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Drawing Light at the Asian Art Museum
Instructor: Rebecca Dvorin Strong
Sunday, January 25th, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM
$110, $90 for MIVAL members
All Skill Levels, Ages 18+
Location: Seattle Asian Art Museum
1400 E Prospect Street, Seattle
This one-day workshop takes place on location at the Seattle Asian Art Museum where each student will choose a sculpture displayed in dramatic light. Students will draw on black paper with white colored pencil in one 3 -hour session. Rebecca Dvorin Strong will demonstrate how focusing on drawing just the light on an object allows the image to materialize on the paper with a real sense of form and space.
Materials including black paper and white pencils will be provided.
Pastel Power: Timeless Color, Endless Possibilities
Instructor: Jeff Olson
Saturday, Feb. 28, 10- 3 PM
$135, $110 for MIVAL members
All Skill Levels, Ages 18+
Location: Mercer Island Community and Events Center
8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040
Experience color through pure pigment shaped for the hand, responding instantly to every gesture.
Join Royal Talens Art Education Director Jeff Olson for a guided journey through the medium’s creative lineage. This session blends history, material understanding, and practical technique into a single, inspiring experience. All participants will receive free samples of Rembrandt Soft Pastel and be entered to win a 60-piece set of Rembrandt Soft Pastels.
Students will learn and execute a variety of pastel techniques which they will combine in a final take home project. They will also receive samples of pastel and pastel paper to use during the demo and take home for further exploration.
Please bring your own lunch to enjoy during a class break around noon.
All materials will be provided.
Memory as Material: Developing Ideas Through Place, Observation, and Narrative
Instructor: Erin Power
Multiple Dates: March 21 – May 15
$225 for entire course (MIVAL members $180)
Most Suitable for Intermediate Skill Level and Above, Ages 18+
Location: Online via Zoom
How do memory, place, and lived experience shape the ideas behind our artwork? This multi-session workshop invites artists to explore memory as a creative and conceptual material through guided discussion, observation-based drawing, and peer exchange. Participants will work with prompts focused on atmosphere, narrative, and sensory recall, applying them in their own studio practice between sessions.
Online meetings include small-group discussion and in-process sharing, with an optional on-location drawing session at Luther Burbank Park. The series is designed to be taken as a complete sequence, with each session building on the last, and is intended for artists seeking to deepen the ideas behind their work while engaging in a thoughtful, supportive artist community. The program culminates in a group exhibition developed collaboratively with participating artists. Location and specific dates to be determined.
Dates: (Online meetings in Zoom)
- March 21, 2026, 10-12 Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Zoom
- April 18, 2026: 10-12 PST on Zoom
- May 16, 2026: 10-12 PST on Zoom
Find additional information including instructor bio, suggested supplies and specific times here: Memory as Material Course Detail.
Memory as Material: On-Location Drawing at Luther Burbank Park
Instructor: Erin Power
Saturday, March 7, 10AM – 12 Noon
$75 ($60 for MIVAL members)
Most Suitable for Intermediate Skill Level and Above, Ages 18+
Location: Luther Burbank Park – Picnic Area A (near pickleball courts)
This stand-alone, on-location drawing session invites artists to slow down and work from observation, attention, and memory in a shared outdoor setting. Through light, optional prompts, participants will explore drawing as a way of noticing—collecting visual and material notes, responding to atmosphere, and experimenting with memory-based mark-making.
The session is semi-guided and relaxed, with flexibility to work independently or in small groups. Artists are encouraged to follow their own interests while engaging with the park as a site for observation and reflection. This workshop is open to anyone interested in drawing as a process of inquiry and does not require enrollment in the full Memory as Material series.
Lightweight Nunofelt Scarf
Instructor: Flóra Carlile-Kovács
www.florafelts.com
Friday, March 6, 2026 – 10 AM – 4 PM
$150 (MIVAL members $120)
All Skill Levels, Ages 18+
Location: Mercer Island Community and Events Center
8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040
In this workshop we’ll discover the possibilities of the nunofelting technique and create a feather-weight scarf using silk fabric and hand-dyed superfine merino wool.
Participants will learn:
- How to create nice lines in nuno-felt
- How to felt those lines in the silk, without letting them move away
- What kinds of silks work for this project, and what don’t
- How to secure the design on the silk, and how to felt them into a strong but lightweight and soft scarf
Materials Fee: $25, covers hand-dyed silk and 19 micron merino wool for the project.
Photo Transfers with Acrylic Painting
Instructor: Casey Jo Ailes
www.caseyailes.com
Saturday, March 14, 10 – 4 PM
$150 (MIVAL members $120
All Skill Levels, Ages 18+
Location: Mercer Island Community and Events Center
8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040
Take inspiration from Pop Art and Contemporary artists who incorporate photo transfers in their acrylic paintings, then create your own.
We will discuss painting fundamentals such as brush strokes, paint application, color mixing, and exploring various materials. You will learn how to build your compositions by applying layers of paint with photo transfers.
All experience levels are welcome.
$10 Fee for prints before class
See additional Materials list Here
The Secrets of Drawing on Location
Instructor: Steven Reddy
Saturday, April 11, 10AM – 4PM
$150 (MIVAL members $120)
All Skill Levels, Ages 18+
Location: Mercer Island Community and Events Center
8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040
If you’ve drawn on location but your drawings don’t feel finished or detailed enough, or if you’ve never drawn on location before, Steven will take you step-by-step through his stress-free method for creating a playful yet representational drawing anywhere. Using photo references, the class will draw along with Steven as he narrates every step of his unique process. Then you’ll apply that practice to a second drawing with Steven providing as much or as little guidance as you like.
Learn to select only the parts of a complex scene that interest you to make a personal record of your unique view. Learn tips for staying in control of your drawing without being beholden to extraneous details or ideas of how you (or imaginary others) think a drawing should look.
All experience levels are welcome.
Jigsaw Block Printing
Instructor: Leslie Nan Moon
Saturday, Nov 22, 1- 4 PM
$100, $80 for MIVAL members
All Skill Levels, Ages 18+
Location: Mercer Island Community and Events Center
8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040
Discover the expressive potential of relief printmaking through jigsaw block print.
In this three-hour entry-level course, students will learn the basics of designing and carving a single block and then take their newfound skills to the next level. Blocks will be cut into sections with each piece inked separately and then reassembled for printing creating bold multi-color impressions without the need for complex registration.
Ideal for artists in any medium who want to explore new ways of working with color, texture, and design through the direct, hands-on process of printmaking.
All materials will be provided.
Create a Finished Work of Art
Instructor: Claudia Zimmerman
More classes coming soon.
No experience necessary
Cost: $75 – payable first day of class. Cash or check made out to Claudia Zimmerman
Supplies: your choice of medium, acrylic or gouache. Canvas size 8×12″ or 12×12″ your choice
Location: MIVAL Studio
7710 SE 29th St. Mercer Island – between MIVAL Gallery and Met Market
To register email: Claudia Zimmerman at cvonz1@gmail.com. If you have any questions do not hesitate to email.
We will create a hang-able, finished work of art as we concentrate on the properties of size, perspective, and composition. You will work from the same still life setup from canvas preparation to finished piece.
If you do not have gouache or brushes, I have some you can use. * You may also paint with medium of your choice.
The Beauty of Negative Painting with Watercolor
Instructor: Yu-Yin Lin
Saturday, October 25th, 2 – 5 PM
Location: Mercer Island Community & Event Center
Cost: $110 / $90 members
All Skill Levels, Ages 18+
Every painting is made up of both positive and negative space. We usually focus on painting the main subject that refers to positive space where we want the viewer to pay attention. But the negative space around and between your subject is the key to creating the illusion of space and highlighting your main subject. Negative painting may seem confusing to people because we create the subject by painting around it instead of painting it directly.
After this class, you will be able to enhance your subject and create depth and interesting movement in watercolor paintings with negative painting technique.
Yu-Yin Lin is an artist, art educator, and a designer. She is originally from Taiwan where she earned her Bachelor degree in Oil Painting. Then she obtained a Master’s degree in Art Education at California State University, Long Beach. She currently resides in the Seattle area.
In this workshop, you will learn with step-by-step instruction:
· What negative painting is and how to apply it
· Other watercolor techniques, including flat wash, wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, lifting off
· How to compose an eye-catching layout
· How to apply and remove masking fluid, including the tips to not ruin your brushes
Join us in this class to learn how to use negative painting to enhance your work.
Illustrative Drawing in Pen, Ink and Watercolor
Instructor: Steven Reddy
Saturday, September 13th from 10 – 3 PM
Location: Mercer Island Community and Events Center.
Cost: $135 / $110 MIVAL members
In this 5-hour, one-day workshop, learn to draw dynamic and detailed illustrations using the five-step technique detailed in Steven Reddy’s book, Everyday Sketching and Drawing: Five Steps to a Unique and Personal Sketchbook Habit. Free yourself from fussy erasing and redrawing in pencil and embrace your natural lines in bold pen and ink contours. Then brush in your tones with diluted India ink washes before glazing hues in watercolor. A relaxing and versatile technique suitable for any subject, for all skill levels.
Supply fee for those who have not gotten supplies before is $10.
Students should come with a sturdy, all-purpose sketchbook (8.5×11 or 12×9) suitable for several layers of wet media; assorted watercolor brushes (#2, #6, and #8 for example); and a small kit of tray-based (not tube) watercolors (Windsor&Newton 12-color travel kit is what Steven uses).
SHARE YOUR IDEAS FOR FUTURE CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
We are working to develop an appealing calendar of MIVAL classes and workshops for the next several months. Please take a few moments to share your ideas and preferences via a short survey.
Open Studio Times
Mondays – 1 PM – 3 PM
Fiber Fridays 1 PM – 3 PM
MIVAL Studio is located between MIVAL Gallery and Met Market
7710 SE 29th St. , Mercer Island
Street parking or park behind the Reading Room next door.
MIVAL now has a new space! The building is centrally located in town and we are adapting the space for our various needs, making some improvements inside. The building has heat and air conditioning to get us through the seasons and the space is well suited for classes, workshops and small events.
We are excited about having this wonderful space for our artists to create and for all of you who wish to attend or lead classes. If you have suggestions or would like to teach a class let us know.
We continue to have Open Studio time from 1:00 – 3:00 PM on Monday and Friday afternoons. All MIVAL artists and their guests are welcome to join us for a couple of hours to work on art projects, discuss ideas or just drop by to see what is happening in our additional location.
To get on the list for Open Studio Reminders contact Mary or Kim:
Mary McKelvey, mkmckelvey@gmail.com or Kim McDonald, kimannem@me.com
MIVAL Studio is located at 7710 SE 29th St. between MIVAL Gallery and Met Market.
Street parking or park behind the Reading Room next door.
