Willowdale Group of Artists

Neurographic Art- via Zoom
2025-02-04 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Toronto) | Zoom meeting
Neurographic art is a meditative and fun style of artwork that will have you relaxing and playing with your materials. Join Dianne Hunter as she leads us through this interesting new approach – part art-part psychology.

Materials you will need: Watercolour or another paper that can take water; waterproof black marker or pen; some type of colour: i.e. watercolour, markers, inktense blocks, coloured pencils; circular item;i.e. penny, bottle top, etc.

We will start signing onto Zoom just after 6:30pm to greet and chat with each other; . We will start our painting at 7 to 8 pm and then we will show and talk. Offering each other advice and support.

Life Drawing - In Person at NYSC
2025-01-28 18:00 - 20:30 | North York Seniors Centre, 21 Hendon Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4G8, Canada
Arrive at 6pm to assist in set-up and we will begin drawing at 6:15pm

Bring a lightweight portable easel & gator board with clip, large newsprint pad & a variety of drawing tools

PORTRAIT DRAWING -via Zoom
2025-01-21 18:30 - 20:30
Sign on after 6:30pm to meet and chat, and at 7pm we will start sketch/draw/painting each other.

We will take turns drawing each other for a timed period. Shortly after 8:15, we will take time to view each other’s work

DEMO - VIA ZOOM- Margaret Ferraro
2025-01-14 18:30 - 20:30 | Zoom meeting
You’re invited to the Pastel Party! Many colours: many personalities.

Pastellist Margaret Ferraro is having a party, and she’s inviting many colours. Come and watch and listen to Margaret as she explains her take on the wonder of colour, and how to create vibrancy in your work, at the dullest time of the year.

You’ll learn about choice of ground colours, choosing a palette, and layering colours to create the rich textures of pastel while watching her paint a pastel painting.

We will start signing in just after 6:30pm to meet and greet each other. The demo will start at 7pm

More information to follow

WGA WINTER PARTY-in Person
2024-12-03 18:00 - 20:30 | at John McKenzie House – 34 Parkview Ave., Willowdale
Please bring a Sweet or Savory treat to share with fellow members.

Non Alcohol punch

Life Drawing - In Person at NYSC
2024-11-26 18:00 - 20:30 | North York Seniors Centre, 21 Hendon Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4G8, Canada
Life Drawing is In-Person at the John McKenzie House. Arrive at 6pm to assist in set-up and start drawing at 6:30pm.

Location: North York Senior Center, 21 Hendon Ave.

ART PRESENTATION & SELF CRITIQUE- in person & zoom
2024-11-19 18:00 - 20:30 | at John McKenzie House – 34 Parkview Ave., Willowdale
Arrive at John McKenzie to assist in set-up.

Critiquing art is no easy task, especially when it’s your own. We’re either far too critical or far too generous. But it’s a valuable skill that allows you to identify areas for improvement and to give yourself a pat on the back when you do something well. Also, you will often be your own best judge. So you may as well be a good one.

You will be provided in advance of the meeting with a list of key things to consider when evaluating your paintings. You will prepare a critique for two paintings and present them to the group. Following each one, all participants will have the opportunity to add their constructive comments.

Coffee & tea with cookies

Paint Night on Zoom
2024-11-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Zoom meeting
The WGA will send out a Landscape Photo that can be downloaded & printed by WGA members. The photo will be copy right free from a WGA member. We will start signing on at 6pm and then begin painting the photo in whatever media you wish. We will stop painting at 8pm and then share what we have accomplished. Bring your artistic imagination, precision & favourite drink to fun social Zoomy evening.

Demo Kat Honey - In person NYSC
2024-11-05 18:00 - 20:30 | North York Seniors Centre, 21 Hendon Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4G8, Canada
You may be familiar with collage, but have you heard of decollage? Highly in demand artist, Kat Honey, will demonstrate her unique method of collaging and stripping away materials that she used to create her sell-out pieces at the Artist Project 2024.

Portrait Night
2024-10-29 18:30 - 20:30 | Zoom meeting
We will take turns drawing/sketch/painting each other in a timed sessions. Use your choice of drawing materials. Charcoal, conte, graphite, or pastels, water color paint/pencils. and bring a variety of papers

LIFE DRAWING - In person at NYSC
2024-10-22 18:00 - 20:30
Arrive at 6pm to assist in set-up and we will start drawing at 6:15pm.

Bring a portable light weight easel, gator board & clip to hold lots of newsprint pad/paper and drawing tools

Location: North York Senior Center, 21 Hendon Ave.

Interactive Demo - Nora MacPhail - Charcoal portrait
2024-10-15 18:00 - 20:30 | John McKenzie House, 34 Parkview Ave., North York
Arrive at 6 pm to set up and we will start at 6:30 pm.

Charcoal is a beautiful medium which creates lovely silvery-greys. Willow charcoal will suit us perfectly as we draw together during our portrait workshop. A kneaded eraser will allow us to create light values, giving our drawings structure. Working this way, with dry mediums, is almost like sculpting! The finer lines and subtle details can be found with charcoal pencils. Finally, optional touches of soft pastel create sparkles of light, making the highlights pop!

Paint along with amazing artist and teacher Nora MacPhail. She will demonstrate and we will do our best to repeat. Don’t worry – she will go in slow, small steps, until ultimately we’ve each produced our own masterpiece. Nora will provide colour photos for everyone to work from and will bring a few soft pastels to add a hint of colour if you wish.

MATERIALS LIST – Drawing Board, Charcoal Pencil, Willow Charcoal – Medium sticks, Kneaded Eraser, Newsprint Paper, Paper Towel

Be sure to check the label on the box of your Willow Sticks, the Small are too small and the Large are too big. I recommend Medium.

Location is the John McKenzie House, 34 Parkview Avenue, North York

Zoom will be available for out-of-town members

More Information to follow

Demo - Paint in the Style of John Singer Sargent - Robyn Asquini
2024-10-08 18:30 - 20:30 | North York Seniors Centre, 21 Hendon Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4G8, Canada
Join artist Robyn Asquini for a live painting demonstration and talk focused on the techniques of 19th-century master John Singer Sargent, renowned for his exquisite portraiture and figurative work. During this session, you’ll explore how to emulate Sargent’s dynamic brushwork, mix luminous skin tones, and effectively capture movement and light in your own portraits. Whether you’re aiming to refine your technique or gain deeper insight into Sargent’s artistry, this event will provide valuable inspiration and practical guidance for artists at all levels.

Location: North York Seniors Centre

DEMO -Helen McCusker- Intro to the Procreate App-Zoom
2024-10-01 18:30 - 20:30 | Zoom meeting
The Procreate App – currently for iPads and iPhones – is a user-friendly, alternative to more costly and complicated graphics programs and is quickly becoming the program of choice for artists. Sketch, paint and edit your own digital art, or use the app to help compose, select a colour scheme or identify the colours in your photo reference , or edit your painting on the app without messing up your original art. Helen will begin with a short slideshow featuring samples of her work done with Procreate and discuss techniques and features. Similar programs exist even if you don’t have an Apple product.

Helen has worked as an Art Instructor for over 25 years, specializing in Drawing and Painting – particularly Portraits and Figurative work

Life Drawing - In Person at NYSC
2024-09-24 18:00 - 20:30 | North York Seniors Centre, 21 Hendon Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4G8, Canada
Arrive at 6 pm to assist with set-up & to begin drawing at 6:15pm

Bring lightweight portable easel; gator board & clip; & Lots of newsprint paper/pad-or paper you like; conte/graphite/charcoal and eraser

Location: North York Senior Center, 21 Hendon Ave.

Portrait Night - Zoom
2024-09-17 18:30 - 20:30 | Zoom meeting
This evening will be our first evening of Portrait Drawing this year.

We will take turns drawing/sketch/painting each other in a timed sessions. Use your choice of drawing materials. Charcoal, conte, graphite, or pastels, water color paint/pencils. and bring a variety of papers

WGA OPEN HOUSE - In person
2024-09-10 18:30 - 20:30 | at John McKenzie House – 34 Parkview Ave., Willowdale
Come join us for tons of fun and creativity, prizes, refreshments and all-round merry-making. Celebrated artist Kat Honey will lead us in various collage exercises to allow you to try your hand or learn some new tricks. No experience necessary. A fun time guaranteed. Art loving friends and family welcome.

Please bring scissors, glue stick, craft knife, and a cutting mat if you have one. We will supply collage materials and paper.

Please bring a sweet or savory item to share and eat

Located at the John McKenzie House, 34 Parkview Ave., North York.

Free Parking on street after 6:00 pm

DOORS OPEN - TORONTO
2024-05-25 08:00 - 2024-05-26 17:00
Doors Open is a 2 day event in all of Toronto; and the WGA has once again been asked to participate at the John McKenzie House. We will be showcasing WGA paintings in the Coach House. It will be a 12″ Square Painting show & all paintings will be a fixed price of $150.00.

We would like to have all paintings in any medium be unframed 12 inch squares. They can be gallery canvas/wood/boards. If a painting is framed it should be within the 12 inch square. If the medium is watercolour, mix media, or pastel the work should be mounted on a 12 inch square mount of some sturdy substance.

Glenda Wood will be setting up a Registration platform for this upcoming event. We will let WGA members know more about drop off and pick-up and Volunteers for this 2 day event… we will need approximately 8 volunteers.

MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW

AGM - Annual General Meeting
2024-04-30 18:30 - 20:30
The AGM will be an in-person meeting and take place at the John McKenzie House, 34 Parkview Ave., North York. Free Parking on street after 6pm. For members not able to attend in person, we will set up zoom as well.

CRITIQUE NIGHT at McKenzie House
2024-04-23 18:30 - 20:30
More details to follow

Sketch Book Play Time: Mon-Fri 11am-12pm
2023-11-08 11:00 - 2024-04-30 00:00 | Zoom meeting
The idea of the Sketch Book Play Time is to show up. That’s first: Show up…

We do a 30 minute ‘sketch’, in whatever medium of our choosing: pencil, acrylic, watercolour, etc.

The purpose of doing these quick exercises is to take us out of the right brain and make a shift that allows us to do something without time to self-criticize. The purpose of doing one subject for a month is that practice makes perfect. As well, it allows us to do a subject from life, from a picture, or from copying other artists’ work, and to learn something new and to be familiar with that one subject after a month of exploring the different ways of doing it.

This Play Time is for members only. What a great incentive for you to join us!

The link is available on the Members’ only page or contact WGA@willowdaleartists.com
