Fine Art

Mentoring & Workshops

Join me at my studio in Bend, Oregon for either private mentoring sessions or workshops. The fundamentals of good composition and design are the framework for an understanding of how to create original work without being a slave to a reference photo, still life, or outdoors in the landscape. For workshops, I keep the class size under seven students to guarantee ample personal attention and feedback.

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Workshops

Two or three days of small group personalized instruction.

These oil or acrylic workshops will incorporate the basics in design principles and elements with a creative challenge each day. You will learn how to build a solid painting and how to express your personal feelings about your subject through paint. Growth is essential to me, so at the end of each workshop, my goal is that each person has advanced in their artistic journey.

The dates for the upcoming workshops and their focus will be posted here and announced in my newsletter. Also you can email me and have me put you on a notification list. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, please do so below.

Workshops will generally be held across two or three days. Two day workshops will be Friday and Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m.

Three day workshops will be held Thursday through Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m.

Cost: $225 per 2 day workshop; and $335 for the 3 day workshop.

Place: Wierzba Fine Arts Studio in southeast Bend, Oregon.

NOTE: Since we are still in a transition with Covid, for the near term I am limiting the classes to fully vaccinated and boosted individules, so masks will not be required. Thank you.

Contact me to get on my email contact list.

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Just have fun!

I like to ask my students, who is the best artist in the class? They never give me the right answer which is “the one having the most fun”. And isn’t that the truth? Every painting is as individual as the person behind the brush and we should paint them with joy; even when we make a mess, and I make lots of messes. We learn to paint by creating a successful painting, and mostly by making lots of unsuccessful paintings (just look under my bed!).

Materials List

Bring the paints and supplies that you usually use, and if needed, reference this Materials List.

Materials list PDF

Upcoming Workshops

In person classes are currently on hold. If you would like to know when I resume teaching, please sign up for my newsletter, at the bottom of this page, which I send out four times a year and when special events are being planned. Thanks.

Mentorships

If you are interested in a more focused learning experience, mentorship may be suited for you. I will work with you on a time schedule we set up together. Contact me for more information and an initial planning session. Sessions will be one hour each at $75:00 per session.

Mentorships are currently on hold but if you want to know when I resume teaching, please sign up for my newsletter below, which I send four times a year, and occasionally with notices of special events or offerings.

Workshops will cover

Creating a good design and composition
Analyzing a photo reference
Designing with value
Painting to direct the viewer’s eye through the painting
Palette knife techniques and demos
Usefull painting tools, other than brushes
The importance of edges
Using color to create texture and rythum
Other areas of interest and help as the students request

"Thank you Shelly for your instruction: Looking at shapes, putting in the dark shapes first, simplifying, minimize the details and save those for the last touches; these are all things we learned from Shelly and seemed natural to me, which surprised me because I didn’t have a lot of confidence yet!”

"The biggest take away from my class with Shelly was how much we learned that is already embedded in our minds, even if we don’t think it is and how being exposed to other instructors brings that out. My confidence level has gone up a notch! Happy painting!"

“The classes my husband and I took with Shelly were so informative! The topics and techniques covered were very helpful. The depth of that coverage may not always be apparent until taking a class like this one I just finished. Thank you!”

Memberships

I’m currently a Singnature member of the American Impressionist Society, and an active member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society, Oil Painters of America, and Plein Air Painters of Oregon. I have worked in acrylic, watercolor, and oils for many years and am honored to be a past juried member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon, the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies, and the High Desert Art League.

Mentorships or small group classes

If you are interested in a more private experience, I offer intermediate and advanced students a mentorship opportunity. These private or semi-private, 3-hour sessions are $100 each per student. If you are interested in improving your painting skills, contact me to schedule a free introduction and consultation.