Workshops
Fall Term Workshop Lineup Coming Soon!
Abstract Painting: Past, Present, Personal
Offered in conjunction with Jill Nathanson: Chromatic Phrases on view at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, this workshop invites participants to explore abstraction through color, composition, and personal expression. Through studies focused on color mixing, color relationships, movement within the picture plane, and pictorial organization, students consider how abstract paintings create visual and emotional resonance. Click here for recommended supply list.
Following the workshop, exhibiting artist Jill Nathanson will lead an Artist Walkthrough of Chromatic Phrases at 3 p.m. This walkthrough is open to the public. Workshop participants are welcome and require a separate registration to attend. For walkthrough details, click here.
For more about the exhibition, click here.
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: VBMA Studios 2 and 3
#26FWS-01 $235 (VBMA Members $200)
Register for #26FWS-01
Jill Nathanson has long pursued what she describes as the “active life” of color, treating it as both subject and driving force in her practice. Rooted in the legacy of Color Field painting, she studied at Bennington College, where her work was shaped by encounters with artists such as Larry Poons, Kenneth Noland, and Sophia Healy, among others. She later received her MFA from Hunter College in 1982.
Nathanson’s paintings are composed of poured, translucent planes of acrylic and polymer that form luminous, spatially complex fields. Her process combines the unpredictability of fluid paint with a structured, intentional composition, creating a dynamic between open expanses and layered, almost-glazed transitions. The works are at once clear and complex, marked by subtle tonal variation and brilliance of hue.
Her work has been exhibited widely, including at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville; the Sheldon Museum of Art; and the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art, and is held in numerous public and private collections.
NEW Capturing the Sea in Abstract Painting
Vickie Marsango
All levels
Discover the beauty of abstract seascapes through the rich texture of acrylic impasto painting. Explore washes, bold brushwork, and thick layers of impasto paint to capture the ocean’s movement, mood, and mystery. Learn mark-making, color mixing, composition, and how to build depth with palette knives and brushes. Perfect for artists seeking expressive, tactile techniques. Leave with vibrant seascape paintings and newfound confidence in abstract painting.
October 23 – 25, 2026
Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Studio 2 and 3
#26FWS-02 $510 (VBMA Members $430)
Vickie Marsango is a contemporary expressionist artist. As a Fine Arts major, she works with acrylic, oil, mixed media, and encaustics. From her art gallery in Jensen Beach, she accommodates collections for private and corporate collectors, interior designers, and gallery representation worldwide. Marsango is acclaimed for her perspective on abstract expressive drawing and painting techniques, compositional elements, color theory, and the creative process.
NEW Painting the Highwaymen Way
Ray McLendon
Beginner to intermediate levels
Experience the vibrant legacy of the Florida Highwaymen in an immersive oil painting experience led by a second-generation Highwaymen artist. Participants explore bold color, expressive brushwork, and dynamic composition through techniques passed down across generations. Step-by-step instruction guides students in creating a Florida landscape while gaining foundational skills, professional insight, and historical context that honors the spirit of Old Florida and this influential art movement.
October 30 – November 1, 2026
Friday – Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: VBMA Studios 2 and 3
#26FWS-03 $510 (VBMA Members $430)
Ray McLendon spent much of his childhood in Florida, where he was deeply influenced by his father, Roy A. McLendon, one of the original Florida Highwaymen. As a young boy, Ray helped craft frames for his father’s paintings and often accompanied him on the road, gaining early exposure to the artistic lifestyle. After earning a B.A. in Social Work from Kutztown University, Ray returned to Florida and began painting with his father’s encouragement. He has now been painting for over 25 years, continuing in the traditional Highwaymen style that he grew up with. Once considered street painters, the Highwaymen have since gained recognition for their distinctive and vibrant Florida landscapes. Ray carries on this legacy, exhibiting his work at art shows and museums throughout Florida.
NEW Seeing the Light: Understanding Light for Photography and Fine Art
Scott Kelly
All levels
Explore one of the most important elements in every work of art: light. Using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, smartphone, or photographic references for other visual arts, participants will discover how light influences mood, depth, texture, color, and visual storytelling. Through demonstrations and hands-on exercises, students will learn to recognize natural light, modify existing light, and introduce continuous light sources using simple, inexpensive tools. Working with still-life subjects, participants will experiment with direction, diffusion, reflection, shadow, and contrast. Ideal for photographers of all levels, this workshop also offers valuable insight for painters and other artists seeking to strengthen their understanding of light.
November 6 – 7, 2026
Friday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Studio 2 and 3
#FWS-04 $350 (VBMA Members $295)
J. Scott Kelly grew up on the beaches of South Florida, where his passion for photography began. With over 40 years of experience, his career has taken him across the U.S. and abroad, photographing events, landscapes, cultures, and people. He now shares his expertise through clubs, workshops, and classes, including at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, where he helps photographers of all levels discover their own creative style.
Exploring and Creating with Mixed Media
Xaque Gruber
All levels
Students explore a variety of mixed media materials and techniques in this three-day weekend workshop. Using oil pastels, fabric, watercolor, acrylic, pencil, markers, patterned papers, and more, students experiment with drawing, painting, printmaking, and other creative approaches. Designed to encourage exploration and open new possibilities, this workshop introduces students to fresh ways of working and creating beautiful mixed media artwork.
November 20 – 22, 2026
Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Studio 2 and 3
#FWS-05 $510 (VBMA Members $430)
Xaque Gruber is an artist, writer, and filmmaker. He has taught art to people with Alzheimer’s and to cancer patients as they receive their chemotherapy. In downtown Vero Beach, Florida, he manages Gallery Veritas & Art Library, the only library dedicated to art books on the Treasure Coast. He holds a B.F.A in Drawing from Pratt Institute, a M.A. in Teaching from Tufts University, and a M.S. in Television Production from Boston University.
NEW Approaching Watercolor
Joel Johnson
All levels
This workshop will lead the student into the making of images through the watercolor medium. A variety of subjects will be explored emphasizing the elements of art such as complementary color arrangements, textures, and the use of values in a painting. Subjects will lend themselves to applying paint to wet, moist, or dry surfaces of the paper to create a particular mood. A study of paintings employing these concepts will be shown, discussed, and employed in the making of student work. The instructor will be involved in demonstrating these ideas throughout the workshop. Individual and group critiques will enhance the understanding of these principles of painting along with viewing the progress of each of these paintings done in the workshop.
December 4 – 6, 2026
Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: VBMA Studios 2 and 3
#FWS-06 $510 (VBMA Members $430)
Joel Johnson has a B.F.A. in art from Westminster College and M.F.A. in painting and art history from Utah State University. A career artist, Joel has received numerous awards, exhibited in many national shows and has been featured in many fine art galleries throughout the country. Joel is a member of the National Watercolor Society and the Transparent Watercolor Society. He is also an exhibiting artist at the Prix de West in Oklahoma City at the Cowboy Heritage Museum. This will be his fifth year and in 2021 he was awarded the Donald Teague award for Outstanding Work on Paper. His work has been featured in Southwest Art magazine and also Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. His work is represented by Mountain Trails Fine Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.