Beautiful sights, vibrant communities, but a lack of fine art experience.
As a local plein air painter based just 20 minutes from Gig Harbor, I’ve spent countless hours sketching, painting, and simply soaking in the beauty of this charming harbor town.
Yet for all its natural and maritime inspiration, Gig Harbor has a void of accessible, high-quality art education opportunities.
With the closure of several galleries downtown during COVID, local options for experiencing and learning fine art have dwindled. Even the monthly Art Walks are cancelled due to poor attendance and lack of volunteer support. A few remaining organizations still offers immersive experiences, including art workshops led by members of the Peninsula Arts League, although at a higher price point, plus a list of materials to be supplied by the students. AR Workshops and Java & Clay Cafe are mainstay venues that are more accessible and inviting, but most of the projects are self-guided and lean more towards the crafty side.
That's why I decided to offer affordable and approachable watercolor classes right here in Gig Harbor.
My goal is to make watercolor and classical painting accessible—both physically and mentally. That means providing a welcoming space for people to learn fine art principles in a way that’s fun, unintimidating, and hands-on.
About My Classes (View all scheduled classes here)
Class Size
Small and personal, capped at 8 attendants to ensure each student receives plenty of individual coaching and prompt feedback.
Duration
Two full hours, including an introductory warm-up exercise and a guided painting session that builds on those skills.
Cost
Just $60 per person, including all supplies—so you can simply show up and paint without investing in materials you don’t know if you will use again
Location
Held at Local Whimsy, a lovely high-ceilinged barn-style boutique in downtown Gig Harbor. This beloved store is run by two capable women entrepreneurs who make a genuine effort to support local artisans and artists by carrying primarily local goods through the store and charging very reasonable fees for artists like me to use the classroom space. 
Class format
The classes are designed to be beginner-friendly, yet rich in foundational techniques.
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Each class starts with the most fundamental exercises to get you familiarized with the watercolor medium, and we will move into painting a certain portion of the finished painting to understand key principles and techniques involved.
- Next, we move towards approaching a simple painting from beginning to end, through which I will not only demonstrate the drawing and painting process every step of the way, but also explain many fine art concepts in layman terms, accompanied by tips and advice for success.
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You will get hands-on from the start, experimenting with materials, and developing an eye for color, value, and composition by doing it, and most people are pleasantly surprised by what they are able to accomplish with little to no training at the end of the class.
Limitations and Workarounds
While these group classes have been a joy to teach, there are still challenges. Many people are only available after work hours or on weekends. However, the after hours are costly to staff for the store, therefore cannot be arranged as frequently. Weekends are reserved for personal and family activities, especially to maximize time outdoors, given the scarce sunny days in Washington.
This is why I’ve created the following alternatives to increase flexibility in class schedule and topics.
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Option 1: Use the Local Whimsy space for a private session (venue fee included in pricing).
- Option 2: Gather a small group (up to 4) and paint at my cozy home studio near Olalla. (When the weather is nice, we often paint outside under our big cherry blossom tree)
Gig Harbor family celebrates get-together by learning to "Mt. Rainier Meadow" at my home studio
Customizable agenda
These semi-private groups can follow my standard agenda or be fully customized—whether you want to learn how to create an artful painting from your own photo references, or to concentrate on painting a specific type of subject, e.g. sky, water, trees, architecture, people, boats, and local scenes of Gig Harbor itself - simplified by me so you can enjoy your painting process!
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Base Rate: $240 for a 2-hr private session if taught at home, or $300 at Local Whimsy. If the class is larger than 4 people, the cost of supply becomes non-neglectable and therefore I will need to charge $10 per headcount exceeding 4 for materials.
- If the class topic is customized based on client's photo or specific painting subjects: $360 for 2-hr private session due to extra hours designing and preparing for the class to ensure a high quality experience.
How You Can Support My Work
I keep my class pricing as low as possible so more people can experience the joy of painting. Plus, teaching feeds my soul – It is a special experience to be sharing the room with people who have dedicated their full attention to create something out of nothing!
In all honesty, I’m not making a profit from these classes, especially considering the all-inclusive professional-grade supplies. Plus, it takes time and resources to keep the classes fresh with new paintings and techniques developed and rolled out every month.
If you’d like to support me, I would appreciate you consider the following means:
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Purchase prints from my online shop. Even if you don’t have a wall in mind, art makes a beautiful and meaningful gift.
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Tip when you buy a class ticket or when we wrap up a private class—every bit helps!
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Join my Patreon program. For the price of a McDonalds meal every month, you can participate in my live, online painting workshops, get individualized critique and feedback, and get access to a full library of watercolor tutorials and art classes online.
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Visit me at local fairs and events—there are so many wonderful, community-driven festivals in Gig Harbor. Come say hi and meet other local artists if you can. To stay put with the upcoming events, please sign up for my email news. The newsletters include tips for practicing art, painting locations and sneak preview of my new artworks, as well as seasonal discounts for subscribers only.
I'm here to help!
Have a private class in mind? Have more questions about my classes? Please shoot me a message using the contact form below and let’s talk about your needs!
Let’s make Gig Harbor a thriving place for the arts again—one brushstroke at a time.
