Fall 2026
Classes are open to all - Become a Glastonbury Arts member and take a discount on every class as a membership benefit.
Materials lists are included for each workshop and class.
Students are responsible for providing their own art supplies unless otherwise specified in the class or workshop description.
Serious teens are welcome to enroll in adult classes but must supply their own materials.
Open Studio (ongoing) - Join fellow Glastonbury Arts members for relaxed, creative studio time on Tuesday afternoons from 1–4 pm. Drop in whenever you can and stay as long as you’d like—an hour or the whole afternoon. Our art studio is a welcoming space to create, connect, and encourage one another while setting aside time each week for your art. Easels, tables, and chairs are provided—just bring your supplies and a little inspiration. Open studios may be cancelled or delayed due to holidays or workshops - check this page if in doubt or contact info@glastonburyarts.org.
Fee: $10 per weekly session for Glastonbury Arts members (cash or check) Not a member? Join today
SKILL BUILDING IN OIL, Tuesdays, Sept. 29 - Nov. 3, 9:30 am to noon (6 weeks).
Discover the expressive possibilities of oil painting in a supportive, encouraging studio environment. You’ll build a strong foundation in composition, learn to create compelling focal points, and explore color theory using a limited palette. Through guided demonstrations, practice, and constructive feedback, you’ll see how contrast, edges, and color relationships bring clarity and strength to your work. Whether you are strengthening existing skills or building confidence with oils, this class offers thoughtful instruction designed to support your artistic growth.
Fee: $210 | $195 for Glastonbury Arts Members |
Register for Skill Building in Oil |
Materials List
Instructor Katherine Simmons: Kathy Simmons is an artist inspired by the interplay of light and shadow. Her paintings capture a sense of place through thoughtful composition, luminous color, and harmonious relationships that bring visual poetry to the canvas. Known for expressive landscapes and confident brushwork, she also paints still lifes and explores abstraction. Kathy holds a Fine Arts degree from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and has studied with Charles Sovek and Robert Scott Jackson. Her work has appeared in The Pastel Journal, American Artist, and Connecticut Magazine. www.KatherineSimmons.com
PASTELS FOR BEGINNERS & INTERMEDIATES, Wednesdays, Oct. 7 to Oct. 28, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (4 weeks).
Prior drawing experience is helpful for this welcoming pastel class, especially for new students. Together, we’ll explore materials, techniques, and safety while building a strong foundation in pastel. Lessons include underpainting, gridding, composition, values, color theory, and framing. Beginners will gain the essential skills needed to move forward with confidence, while intermediate students can refine their process from planning to completion. Each session includes a short demonstration or paint-along using still life or reference photos, plus supportive guidance throughout. Classes conclude with a constructive critique to help each student grow and celebrate progress.
Fee: $180 | $170 for Glastonbury Arts Members |
Register for Pastels for Beginners & Intermediates
|
Materials List
Instructor Susan Bosworth: Susan creates colorful, sensitive scenes of landscapes, architecture, interiors, and figures in an impressionistic realist style. Her work reflects a bold, intuitive approach, whether she is painting in the studio or outdoors with local plein air painters during the warmer months. Susan is an active member of Connecticut’s arts community and brings both experience and encouragement to her teaching. She belongs to the Connecticut Pastel Society, Academic Artists, Glastonbury Arts, Artists of Bolton, Arts of Tolland,and has been connected for many years with Tolland County Art Association. www.SusanBosworth.com
WATERCOLOR EXPLORATIONS, Wednesdays, Sept. 23 to Oct. 14, 6:00 – 8:00 pm (4 weeks).
This four-week watercolor course invites adventurous beginners to loosen up, experiment, and deepen their skills in a relaxed setting. Through guided exercises and small studies, you’ll explore color harmony, water control, value, texture, and expressive mark-making without worrying about finished paintings. Emphasis is placed on process, play, and creative discovery, helping you build confidence with the medium. Basic watercolor experience and familiarity with materials are recommended.
Fee: $180 | $170 for Glastonbury Arts Members |
Register for Watercolor Explorations
|
Materials List
Instructor Jennifer Tully: Jennifer Tully is an illustrator, craftsperson, and art educator whose lifelong love of creativity informs both her studio work and teaching. She earned a B.F.A. in illustration from the University of Connecticut School of Fine Arts and later completed graduate studies in art education at Southern Connecticut State University, receiving K–12 certification. Jennifer enjoys inspiring students, encouraging creative exploration, and fostering an appreciation for art. Her first children’s book, Under a Halloween Moon, is available on Amazon.
FINISH WITH CONFIDENCE: BRINGING PAINTINGS TO COMPLETION, Thursdays, Oct. 1 – Oct. 29, 9:30 am to noon (5 weeks)
Do you have a painting that is stalled, unfinished, or almost there but not quite resolved? This class is designed to help you move it forward, whether you work in watercolor, pastel, oil, or gouache. Bring a piece you have already started—or one you are ready to begin but are unsure how to approach. Through individualized critique and instruction, you will learn how to rework, strengthen, and complete your painting with greater confidence. Students should bring the materials they currently use to class.
Fee: $195 | $185 for Glastonbury Arts Members |
Register for Finish with Confidence
Instructor Karen Israel: Karen is a Connecticut pastelist, award-winning professional artist, and experienced instructor known for helping students strengthen their work through clear, individualized guidance. Over the past 15 years, her paintings have earned awards in national and international juried competitions, appeared in notable publications including Pratique des Arts, Southwest Art Magazine, and Pastel Journal, and been held in private collections throughout the United States. Karen conducts teaching demonstrations and workshops nationwide, has served as a juror for many national competitions, and brings students both professional insight and exceptional experience coaching artists at different stages of development. www.ArtByKarenIsrael.com.
DRAWING STUDIO, Thursdays, Sept. 10 to October 29, 6:00 – 8:00 pm (8 weeks).
Come and explore drawing as a tool for self-expression and as a core building block of the art-making process! Over eight weeks this course will cover different components of drawing practice and how they're expressed: looking at various approaches and strengthening fundamentals that allow us to capture life within the confines of a piece of paper. Whether you've never picked up a pencil or have many years of practice, this class is designed to grow your skills as an artist.
Fee: $215 $200 for Glastonbury Arts Members |
Register for Drawing Studio
| Materials List
Instructor Matt Becker: Matt is a ceramicist and illustrator drawn to color, gestural form, and the quiet magic of a successful glaze firing. He earned his MFA in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2021, where he explored the intersection of ceramics, sculpting, and illustrating practices. Matt teaches pottery at Mill Court Ceramics in Storrs, CT, and drawing at Glastonbury Arts. Across mediums, he trains the hand to follow the eye and encourages experimentation with curiosity and care. He offers patient, practical guidance, whether helping a student find balance at the wheel or clarity of visions on the page. www.MattBeckerArt.com
ADVENTURES IN ABSTRACTION, Fridays, Oct. 2 – Nov. 6, 2026, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (6 weeks)
Explore abstraction as a playful, personal way of seeing and making art. Instead of focusing on realistic representation, this class invites you to experiment intuitively with color, shape, line, texture, and composition. Through guided exercises and open-ended projects, you will discover how design principles can help bring your ideas to life while leaving room for individual expression. Acrylics are an ideal medium for this exploration: water-soluble, quick-drying, and versatile enough for vibrant washes or thick, textured layers. You will build practical skills in mixing paints, choosing brushes, and creating texture. Both beginners and experienced artists are welcome to enroll.
Fee: $195 $185 for Glastonbury Arts Members | Register for Adventures in Abstraction | Materials List
Instructor Nancy Cooke Bunnell: Nancy Cooke Bunnell is a painter and educator who draws inspiration from a lifetime of close observation of color saturated flora, riverbeds, woodlands, and pastoral landscapes. Her work spans formal realism and energetically driven experimental abstraction and design. An award winning pastel and acrylic painter, Nancy is also a state certified art teacher with over 18 years of experience teaching students of all ages. She trained at Southern Connecticut State University, UConn, and Eastern Connecticut State University. Her pastels have earned top honors statewide, and her work has been shown on Canyon Road in New Mexico.
PAPER QUILLED HARVEST PUMPKIN WORKSHOP, Saturday, Oct. 3, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm:
Step into the delicate, colorful world of paper quilling and create a harvest pumpkin design to welcome the fall season. In this beginner-friendly workshop, you’ll learn how simple strips of paper can be rolled, pinched, and shaped into graceful, detailed forms. Paper quilling is an art form with roots stretching from ancient Egypt through the Renaissance and into early America. You’ll leave with a finished 5” x 7” framed artwork to enjoy or share for the season.
Fee: $125 $120 for Glastonbury Arts Members | Register for Paper Quilled Harvest Pumpkin Workshop | Fee includes all paper supplies, classroom use of tools and a 5” x 7” shadow box frame to display your artwork!
Instructor Marcy Kaplan: Marcy Kaplan is the artist and owner of Serial Quiller Creations in New London, Connecticut. A licensed social worker for more than 25 years, Marcy has been drawn to art since childhood and discovered in paper quilling a medium that beautifully blends patience, color, and intricate design. She now shares her love of the art form through classes, private lessons, home parties, and custom artwork. Her work can also be found in the gift store at the Slater Memorial Museum at Norwich Free Academy.
REGISTRATION: Register early to avoid disappointment. Classes and workshops won't run if the minimum number of students haven't registered one week before the start date. Classes and workshops are filled in the order received. Registrations will not be processed without payment. When you register, consider yourself confirmed: You will hear from us only if the schedule changes or the class is cancelled.
ATTENDANCE: There are no make-ups, refunds, or pro-rating of class/workshop fees. Students who cannot attend a class or workshop cannot substitute another person in their place.
CANCELLATION POLICY: In the event a course or workshop is cancelled by Glastonbury Arts (e.g. insufficient enrollments, teacher illness, severe weather, etc.), all fees will be refunded to students. If a registered student withdraws from a class or workshop, the student must notify Glastonbury Arts via email two full weeks prior to the start of the class or workshop in which case we will refund the student’s registration fee less a $35 administrative charge. No refunds will be made for voluntary withdrawals less than two full weeks before the start of a class or workshop.
INCLEMENT WEATHER: In the event that Glastonbury Public Schools are closed or delayed, Glastonbury Arts will be closed. Classes or workshops not held due to bad weather will be rescheduled based on teacher availability. In the event that a class or workshop cannot be rescheduled, please refer to our cancellation policy.
PHOTO WAIVER: Glastonbury Arts occasionally documents classes using photography for publicity purposes. Registration in a Glastonbury Arts class or workshop assumes permission by adult class participants to use such images for publicity unless the photographer is informed otherwise at the time the photographs are taken. Parents of students in classes for teens or children are asked to indicate their permission to photograph their children on the class registration form.