Dates: 3-Day Workshop - July 14, 15 & 16 (Tue, Wed, Thu), 2026
Time: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Instructor: Audrey Smith | Meet our artist instructors
Level: Beginner / Intermediate
Price: $215.00 +hst | Minimum 5 Students

• Students are responsible for their own art materials; see below for materials list

Discover your inner creative voice while completing a series of paintings!

This is the fifth and final of a series of five 3-Day Workshops to inspire the discovery of your artistic voice. This painting series with Audrey Smith runs once a month for March, April, May, June, and July.

Painting using acrylics, Audrey will focus on the face and the use of abstraction as the subject matters for this three day painting journey.

You will create a series of three portrait paintings—and surpass any limitations you thought you had (tame that inner editor; you don’t have time to listen to it!)

• Using reference photos provided by Audrey, you will be painting three panels using acrylics.

• While the workshop covers several subjects, i.e. tone and value, anatomy, colour, composition and techniques, it’s main focus is on the choice and use of abstraction.

• The goal is to experiment with abstraction, so prepare to have fun!

• Learn some abstract rules, then break them!

This is the perfect class for artists either wanting to form a basis for their expressive journey and/or for those wanting to find new ways to break out.

Future 3-Day Workshops will continue portrait painting, but with a singular focus on texture, composition, typography, or ephemera.

Materials List

This list is intended for anyone that doesn’t have art supplies and needs a starting point. If you already have supplies, bring them. Have a quick scan here to see if there’s anything else you may need to pick up.

• Pad of Newsprint (18 x 24”)

• Sketch pad

• 2B Pencil, kneaded eraser

• Charcoal pencils (medium and soft), black and white

• Acrylic paints, hard body 60 ml/2 oz tubes

  • Colour names often vary by brand. As a new painter, I suggest that you start with a small kit of “classic” colours. Amsterdam Paint, Liquitex and Golden as well as Tri-Art make excellent sets. These usually include some variation of black, white, green, blue, red and yellow.

  • In addition, if your kit doesn’t include it, I recommend Payne’s Grey, Titan Buff, Nickel Azo Gold (Golden) and Burnt Sienna.

  • If you have a favourite colour(s) not referred to here, bring it/them (magenta, teal, turquoise, titan pale green, purple/violet).

Brushes

• Brushes for acrylics, synthetic, look for long handled versions.

  • Flat 1” and 2” (hardware stores also carry these)

  • Flat 3/4”

  • Angle size 12

  • Flat size 10

  • Round Size 8

  • Filbert size 14

  • Round size 6

• Paint palette (recommend Masterson’s/Stay-Wet but can also use palette paper sold in pads of 30)

• Palette knife

• Clear Gesso

• Surface

• 3 Wood panels, Sized 12 x 12”

About Audrey Smith

Audrey Smith is a contemporary figurative artist who loves painting people. “It’s really about capturing an essence or a sliver of reality.” She works in acrylic and charcoal, and her brushstrokes are unapologetically visceral and expressive. After graduating from Concordia University (Montréal, Quebec), Audrey pursued a career in graphic design. Her education continued on a workshop/class/program basis through The Academy of Realist Art (Toronto), The Toronto School of Arts, The Haliburton College of the Arts (Peterborough) and, most recently, the DVSA Advanced Studio Program (Dundas, Ontario).

Smith’s career transitioned into a professional studio practice in 2011. Since then, Audrey has had successful solo shows, most recently at Propeller Gallery in Toronto and Noodle Gallery in Alton, where she now lives. Audrey has also been a juror, a guest artist and has participated in numerous juried group shows. Audrey is looking forward to sharing her love of painting figures and faces with you and guiding you to discover your inner artist!

www.audreysmithartist.com

If you aren’t able to pay online, or if you’d like to register over the phone or in person, please don’t hesitate to call us at 519-942-9560 or visit us in store at 158 Broadway, Orangeville! (All prices are in CAD +hst)