More Creative Opportunities
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Classes & Workshops
Greetings, artists, and best wishes for a creative and inspiring New Year!
We are excited to welcome you to The Bascom studios in 2025. As we kick off the year, we’d like to share an update to our pricing structure for classes and workshops.
Beginning this year, you’ll notice that the “Member Discount” option has been retired. Instead, tuition rates have been adjusted to align with the discounted rates previously offered to members, creating a more streamlined and straightforward registration process.
We look forward to seeing you in the studios for another exciting year of Seeing, Thinking, and Doing.
Mastering Plein Air Painting in Oils
Join this dynamic workshop to refine your painting skills, focusing on clean color mixing, accurate values, and engaging compositions. Open to all levels, the workshop includes morning demos, lectures, and afternoon plein air sessions (weather permitting). Participants will complete at least one painting daily in a supportive, non-competitive environment.
Look-Think-Paint: The key to Creative Breakthroughs and Beautiful Paintings
Join award-winning painter and teacher John Guernsey for a workshop focused on refining observation skills, prioritizing key elements in a scene, and creating expressive, skillful paintings. Through demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on painting, participants will gain valuable insights and one-on-one guidance. Open to all skill levels and suitable for both oil and acrylic painters, this workshop promises a fun and inspiring learning experience.
It's all about the Soda
Join potter Ron Philbeck for a week-long workshop exploring the art of soda firing. Students will bring bisque-fired pots to decorate, slip, and glaze before firing The Bascom’s soda kiln. The workshop includes wheel-throwing demonstrations of functional forms, decorative techniques like wax resist and stamping, and discussions on achieving desired results. Unloading the kiln will reveal unique, one-of-a-kind pots shaped by the soda firing process.
Class Schedule: 9 AM–Noon & 1 PM–4 PM
Still life workshop - from small studies to finished painting
Discover a fresh, loose, and expressive painting style in this workshop for all levels. Through demonstrations, exercises, and one-on-one guidance, you'll learn to paint with bold, confident strokes while embracing creativity. Oil or acrylic paints are welcome, though oil experience is recommended. A supply list will be provided.
Still life Painting in Oils
Why gorgeous GRAYS are the secret for greater faster, growth: Unlock this fun world of painting.
Unlock the magic of Gorgeous Grays with Bill’s engaging and non-judgmental approach to mastering design, values, shapes, and color harmony. Learn how grays enhance your ability to see and create compelling compositions with harmonious color and scintillating temperature shifts. Bill combines his artistic expertise with neuroscience insights to simplify complex concepts and make learning faster, easier, and more enjoyable. Build confidence and elevate your skills with this transformative workshop experience!
Watercolors that Zing
Soda Firing and Wheel Throwing
Discover the art of soda firing in this hands-on workshop with Ben Owen III. Participants will glaze and fire their pieces, explore surface techniques like flashing slips and brushwork, and assist with kiln adjustments. Time in the studio will focus on wheel-throwing, shaping, and assembling functional and decorative pottery, with insights into Ben’s design philosophy and the traditions of Seagrove, NC. Bring 10-20 small to medium bisque-fired pots to participate.
Working Out- Exercises for Observational Painting
Contemporary Landscape Painting using Traditional and Abstract Techniques
Combine classical landscape painting techniques with principles of abstraction to push beyond the basics. This workshop explores mark-making, color theory, and composition while experimenting with mediums like Cold Wax and Galkyd for texture and layering. Includes demos, discussions, and one-on-one guidance.
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Visit: 323 Franklin Road
Highlands, NC 28741 (Map It)
Call: 828-526-4949 (Main)
828-787-2892 (Ceramics Studio)
This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Learn more at NCArts.org
Funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more at SouthArts.org.
Funding is due in part to a Tourism Grant with Visit Highlands, NC. Learn more HighlandsChamber.org