Arts & Ecology Courses
All year-round we offer a variety of arts and nature courses and workshops.
Dates: November 17, 2024
Open Studios
REVISED Dates: September 28 and October 12, November 2, 16, 30
Time: Saturdays, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Price: $14 per session
Max 12 per session; RSVP
Twice a month, Sunbury Shores offers an opportunity to engage with others in the shared space of the Main Studio. Due to popular demand, and an extension of earlier Open Studio sessions with an artist (Feb 24, Mar 16), these new sessions are not topic driven and no artist will lead. Instead, it’s time for creation in a collaborative environment. Bring your own materials and artworks in progress and share ideas and skills. For all levels of experience. A facilitator will be present. Coffee and tea provided.
Bark Basketry with Ralph Simpson
Instructor: Ralph Simpson
Date: October 19, 2024
Time: Saturday, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Min/Max students: 6/10
Materials: Included
Course Fee: $150
Registration Deadline: October 5, 2024
This is a one day basketry course where students will learn how to create a small bark basket. They will also learn about harvesting, drying, and storing locally harvested bark as well as processing bark for weaving. We will be working with maple, willow, birch, and cedar bark. Other plant materials will also be available to use in their baskets, such as vines, day lily iris, etc.
Exploring Graphite & Charcoal Techniques: Methods & Materials with Stephen Hutchings
Critically Acclaimed Artist Program
Instructor: Stephen Hutchings
Date: October 5 – 6, 2024
Time: Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Min/Max students: 6/13
Meet the Artist: October 4, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Registration Deadline: July 29, 2024
Course only fee: $225
Master drawer Stephen Hutchings uses drawing as an integral part of his daily art practice. His workshop features demonstrations, one-on-one instruction, and supportive group discussions.
On the first day, you (the participant) will use different forms of graphite—from pencils to sticks to blocks—as they explore the incredible range of marks made with graphite. The second day is devoted to charcoal and paper. Working with sticks and powders, you will be introduced to charcoals made from different woods that have different densities and tones. You will explore how paper textures can be used to create a range of effects. This workshop also features a special, hands-on exploration of the magic of erasers in all forms, shapes and sizes.
Your subject matter for both days will be in-studio still-lifes and huge nature photos; you will be working on small- and large-scale drawings. You will take home two finished drawings and multiple sketches while exploring methodologies, materials, and techniques. Sketching outdoors will be an option, weather dependent.
All of Stephen Hutchings paintings start out as fully realized charcoal drawings. He has led workshops in Calgary, Ottawa and New Brunswick, taught figure drawing at the Ottawa School of Art, and been a juror for the Canada Council, the City of Ottawa and Arts NB. Hutchings is represented by five galleries across Canada. His large-scale work has been the subject of several touring shows in major Canadian museums. He is currently working on a solo exhibition, “Theatre of Trees”, for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in 2025.
Are you a member? Contact us to use your one-time discount on this course! Click here to learn more.
Ceramics for Adults with Chantal Vincent
Instructor: Chantal Vincent
***REVISED Dates: October 17, 24 & Nov 7, 14****
Time: Thursdays, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Min/Max students: 5/8
Materials: Included
Course Fee: $150
Registration Deadline: October 5, 2024
Clay is a wonderful medium for expressing your creativity, and creating something practical that you can use and enjoy every day in your home. Ceramic artist Chantal Vincent will introduce new and returning students to a program starting with hand-building before moving on to throwing on a pottery wheel and glazing. Students will learn surface design techniques, creating attachments and sculptural elements. There will be one-on-one guidance on the pottery wheel. All materials are provided, and students will leave with their own ceramic masterpiece.
Focusing Your Art Practice with Stephen Hutchings
Critically Acclaimed Artist Program
Instructor: Stephen Hutchings
Date: October 25 – 27, 2024
Time: Friday, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Min/Max students: 6/12
Course only fee: $225
Huntsman-Sunbury Shores Accommodation Package: +$170
Package Includes:
• Friday & Saturday night accommodations
• Saturday & Sunday continental breakfasts
• Saturday & Sunday box lunches
This workshop is a full-on weekend (plus Friday evening) of discussion centred around your art work as well as your studio practice. It will include critiques of work you will bring to the workshop (or photos of works in digital format); discussions of “process-versus-object-making” activities; and suggestions for time management in the studio. It will also touch on writing artist statements, how to present your work, and advice on business issues relating to the art world and to your art practice in particular.
This workshop will be perfect for all artists who are serious about their art practice and want feedback on the pieces they are currently working on. It will also feature discussions of what constitutes a “body of work” and how to create that in their art practice. Each participant will present, show and talk about their work; a group critique will follow each presentation. The critiques will be insightful, creative and supportive. The expectation is that each participant will leave the workshop with a greater understanding of their work and with practical ideas of how to move their art practice forward.
Friday evening will be a meet and greet over wine and cheese. The workshop leader will give an illustrated talk about his work, his approach and his technique.
Saturday and Sunday will be for participants to present their work to the group, as outlined above. Equal time will be given to all participants, with the length of the presentations being determined by the number of participants. Time will also be spent on investigating other important art-related topics such as leadership and good management within an art practice; the importance of developing a vision; the use of language and writing in an art practice.
Stephen Hutching is a Canadian artist living in Florenceville, NB. Along with his art practice of five decades, he has run a mid-size book publishing business, taught figure drawing at the Ottawa School of Art, and also taught a business course for artists. His work has been featured in a number of solo museum shows across Canada, the most recent of which was a mid-career retrospective at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in 2018. He is represented by commercial galleries across Canada. His art practice includes drawing and painting, constructed sculpture, video, photography, writing and graphic design. He is currently working on a solo exhibition, entitled “Theatre of Trees”—large-scale paintings and sculpture that will be exhibited at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery opening mid-July, 2025.
Are you a member? Contact us to use your one-time discount on this course! Click here to learn more.
Leather Work with Hal London
Instructor: Hal London
Date: November 16, 2024
Time: Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Min/Max students: 6/20
Materials: Included
Course Fee: $85 per person / $120 Family (1 adult, 1 child) – includes kit!
An accomplished leather craftsman with years of experience, Hal will lead participants through four different handiwork projects in leatherwork stamping, starting with a braid cuff, then moving on to creating a leather zip card case, coaster, and wristlet key charm. This workshop is for beginners as well as more experienced crafters who enjoy working with leather. All materials and tools are provided, including extra leather for practising.
Stained Glass with Anicka Senior
Instructor: Anicka Senior
Date: November 23 and 24, 2024
Time: Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Min/Max students: 5 /7
Materials: Included
Course Fee: $80 per person
This is an introductory workshop over two consecutive days for learning how to make stained glass using the copper foil method. Participants will create a Christmas Ornament using the glass of their choice. They will practice tracing the pattern onto the glass, cutting the glass pieces, working with a wet glass grinder and applying and tacking copper foil, before cleaning and polishing the finished pieces. Participants will leave with their own creation of a vibrant and beautiful ornaments.
How to Register:
- We accept credit, cash, debit, and e-transfers
- Register Online – https://sunburyshoresorg/courses/ or https://sunburyshores.org/kids/
- Call Florence, the Outreach Coordinator at (506) 529 3386 to register over the phone
- E-transfers go to executivedirector@sunburyshores.org, please include contact and relevant details in the description
- Visit us at 139 Water Street in Saint Andrews. Winter Hours, Tues – Sat, 10 am – 4 pm
*Are you a member? Contact us at outreach@sunburyshores.org or call 506 529 3386 to register using your one-time Membership discount!
Registration and Cancellation Policy
- Pre-registration is required.
- The registration deadline for 3 to 5-day adult courses is 14 days before the course begins.
- A 50% minimum downpayment is required to save a spot in a course.
- Pre-paid registrants receive a full refund if a course is cancelled by Sunbury Shores. This will occur if the required minimum number of pre-paid registrations is not met 2 weeks (14 days) before the course begins or any other comprehensive and unforeseen circumstances.
- If a registrant cancels a course 2 weeks (14 days) before the course begins (enough time for Sunbury Shores to fill the spot with someone on the waitlist), the registrant will receive a full refund. If the registrant cancels after the 2-week (14 days) deadline, this is only a 50% refund.
