---

Course Description:

The Hiking Sketch Club is for those who want to learn and practice the art of drawing en plein air (outdoors) alongside others. Suitable for beginner and intermediate drawing skill levels, this course will focus on the use of pen and pencil to capture both the macro and micro impressions of a landscape. Each class will include a hike, observation exercises, opportunity to connect with others, and ample drawing time.

Hiking Sketch Club focuses on the drawing aspects of hiking and sketching, and consists of two Saturday morning sessions, both of which will start and end at the trailhead of a different hike. Participants can expect to draw for about half of the total course time. The collective pace of the group will determine where the group will stop to sketch, which won’t necessarily be at the top of these trails. The group will remain together while hiking and drawing.  

We will hike Pulpit Rock and Lyon’s Bluff, both within a 5 minute drive of Nelson’s city limits, rated easy to moderate, approximately 3.5 km round trip, with a 300-340m elevation gain. Please note that neither of these hikes have toilet facilities at the parking lot or elsewhere along the trail.  

There is an expectation that participants are already familiar with hiking and are confident in their ability to prepare for and hike the trails outlined here. Participants should also be prepared for and physically able to sit outdoors (while sketching) for an hour or so. No prior drawing experience is required.

For more information about Pulpit Rock and Lyon’s Bluff trails, please visit:

Pulpit Rock & the Flagpole

Lyon’s Bluff Trail

All participants will be required to sign an Oxygen Liability Waiver and will need to provide their own transportation to and from the trail head. This course may be postponed and rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Material Fee: $2

Course Fee: $93      

TOTAL FEE: $95

---

Course Description:

Life drawing sessions will be structured with a series of poses, generally starting with 1 minute “warm-ups” and increasing to longer poses of 15-20 minutes. There is no instruction offered during these sessions.  Participants are expected to bring the drawing medium of their choice. 

TOTAL FEE: $80 (includes model fee)

---

Course Description:

Get creative on your iPad! Fuse traditional artistic techniques with modern digital tools using the Procreate app. Learn how to create and manipulate your artwork using Apple’s dynamic workstation. The class will cover all the tools and gestures needed to take your digital art to the next level.

Course will harness the Procreate app ($13.99, one time fee) available only on Apple iPad. Please install ahead of the class if using your own IPad. 

Recommended:
Apple Pencil, as it will provide the best experience (students can use their fingers to draw, or other 3rd party stylus as an alternative).

Bring your own iPad and pay less

Bring your own iPad: $250

Course Fee: $270     

---

Course Description:

This drawing course will expand on the understanding of core drawing skills and will focus on working with light (value), space, shape, line, and texture. Exercises will explore a variety of drawing processes and techniques that will then be used to develop more sustained, personal drawings.Topics to be investigated include: subtractive processes, metamorphosis of form, composition, and tonal development. Students will work from photographs, still life, and their imaginations. Ongoing feedback and group discussions will be part of every class. Art history lectures related to the topics explored in the course will occur at each class. 

This drawing course is designed as a continuation of Thompson’s Extraordinary in the Ordinary I. It is best suited to students with some previous drawing experience and an interest in taking their drawing to a new level. 

Material Fee: $25 (+material list)

Course Fee: $285     

TOTAL FEE: $310

---

Course Description:

We often recall memories in fragments. By accessing our scattered memories and borrowing the container of non-linear structures we can record our life stories in authentic and innovative ways. Each week we will take a deep dive into a different literary form to enter our material sideways and find new shapes to unpack our experiences. Each class will include a study of the craft, guided writing prompts, and readings by authors who push the boundaries of CNF. If you’re working on a difficult memoir, or looking for new ways to tell your familiar stories, this course will give you a chance to play, experiment, and come away with fresh work.

Material Fee: $0

Course Fee: $95   

TOTAL FEE: $95

---

Course Description:

Add your voice to the bold dissonance & clear sweetness of ancient multi-part Eastern European a capella songs of love & lust, harvest & hearth, wartime, badly arranged marriages, and drunken husbands. No prior experience required. For the last class we’ll enchant invited guests with what we’ve learned at an outdoor location tbd. All participants will be required to sign an Oxygen Liability Waiver and will need to provide their own transportation to and from the outdoor location. 

Material Fee: $10

Course Fee: $230     

TOTAL FEE: $240

---

Course Description:

Writing Through Doubt is a cross-discipline seminar for writers and visual artists who experience doubt in their work. Writing in this class will be for the sake of process; it does not require experience in writing. Suitable both for those emerging and those established in their practices. The cross-discipline aspect adds perspective not usually available to those working alone. Seminars will include readings, exercises, in-class writing, and discussion.

Material Fee: $0

Course Fee: $145      

TOTAL FEE: $145

---

Course Description:

This workshop will offer a full day of exploration, play, and investigation of acting and actor’s processes. Students can expect to develop skills in spontaneity, playfulness, and freedom to move out of performative comfort zones towards an expanded and fuller expression of the self. Suitable for both aspiring actors and those interested in the creative process.

Material Fee: $0

Course Fee: $100      

TOTAL FEE: $100

---

Course Description:

In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of quill pen drawing and freehand brushwork with ink. The course uses a spectrum of methods and mark making techniques from Eastern and Western traditions, and the expanded fields of contemporary art. We will experiment with an assortment of provided papers and tools to depict land and lifeforms from both our imagination and the world around us. With ink, paper and water, an inexhaustible variety of expressions is possible. No previous experience necessary.

Material Fee: $60 (All materials provided)

Course Fee: $250      

TOTAL FEE: $310

---

Course Description:

This two-day course is designed to build on the fundamental ideas and practices of colour theory including monochromatic and achromatic palettes and value scales. The course will deeply explore the complexity of colour in relation to contrasting colours, and will provide techniques for the utilization of complimentary neutrals and colour extensions as a compositional device. Painting exercises will apply and explore the newly introduced theories. Ongoing discussion and critiques of work will be part of each class. Art history lectures will occur throughout the course to provide examples of the history of colour theory and its use in key movements of Modernism. 

Material Fee: $25 (+material list)

Course Fee: $130    

TOTAL FEE: $155

---

Course Description:

Clowning is a rich genre of theatrical performance that cuts across cultures and speaks to the heart of the human condition. Clowning offers deeply personal self-discovery, and helps us get in touch with our intuitive, spontaneous selves. Participants will explore clown theory and technique, engaging in playful storytelling and experimentation. Emerging from this play will be stories that can be honed for performance.

Material Fee: $20

Course Fee: $210      

TOTAL FEE: $230

---

Course Description:

This workshop will offer a full day of immersion to explore both the art and craft of acting.

Students can expect to play, build acting skills, enhance embodied awareness, and cultivate a deeper connection to their authentic voice and imagination.

Suitable for both experienced and aspiring actors with a sincere interest in creative exploration.

Material Fee: $0

Course Fee: $100      

TOTAL FEE: $100

---

Course Description:

This introduction to painting course utilizes the genre of Still Life Painting as a means to experiment and build skills. This course will include art history, paint theory, activities, and hands-on demonstrations. It will cover a range of drawing and painting techniques including composition, underpainting, blocking-in, colour theory, and light. Participants will be working in acrylics with the aim of completing one painting each class. 

Material Fee: $20 (+material list)

Course Fee: $210   

TOTAL FEE: $230

---

Course Description:

Learn methods to light and photograph your artwork with a DSLR camera or camera phone. Participants are encouraged to bring a sample of their work. The treatment of your artwork will serve as an example to demonstrate possible photographic approaches with both lighting and camera and/or phone settings. The focus will be on using the light, tools and materials we have available. This is an introductory class and no experience is necessary.

Material Fee: $0

Course Fee: $80   

TOTAL FEE: $80

---

Course Description:

In this hands-on workshop participants will be introduced to the Bolex film camera and how to process black and white 16mm film using Caffenol-C. Caffenol-C is a home made and non-toxic film developer made from instant coffee, washing soda, and vitamin C powder. In groups of three, participants will shoot a 100 foot roll of film and hand process it in a DIY darkroom. No experience necessary.

Material Fee: $40 (all materials provided)

Course Fee: $90   

TOTAL FEE: $130

---

Course Description:

Join visual artist Myra Rasmussen, and poet Rayya Liebich on an interdisciplinary journey to create handmade books featuring your poetry.  In three sessions, students will experiment with varying art techniques such as making marbled paper, collage, and two bookbinding methods.  Each session will also include “patchwork poetry” to create new poems inspired by your favourite poets. Students will leave the course with a completed mixed media art book featuring their original poems and a blank journal for future writing.

Each student is asked to bring a printed copy of a poem they love to class.

Material Fee: $15

Course Fee: $140 

TOTAL FEE: $155

---

Course Description:

In this class students will use one lino block and print it multiple times, carving a bit away each time. Through this process we will create a print with multiple colours, each layer overtop the previous one. This class is appropriate for all skill levels, whether you have experience with relief printing or if this will be your first time.  

Material Fee: $20 (all materials provided)

Course Fee: $65   

TOTAL FEE: $85