Saturdays at the Guild
- 2025
- FEB
- 8
- 2PM-4PM
Introducing our Saturday Afternoon Series of discussions and demonstrations. We invite you to join us and immerse yourself in awe-inspiring demonstrations. Don’t miss out on our Saturday Series this winter. Secure your spot now and explore your creativity with us!
These afternoon sessions are sponsored by Clements’ Marketplace and are free and open to the public, however, seating is limited. Registration is required.
Light refreshments will be served.
Donations for this event are encouraged, and can be made at the event.
- LOCATION: Portsmouth Arts Guild
- COST: FREE and open to the public
- REGISTRATION: Required
Paul Olson
MAR 29, 2025 | 2-4PM
We are delighted to welcome Paul Olson to the Guild. Paul Olson is a Rhode Island-based plein-air painter inspired by the natural splendor of our beautiful Narragansett Bay. Olson’s artwork reflects his deep connection with nature and his love for the flora and fauna of the coastal landscape around him. He can often be found at his easel on his small boat, documenting the effects of wind and weather, sky and water. His work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the Northeast, and in some less traditional spaces like the Providence Place Mall and the Local 251 Teamsters Union Hall.
Paul is also a lover of trees, having had two exhibitions of tree paintings at Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and is a potter making containers for Bonsai, and cultivating his own collection of miniature trees.
Olson has been a passionate teacher at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) with a career spanning over 25 years. Semi-retired but still teaching Oil Painting as a Senior Critic in the Illustration Department at RISD, Paul now spends more time out painting, enjoying being part of the landscape in the open air.
Learn more about Paul through his website and follow him on Instagram.
Dylan McKnight
APR 12, 2025 | 2-4PM
Dylan McKnight is a New England-based artist recognized for his impressionistic paintings that vividly capture the essence of the region’s landscape and its people. An alumnus of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts with a BFA, McKnight’s artistic journey has encompassed drawing, oil painting, printmaking, and sculpture.
After a hiatus to raise a family and pursue a career in technology, McKnight recently returned to painting with a renewed perspective, enriched by life’s experiences. Currently focusing on watercolor, he masterfully harnesses the medium’s spontaneity to create a dynamic interplay of pigments, revealing their unique character on paper. His work is characterized by elegant brushwork, exquisite drawing skills, and the ability to capture light and shadow with a limited palette, encapsulating the essence of his subject.
McKnight’s paintings have garnered national attention, with notable exhibitions at the International Watermedia Exhibition, the American Impressionist Society, Cape Ann Plein Air, the American Watercolor Society, the Guild of Boston Artists, the New England Watercolor Society, and the Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition. In 2025, he took on the role of Vice President of the New England Watercolor Society.
Learn more about Dylan through his website and follow him on Instagram.
Register For This Event
Saturdays at the Guild are FREE and open to the public, however, seating is limited.
Registration is required. Donations are welcome at the event.
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