Monochromatic Watercolors with Erica Qualey
Join Erica Qualey for a relaxed, playful watercolor workshop focused on small-scale, monochromatic abstract landscapes. We’ll explore the beauty of a limited palette while experimenting with saturation and the wet-into-wet process. By embracing how paint and water interact, we will push those boundaries to create unexpected and surprising results. We’ll also experiment with alternative ways of applying paint beyond the brush to create interesting marks, textures, and effects. Expect curiosity, exploration, and a low-pressure space to create!
Forest Studies in Watercolor
Capture the beauty, complexity, and atmosphere of trees and forested landscapes in this immersive, two-day watercolor workshop with artist Erica Qualey. Weather permitting, we’ll take full advantage of the Gardens’ wooded areas and paint outdoors, observing our subjects directly from nature.
Creating a Summer Sketchbook: Visual Note Taking
Creating a Summer Sketchbook: Visual Note Taking is your invitation to carve out a little creative space in the midst of a busy summer. Join watercolor artist Erica Qualey and mixed media artist/illustrator Ariana Killoran for a lighthearted, fun workshop focused on capturing the essence of the season—sunny moments, everyday scenes, and all the small bits of summer magic.
Among the Gardens: A Watercolor Retreat on Mount Desert Island, Maine
ONE SPOT LEFT!
Join Erica Qualey and the Bar Harbor Historical Society for a truly special three-day, four-night watercolor retreat set in the heart of Mount Desert Island, Maine. Home of Acadia National Park, MDI also features the Land & Garden Preserve’s most treasured and inspiring Gardens. This unique workshop offers the rare opportunity to paint on location at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, Thuya Garden, and the Asticou Azalea Garden. Over the course of the retreat, participants will explore a variety of watercolor techniques for capturing gardens, flowers, foliage, and natural environments. Demonstrations will take place both on location and at the host cottage, offering guidance on composition, color, value, and expressive mark-making suited to painting outdoors and from observation. Each day will include time to work independently within the gardens, along with opportunities for one-on-one instruction and supportive daily feedback sessions. The pace is designed to feel spacious and encouraging while learning new approaches.
Art Party: Screen Printing
Unleash your inner artist in this fun and hands-on screen printing workshop! Design your own image and learn the techniques used to print it onto tea towels, cloth napkins, paper, or a fabric of your choosing. Whether you’re looking to create functional items to spruce up your home or a one-of-a-kind gift, this workshop offers endless possibilities for creativity. Perfect for beginners or seasoned crafters, you'll leave with your own custom prints ready to use, display, and share!
Art Party: Ukrainian Pysanky Egg
Learn (or practice!) the art of decorating eggs in the traditional Ukrainian Pysanky style! Using beeswax, vibrant dyes, and a resist technique, you'll create beautifully ornate eggs adorned with intricate patterns. Choose from classic Ukrainian designs or let your imagination guide you to craft your own unique masterpiece. No prior experience or drawing skills required! Join us for a cozy and social evening of hands-on making!
Art Party: Japanese Stab Book Binding
Mix and match stitching, colors, and surface patterns in this hands-on bookbinding workshop where you'll craft beautiful, personalized books using the traditional Japanese stab binding technique, also called "Yotsume Toji" in Japanese. Combine vibrant fabrics, papers, and stitching patterns to create both hard and soft cover books! These books are perfect for sketching, journaling, note-taking, or gifting. Each guest will leave with their own unique and beautifully crafted book. This workshop is for seasoned crafters and complete beginners alike!
Watercolor Foundations & Creative Exploration Workshop
Join Erica at the Farnsworth Art Museum for an engaging 8-week watercolor journey designed to build strong foundational skills while encouraging you to confidently develop your own creative voice. This workshop blends structured learning with the freedom of personal exploration—much like a guided studio session.
Brushing Brilliance 2026 - Evening Session
The third annual Brushing Brilliance 2026 is a 30-day art challenge focused on building a consistent creative practice and strengthening your compositions. With daily prompts and weekly virtual classes, you’ll develop confidence, momentum, and a creative rhythm that carries into the new year.
Brushing Brilliance 2026
SOLD OUT!
The third annual Brushing Brilliance 2026 is a 30-day art challenge focused on building a consistent creative practice and strengthening your compositions. With daily prompts and weekly virtual classes, you’ll develop confidence, momentum, and a creative rhythm that carries into the new year.
November Art Party: Stamped Wrapping Paper
Using simple lino block carving and stamping techniques, you’ll create beautiful, one-of-a-kind papers perfect for gift wrapping.
Watercolor: Capturing the Glow of Sunsets
Join me for a virtual watercolor workshop exploring the beauty of sunsets — from vivid color transitions to glowing atmosphere. We’ll experiment with playful washes and wet-into-wet techniques to capture light and movement on paper. Open to all levels of painters, this class is about loosening up, embracing color, and letting watercolor flow.
Watercolor Batik: Artfully Capturing Beauty through Wax and Watercolor with Erica Qualey
Watercolor and wax is an interesting combination, and when you add in a delicately textured rice paper… WOW! The results are fantastic and lovely, with rich bold colors and soft textures created by the natural qualities of rice paper.
Erica will lead you step by step through the process of layering paint and wax, teaching you all the skills you will need to know to start creating your own watercolor batiks. From choosing good reference photos and designing strong compositions to where to apply wax and how to make corrections when you make a mistake, this class will guide you step by step as you paint your own colorful pieces. This is an incredibly fun technique that encourages you to paint loosely and playfully.
Some experience using watercolor is helpful but not required. All levels of painters, from beginners to advanced, are encouraged to join!