The Okanagan School of the Arts (OSA) has some upcoming classes to keep your creative juices flowing this winter.
Try your hand at the Oil Painting Portrait Class, which runs on four consecutive Thursdays beginning Nov. 21 to Dec. 12. The class takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and participants “will learn the craft of portait painting by applying classic methods,” according to the OSA website.
“The course will include the basics in drawing skills, design, learning to discern values, chroma and how to model form. The class will work on paint application and will discuss warm-cool colour balance and gaining clarity on the intended message,” states the online class description. “The controlled pallet method will be demonstrated. There will be lots of critique for those who are interested in learning how to paint representationally.”
If painting isn’t your cup of tea, you can instead create your own unique roll-on perfume at the Scent Journey class on Nov. 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. The workshop teaches about the “properties of essential oils and how to blend them” and will allow participants to select from 20 essential oils to “create a unique scente that resonates with them – body, mind and soul.”
After the class, those that want to recreate their signature scent can bring their roller bottle and perfume recipe card back to Stellar Ground to be refilled for $20.
READ MORE: Okanagan School of the Arts seems to be back on track
For kids looking to get crafty, there is the Kids Herbal Holiday Crafting session on Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to noon. Kids from six to 12 years of age will learn about the “healing properties of plants” and make “handmade gifts for the holidays in this hands-on learning experience.”
“Using organic ingredients and organically-grown herbs, your child will create unique gifts with handmade labels their friends and family will love,” states the OSA website. “We will create a 100 per cent natural essential oil aftershave; a herbal lip balm; a body/bath oil infused with crystals, essential oils, and flowers; and a herbal tea blend (choose from recipes provided).”
The Adults Herbal Holiday Crafting session will follow that same day from 1 to 3 p.m. where participants will “create a herbal syrup for holiday drink mixing, a herbal-infused culinary salt blend, a herbal jelly and a holiday-inspired herbal tea blend.”
The OSA will also be hosting a Long Pose Session on Jan. 18 where participants will have the chance to paint from a live, costumed model. All levels are welcome at this class, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is instructed by Barbara Ward.
Ward is a “seasoned oil painter who has painted for over 40 years” and “looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm and knowledge with her students.”
READ MORE: Video: New Penticton studio is a playground for creative types
There will also be the Art of Food Christmas Market at the school on Nov. 30 from noon to 4 p.m. The school, which is located in the Shatford Centre at 760 Main St., is also home to the Ideaforge Maker Studio where residents can access workshop space and specialized equipment and tools for their own projects.
The Ideaforge is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information about upcoming classes and events at the Okanagan School of the Arts, visit www.shatfordcentre.com or call 250-770-7668.
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
<p<