Saratoga Arts upcoming events

Feathered Friends: Inspired by Amy Tan's The Backyard Bird Chronicles (16 Apr 2026)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Feathered Friends:

Inspired by Amy Tan's The Backyard Bird Chronicles

taught by Jo Johnson

In this hands-on adult art class, students will explore drawing and painting birds through a variety of approachable techniques, inspired by Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles. We’ll begin by practicing sketching basic bird shapes using pencil, then move into expressive brush and ink work. Students will follow a step-by-step watercolor demonstration to paint a bird, enhancing details and texture with colored pencils. Drawing inspiration from Tan’s observations and artistic journaling, each student will select one of their bird studies to transform into a mixed media collage, combining drawing, painting, and layered materials for a unique final piece. No prior experience is necessary—just curiosity, creativity, and a love of birds.

Find the book, Amy Tan's The Backyard Bird Chronicles here:

https://www.northshire.com/book/9780593536131

All supplies will be provided.

1 session class, Thursday, April 16** from 1 pm-4 pm

$42.50 member/$50 non-member

Price breakdown:

$37.50 member/$45 non-member plus $5 supply fee

**Original dates for this class have changed from Tuesday, April 14 to Thursday, April 16**

Intermediate Pastels (22 Apr 2026)

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Intermediate Pastels

taught by Carolyn Justice

This class is designed to help you develop both confidence and creativity while learning to work with pastels. With a focus on originality and discovering your personal style, you’ll explore how to interpret subjects in your own way while learning solid techniques.

We’ll cover the basics of value, layering, and blending as you work from still life, portraits, landscapes, and photo references. Step by step, you’ll gain the skills to handle more complex subjects while being encouraged to experiment and find your own artistic voice.

Beginners are welcome! Materials will be provided during class to beginners. Students who have taken a pastel class previously are asked to bring their own pastels.

4 session class, Wednesdays from April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 2026 at 1 pm-4 pm

$180 member/$216 non-member materials not included (bring your own)

$195 member/$231 non-member materials included

About the Instructor

Carolyn is an award winning pastel artist. She is known for her animal portraits, landscapes, and vibrant colorful still lives. Her work has been selected for the annual Landscapes for Landsake exhibitions for many years. She is also a member of the prestigious Oakroom Artists group whose membership is by invitation only. She has taught classes with Saratoga Arts for over twenty years and is a long standing member of the Co-op at 79 Beekman Street where she gives private lessons in her studio.

Carolyn Justice Fine Art

The Upstairs Artist Co-op at 79 Beekman Street

saratogaartdistrict.com/member/upstairs-artist-co-op

Intermediate Pastels (29 Apr 2026)

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Intermediate Pastels

taught by Carolyn Justice

Beginners are welcome! Materials will be provided during class to beginners. Students who have taken a pastel class previously are asked to bring their own pastels.

4 session class, Wednesdays from April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 2026 at 1 pm-4 pm

$180 member/$216 non-member materials not included (bring your own)

$195 member/$231 non-member materials included

About the Instructor

Carolyn Justice Fine Art

The Upstairs Artist Co-op at 79 Beekman Street

saratogaartdistrict.com/member/upstairs-artist-co-op

Drawing basics: Colored Pencil on Black Paper (2 May 2026)

Sat, 02 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Drawing basics: Colored Pencil on Black Paper

taught by Kseniya Ostrovska

In this class, you’ll complete a 9 × 12 inch colored pencil drawing on black paper and learn foundational techniques for working with colored pencil. We’ll explore how to build form, define edges, and layer color in a clear, step-by-step way so you can create a drawing with depth and clarity. Students may choose to draw a floral subject or another simple object of their choice.

A 24-piece set of Prismacolor Premier pencils will be provided, and students are welcome to bring additional pencils if they wish. You may also bring personal reference images—one in color and one in black and white—or work from reference images provided by the instructor.

Beginners are welcome! I will meet you where you're at. This class can also be taken repeatedly, as I will guide you through different subjects and color combinations.

2 session class, Saturdays, May 2-9, 2025 10:00 AM-1:00 PM

$110 member/$125 non-member

Class price break down:

$75 member/$90 non-member plus $35 material fee

About the instructor:

I am drawn to the complexity of plants, their similarity to human beings in terms of physical structure and needs, and the ongoing impact that plants and people have on each other. I love how the process of making relief prints leads me to look at driftwood and dead trees in a new light. Studying the form, notches and textures of the trees, many of which are over a hundred years old, reveals the individual struggles and stories of beings that exist on a time scale beyond human life. The neuron-like appearance of roots and the bone-like forms of knotted branches evoke a human presence and remind me that we all depend on the purity and accessibility of soil, sun and water in order to live.

My art practice is a way of focusing on the bioregional diversity around me and building a stronger connection with the natural world. While growing up and living in cities, I frequently found myself without a sense of belonging to a place: melancholic and restless. After the opportunity to live in rural upstate New York, surrounded by acres of living forest and cultivating a garden, I realized how a connection with the earth gives me a sense of place and contentment. My work offers viewers the experience of careful attention, respect, and micro-level fascination that I bring to my interactions with the plant kingdom. The goal of my practice is to strengthen our desire to maintain the intricate systems of the natural world so that future generations will have access to outdoor places full of rich diversity and interdependence.

http://kseniyaostrovska.com

kseniya_ostrovska_art/

Intermediate Pastels (6 May 2026)

Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Intermediate Pastels

taught by Carolyn Justice

Beginners are welcome! Materials will be provided during class to beginners. Students who have taken a pastel class previously are asked to bring their own pastels.

4 session class, Wednesdays from April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 2026 at 1 pm-4 pm

$180 member/$216 non-member materials not included (bring your own)

$195 member/$231 non-member materials included

About the Instructor

Carolyn Justice Fine Art

The Upstairs Artist Co-op at 79 Beekman Street

saratogaartdistrict.com/member/upstairs-artist-co-op

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge (12 May 2026)

Tue, 12 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge

taught by Alice Kaplan

Visual artists of any ability will unleash their creativity with this unique course. During each session, participants will be given a weekly challenge with progressive levels of complexity. They will create a drawing or painting that has certain specific themes and elements which will be randomly determined during each class. Through discussion, demonstration and practice we will explore the use of different media including graphite, charcoal, acrylic paint and mediums, collage and even basic elements of sculpture to create unique works of art.

Participants will be given the opportunity to show their creations in a group show later in the year.

All materials and tools will be provided for the class. All skill levels are encouraged to register.

4 session class, Tuesdays, May 12-June 2, 2026 6:00-9:00 PM

$160 member/$190 non-member

Price breakdown:

$150 member/$180 non-member plus $10 material fee

Meet the Instructor:

Alice Kaplan is an inter-disciplinary artist who primarily paints in oil and acrylics and also creates beaded jewelry and textile art and in original designs. She maintains a studio at 79 Beekman St. in the Saratoga Springs Art District where she has various works on display in the stairwell gallery. She has participated in various group shows, member shows and art events in upstate NY with the Beekman Street Artists Group, Saratoga Arts and Saratoga Springs Art District Inc.

Alice has also volunteered for many years teaching arts and crafts to children in the Saratoga area, both as a Girl Scout leader, and as a member of the Saratoga Springs High School Drama Club technical team where she has coordinated scenic design for more than a dozen musical productions.

akaplanstudio.com

A Kaplan Studio (on Facebook)

Intermediate Pastels (13 May 2026)

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Intermediate Pastels

taught by Carolyn Justice

Beginners are welcome! Materials will be provided during class to beginners. Students who have taken a pastel class previously are asked to bring their own pastels.

4 session class, Wednesdays from April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 2026 at 1 pm-4 pm

$180 member/$216 non-member materials not included (bring your own)

$195 member/$231 non-member materials included

About the Instructor

Carolyn Justice Fine Art

The Upstairs Artist Co-op at 79 Beekman Street

saratogaartdistrict.com/member/upstairs-artist-co-op

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge (19 May 2026)

Tue, 19 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge

taught by Alice Kaplan

Participants will be given the opportunity to show their creations in a group show later in the year.

All materials and tools will be provided for the class. All skill levels are encouraged to register.

4 session class, Tuesdays, May 12-June 2, 2026 6:00-9:00 PM

$160 member/$190 non-member

Price breakdown:

$150 member/$180 non-member plus $10 material fee

Meet the Instructor:

akaplanstudio.com

A Kaplan Studio (on Facebook)

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge (26 May 2026)

Tue, 26 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge

taught by Alice Kaplan

Participants will be given the opportunity to show their creations in a group show later in the year.

All materials and tools will be provided for the class. All skill levels are encouraged to register.

4 session class, Tuesdays, May 12-June 2, 2026 6:00-9:00 PM

$160 member/$190 non-member

Price breakdown:

$150 member/$180 non-member plus $10 material fee

Meet the Instructor:

akaplanstudio.com

A Kaplan Studio (on Facebook)

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge (2 Jun 2026)

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Out Of Your Right Brain Art Challenge

taught by Alice Kaplan

Participants will be given the opportunity to show their creations in a group show later in the year.

All materials and tools will be provided for the class. All skill levels are encouraged to register.

4 session class, Tuesdays, May 12-June 2, 2026 6:00-9:00 PM

$160 member/$190 non-member

Price breakdown:

$150 member/$180 non-member plus $10 material fee

Meet the Instructor:

akaplanstudio.com

A Kaplan Studio (on Facebook)

Drawing Florals: Colored Pencil on toned paper (13 Jun 2026)

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Drawing Florals: Colored Pencil on toned paper

taught by Kseniya Ostrovska

In this class, you’ll bring florals to life through an 11 × 14 inch colored pencil drawing on toned paper. With a focus on shaping form, softening and sharpening edges, and layering rich color, you’ll explore how light and depth transform a drawing into something luminous. This course invites you to slow down, observe closely, and develop confident colored pencil techniques while creating a floral piece that feels vibrant, dimensional, and full of presence.

This class is an intermediate level class. Please bring your own set of Prismacolor Premier colored pencils (the bigger the set, the better, a minimum of 48 pencils is recommended), eraser (Primacolor magic rub eraser or similar), and sharpener (Kum Wedge or similar). You’re welcome to bring reference images of your own.

Paper, reference images, and sketching pencils will be provided.

2 session class, Saturdays, June 13-20, 2026 10:00 AM-1:00 PM

$80 member/$95 non-member

Class price break down:

$75 member/$90 non-member plus $5 material fee

About the instructor:

http://kseniyaostrovska.com

kseniya_ostrovska_art/