Learn to paint expressive, impressionistic acrylic paintings that capture the colour, light, and essence of a scene. Stretch your creativity and get out of your comfort zone to push past what you see to what you’d like to express. Make value and negative pattern work for you to produce paintings that have strength and depth. Show the Artist’s hand with bold brush strokes and “unexpected” colour.

Canvas prep, composition, value, and colour stories will be explored, together with colour mixing within limited palettes and sophisticated neutrals to make your painting pop.

Students should bring:

• Supports: We will be working with smaller canvases throughout this workshop so we can experiment with different application styles and subject matter. 8”x10” or 9”x12” and up to 12”x12” canvases as per your choice, canvas or wood.
• Paint Choices: Get artist quality paint if you can afford it, I generally use Golden Heavy Bodied and/or Golden High Flow liquid acrylic paint. Suggested palette: Alizarin Crimson Hue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue and/or Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Orange, Dioxazine Purple, Burnt Sienna, Titanium White, and Carbon Black. Feel free to bring other paint colours too, if you have them. Additional colours that are useful are Cadmium Red Medium, Teal, Yellow Ochre.If you would like to experiment with liquid acrylics, order a set of 10 Golden High Flow Acrylics online from art supply stores like Currys.com for $62.50. I use High Flow acrylics regularly in my painting, they are easy to use and are compatible to tube paints.https://www.currys.com/catalogpc.htm?Category=GOLDEN_HIGH_FLOW_ACRYLIC_SETS&Source=Search
• Brushes: It is useful to have both some soft watercolour type and stiff acrylic type brushes. I generally use a 1-inch flat acrylic brush, and a 1⁄2” bristle brush for most of my laying in of colour. For initial sketching in, I use a softer round #10 or #12 watercolour brush. Softer brushes work well if you are going to use High Flow liquid acrylic paint.
• Mediums: Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Satin) for hard body tube paint only – used for thinning paint and glazing. Golden Molding Paste if you want to texture your canvas. If you are using wood panels or cradled wood supports you will need GAC100.
• Other Stuff: water bucket, paper towels, palette or “stay wet palette” and a painting knife, blow dryer, small water spritzer bottle. Drawing pencil, black marker or pen, sketchbook/notebook, tape, and an easel if you have one (the School also has easels available).
• Photos: Photos will be supplied to work from.

Bookings

Sharon Fox Cranston

Sharon Fox Cranston’s art captures more than landscapes—it tells a story shaped by her journey from the UK to Nova Scotia.

Her early professional years in graphic design gave way to her true calling as a full-time artist over the past eighteen years. Sharon’s work spans acrylics, oils, pastels, and gouache, with a focus on light, shadow, and mood in landscapes.

An award winning artist, Sharon’s is a member of the Society of Canadian Artists, Pastel Artists Canada and the Pastel Society of America. She also mentors artists online as a Master Artist with Mastrius.

Sharon’s creative process is both meticulous and intuitive, beginning with thumbnails and evolving through colour stories and layers—indicative of her commitment to exploring the interplay of light and shadow, texture, and emotion in her compositions. Her distinctive brushstrokes and mark-making instills her paintings with her signature style.

Sharon’s work resonates with collectors and audiences alike. Beyond painting, she enjoys videography, and writing, embracing storytelling across media. For Sharon Fox Cranston, art is an ongoing exploration—a means to interpret the world, foster community, and inspire connection. 

Bookings

Registrations for this workshop are now closed.