New Year – New Art Beginnings
Welcome 2023 and the opportunity to learn new skills and enhance your talents!
~ February ~
February 6th and 13th, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Open to artists of all levels
Members: $155, Non-Members: $170
Spend two days exploring the amazing versatality of Acrylic Paint.
Pour, brush, build, collage: complete paintings of traditional still lifes or abstract shapes and forms, and work from photographs to create personal or realistic landscapes.
We will use this fun and easy paint to develop basic foundation skills and have fun just playing with paint!

George Peter’s Cows
I’ve been an Art Teacher in one room schoolhouses, nursing homes and community centers in rural Vermont, as well as in public schools, independent schools, hospitals and community centers in Rhode Island. My goal is always to engage everyone I teach in their own creative process. http://mandyhowestudioarts.com
I currently work with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force at Pennfield where I curate exhibits in the D.E.I Gallery. And I continue to teach classes for children and adults at various community sites.

Cake and Cocktails

Create Your Own Sketchbook
~ March ~

It's Our Nature: drawing Natural Forms in Charcoal and Graphite
With Betsey Macdonald

Layering and Puzzle Block Relief Prints
A Two Day Workshop with
Jodi Manca
March 25th and April 1st 9:30am – Noon
Open to artists at all levels
$125 Members, $140 non-Members
Discover the versatility of gouache with Jodi Manca. For those who’ve been waiting to try this exciting medium to those students with experience with goauche, this class is for artists of all skill levels.
You will learn about gouache painting techniques and how to use different styles and variations to paint beautiful paintings and portraits. This class is appropriate for beginners to intermediate painters.
A materials list will be sent upon registration.
Getting to Know Gouache

Jodi Manca , Marsh
About Jodi
Born and raised in Rhode Island I have been in love with creating since I can remember. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration, I acquired my MAE from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. This year marks my 20th year as a visual arts teacher in the Cranston Public School System.
Landscape is my primary inspiration, but it is color that really drives me to create. Exploration of color is what I set out to do every time I pick up my paintbrush. I no longer feel compelled to “get it right”, my purpose is to experience the light, seasons, and times of day that influence color.
I am a member of the South County Art Association, the Conanicut Island Art Association and the Wickford Art Association.
Looking Ahead to Spring
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Four Sessions via ZOOM
April 18th and 25th, May 2nd and 9th
1:00 – 5:00pm
Open to artists of all levels
Members: $155, Non-Members: $170
Can I Get Directions is an exercise in showing how to get from one place to another through illustrations. Participants will choose a local trip and paint or draw directions as well as sights along the way. Will it be from home to your favorite coffee shop, best beach or comforting restaurant? Will you walk, drive or use public transportation? What do you see that lets you know a turn is coming up? You’ll work plein air, when possible, or from original photos.
This class is online on Zoom – Each class includes: Lecture, Independent painting time and Review.

Thea Ernest arrived in Rhode Island in 1983 ready to surrender to art at Rhode Island School of Design. After receiving her BFA in Jewelry and Light Metals in 1987, she created custom cabinet hardware and decorative metalwork both for private homes and historic properties. In the past several years, Thea has gravitated toward the immediacy, color and portability of plein air watercolor. Throughout the year, no matter what the weather, you may see Thea in her AutoStudio – a 2010 Honda Fit – or outdoors capturing scenes across RI. Thea has taught and presented workshops at Portsmouth Arts Guild, What Cheer Flower Farm, East Bay Bikeway Art Day, Providence Art Club and the Seekonk, Rehoboth and Washington Park Public Libraries. She was an Artist in Residency at the Whiterock Conservancy, Coon Rapids IA, in the fall of 2021. Her commissioned home portraits grace walls in several states.
Thea is one of the founders of a chapter-in-development of Urban Sketchers in Rhode Island. The group is all about making art from direct observation which inspired the concept for our class.

Drawing and Painting
With Bill Lane and Sam Allerton Green

Exploring Techniques in Oil & Cold Wax
2022 COVID Policy for In Person Classes
The Guild is currently following the vaccination policies in place per the Rhode Island Department of Health.
The Guild will continue to adapt and adjust according to current guidelines. Thank you for your assistance as we navigate these challenges.
Classes and Workshops FAQs
All classes and workshops will be paid in full at time of registration.
What if I need to cancel or change my workshop?
Transferring your registration to another class or to a gift certificate toward a future class can be made with no fee up to 7 days before a workshop start date. Cancellation within 7 days of a workshop start date results in the full loss of tuition.
In the case that I am unable to attend a workshop, can I give my space to a friend?
Yes, though we ask that you please let us know if someone else will be taking your place in a workshop.
I can’t make all the days of the workshop; can I still take it?
What if PAG cancels a workshop?
In the event of under-enrollment, the Portsmouth Arts Guild will cancel a scheduled class within five days in advance of the start date. In this case, tuition will be refunded in full.