. She received her BFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and later completed four additional semesters in weaving at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. After several years of weaving on her four-harness floor loom, where she’s currently working on rag rugs, she discovered the joy of creating wearables and home accessories on the simple rigid heddle loom. The simplicity of plain weave puts emphasis on color interactions. Finger-controlled techniques and the use of a pick-up stick can add subtle or dramatic textural details.
*NEW* Acrylic Painting Workshop: Boats & Stormy Seas
With Elyse Laurelle
Saturday, April 5, 10:00am-1:00pm
In the MAC Studio
MAC Members: $50, Nonmembers: $60
Eight students max
Due to limited capacity, registrations are non-refundable unless the course is cancelled.
All materials will be provided, but a list is below in case students wish to bring their own supplies:
- 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 Classic Cotton Canvas
- Wooden Palette
- Palette Knife
- Liquidex Acrylic Ink: Deep Turquoise
- Golden Acrylics Heavy Body: Titanium White, Black, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Burnt Sienna; plus a red, yellow, and green color
- Array of flat and round brushes suitable for acrylic paint in a variety of sizes
Description: Delve into the art of acrylics and boats! In this class, attendees will learn how to work with acrylic paint to create their own boat/stormy sea-inspired painting. The instructor will provide demos and examples while working through the painting process with participants. Elyse will share her techniques and offer advice and feedback to students during this informal session.
The goal of this class is for participants to feel more comfortable working with acrylics
and to take home a completed painting of their very own. While the instructor’s demos and examples are the basis for the class, participants will be encouraged to explore their own artistic style with their boat-and-sea-inspired artwork.
Instructor Elyse Laurelle also serves as the MAC's ArtStart Program Director. Learn more about Elyse here.
*NEW* Beginner Wheel Throwing at Mudstone Studios in Wareham
A collaboration between the MAC and Mudstone Studios
April 10 - May 15, 2025
Thursdays, 1:00pm to 4:00pm at Mudstone in Wareham
Six Three-Hour Classes: $315 MAC members | $350 nonmembers
All materials and tools will be provided. Please see additional information below.
Theresa Hadley, Instructor
Minimum 5 students, up to 10
Due to limited capacity, registrations are non-refundable unless the course is cancelled.
Description: Learn the basics of wheel throwing in this six week class! This class will cover techniques for forming small pots like mugs, tumblers, and bowls as well as surface design and glaze application. Students can expect to have at least four to six finished pieces by the end of the class.
Mudstone Studios is located at 3065 Cranberry Highway #B20, Wareham, MA 02538. (Find the studio by driving all away around to the back of the building.) All classes will take place at the accessible Wareham location. See FAQs on the Mudstone website here.
About the Instructor: Theresa Hadley
Teaching Artist and Studio Manager
Theresa is a Massachusetts artist who taught art in all media at the high school level for the past twenty years. Her own work is in ceramics handbuilding, sculpture and wheelwork, and in alternative photography methods. She has been a member of Mudstone Studio Warren for the past ten years. Theresa received her bachelor's degree in Art Studio and Art History at University of Massachusetts Boston, and her Master's at Mass College of Art and Design. She is the Studio Manager at the new Mudstone Wareham, and teaches classes there.
More Adult Classes
Check out our Music and Movement classes for adults through the links below!
