New Virtual Drawing Classes...

In 2025 I will be leading a sold-out online art workshop focusing on drawing in colour! The drawing course is titled "Exploring Colour in Art: Mood, Space, and Texture." The online 6-Week Art Program is for all ages and is "a 6-week intergenerational virtual workshop connecting seniors with youth to engage in creativity using colour." Participants will explore various techniques and concepts related to colour theory, mood, space, and texture in this interactive workshop.

The image shown here is an original oil self portrait painting on canvas painted in 2008. Red, black and white are the dominant colours in this artwork. The painting measures 12" x 9" x 1" and is framed in a floater frame.

Here is the full description of the 6-week pencil drawing workshop:

This 6-week colour workshop series explores the transformative power of colour in art, focusing on how colour creates mood, space, and harmony. The course also delves into techniques for adding texture and pattern, enhancing the visual richness of artworks. By studying influential artists and engaging in targeted exercises, seniors and youth participants will develop an understanding of colour and its applications in drawing.

This workshop is open to Seniors (age 50+) and Youth (14-18 yrs old).

• Dates: 6 Tuesdays (January 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, February 4th, and 11th, 2025)
• Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
• Location: Virtually on Zoom (link will be sent to registered participants the day before the first session)
• Commitment: Each session builds on itself. We understand that things may occur, and participants are asked to attend at least 4 of the sessions.

Benefits of the Online Art Classes:

By participating in this workshop, youth participants will receive 12 volunteer hours, recognizing their dedication and contribution to this creative endeavour as part of their high school graduation requirements. Before the workshop, all participants will also receive an art kit valued at $50 that will be used during the program. Kits can be picked up at the Art Gallery of Mississauga during regular operating hours from January 2 to January 7, 2025.

About the Art Workshop Facilitator/Instructor:

Rachael Grad is a Toronto artist, mother, and former lawyer who has studied and worked in the US, France, Italy and Hong Kong. Grad left practicing law to study painting full-time in New York City at the New York Studio School and then New York University (NYU) before transferring to OCAD University. Grad earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from OCAD University as the Governor General's Academic Medal and Mrs. W.O. Forsyth Award Winner and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) from York University in 2024. Grad was awarded a Grad was awarded a Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant, including the Michael C. Smith Foreign Supplement Award, CGS Master’s Scholarship, and Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Grad's abstract art practice incorporates digital painting, collage, observational drawing and painting.

Grad combines her experience as a mother, former lawyer and traveller into her artwork. Creating work based on parenting moments, Grad’s current series include “Mommy Mayhem” and "Motherhood Hit Me Like a Train" abstract paintings. Her paintings and artwork have been shown at Brandeis University (Waltham, Massachusetts) and the Museum of Motherhood (St Petersburg, Florida), and in solo and group shows in Washington, DC, New York City, Miami, Florida, Venice, Italy, Toronto, and Montreal, Canada. Grad’s artwork has been featured in FEMSPEC, MER Literary Journal, MILK Art Journal, Verklempt! and Niv Magazine. Rachael Grad lives and works in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

KINDLY NOTE: There will be a waitlist, as this is expected to be a popular event. ZOOM link will be sent to registered participants prior to the workshops.

You can join the waitlist for this art workshop by visiting this eventbrite page. 

This online art class is run by The Art Gallery of Mississauga and funded by the
Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program.