The Artist:

Chris Groves’ love of art grew from his early experiences with nature: exploring the woods, swimming in the bayou, boating, fishing, playing with snakes and other wild animals, countless hikes, mountain climbs and camping trips. He would spend countless hours copying the drawings from a nature book and enhancing them with his own interpretation. His parents, recognizing their sons’ talent and appreciation of art, hired a private tutor to instruct him in basic techniques. He drew detailed portraits of his friends’ faces. In high school, Groves met sculptor Glenna Goodacre, who inspired his own artistic aspirations.

After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.F.A. in Environmental Design, Groves spent the next ten years as an art director for two large companies, all the while continuing to study and hone his fine art skills. Groves has studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, the Colorado Academy of Art, the Loveland Art Academy, the Cottonwood Art Academy and the Denver Arts Students League. He also enjoyed a private, two- year mentorship with artist Jay Moore, which he considers a turning point in his artistic career. Grove’s paintings hang in numerous private and corporate collections and he is the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions listed on his website: https://www.cgroves.com/Sent from my iPad.

Chris Groves Supply List

About the Instructor:
Deidre Hierlihy graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art from Queen’s University, 1981, followed by a year at the Graff, Centre de Conception Graphique in Montréal on a Graff Grant.  She returned to Queens in 1984 to complete a Bachelor of Education.  Her love for printmaking subsequently led to international study in both Japan (woodcut) and Northern Ireland (linocut).  Learn more about Deirdre at https://deidrehierlihy.com

Here is what her students say about Deidre as a teacher:

“Deidre’s classes strike a lovely balance of learning about the technique and then setting us free to be playful and creative and to discover the magic process of print making.”- Jen A

“Deidre is a first class teacher: clear, encouraging and hands-on. I enjoy her printmaking classes so much and am learning a great deal.” – Gillian M
“I greatly enjoyed the printmaking exploration with Deidre Hierlihy. A well planned and engaging experience. Deirdre was always encouraging us with her expertise and good humour!” – Clare S

About the workshop:
This 3-day workshop combines drawing on location and printmaking.
Each day starts with 3 hours of sketching in the beautiful town of Carp*. In the afternoon, our sketches will become the basis for prints. We will explore monoprint, drypoint and Styrofoam printmaking, pen and marker drawing. The focus will be on how different elements of art are manipulated to translate drawn images into prints.
*In the event of inclement weather, Deidre will provide us with references to sketch in the studio.

Supply List: Urban Sketching with Deidre Hierlihy

Dates: Monday June15th – Wednesday June17th (3 days)
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fees:  Member – $240.00, Non-Member – $280.00

Location: Carp in the mornings, KAC studio in the afternoons
Open for Registration:   Member – May 12, Non-member – May 16

Terms and Conditions:
Kanata Art Club reserves the right to cancel a workshop where there is insufficient registration.  You will be notified and receive a full refund.
To withdraw, please contact the treasurer at treasurer@kanataartclub.com.  A cheque or e-transfer for a full refund less an administrative fee of $25.00 will be issued if a written request is received no less than 7 days prior to the start of the workshop.  There will be no refunds beyond that date, unless we are able to fill the spot from a waitlist.

Gary says “Through the media of watercolour and my process of painting I find power through brushwork, and subtlety through transparency.”

“Watercolour differs from other media in that there is a performance aspect to it. The fine pieces come out in one sitting and very often like a classic performance, something happens, a fusion of mind and subject, an improvisation that cannot be duplicated” –

A graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gary has 20 years experience teaching watercolour workshops both nationally and internationally

His full bio can be found at https://www.garytuckerartist.com/page/42062/cv

Workshop Description

Each day starts with a demonstration based on a photo  and a sketch – moving from the literal to a the suggestive. In the afternoons session some technical exercises that build up our watercolour muscles…

Throughout the 4 days I work with each student to help them understand the media and develop a stronger use of design …

Student Testimonials

“Gary for me is the 21st Century magician of watercolour, and I was so lucky and privileged to be able to get on his course ‘Sarlat’ Dordogne France in June 2019.

His approach and teaching was absolutely invaluable. I met some very special and lovely people on this trip, and it was probably my best watercolour teaching holiday I have ever had, everyday was never a dull moment with Gary, and we had soo much fun too!” –  Ranjan

Dates  June 24-June 27, 2026  9:30am-4:30pm

Fees  Member $800, Volunteer $800, Non Member $840

Registration opens to KAC volunteers December 14, 2025, to KAC Members January 1, 2026 and to non members January 22, 2026

Note: to become a member, go to Membership | Kanata Art Club

Terms and conditions

The Kanata Art Club reserves the right to cancel a workshop if there is insufficient registration.  You will be notified and receive a full refund by cheque or e-transfer.

To withdraw from a workshop, contact: treasurer@kanataartclub.com.  A full refund less an administrative fee of $25.00 (by cheque or e-transfer) will be issued if a written request is received by April 14th, 2026.  There will be no refund issued beyond that date unless we can fill your spot from a waitlist.

Capture the magic of watercolors in this 3 day painting workshop. This is an opportunity to have fun learning from an energetic and colorful master of expressive watercolor. It will be an intensive 3 days of inspiration, hard work and productive learning. Each day will begin with a philosophical introduction, followed by Alvaro’s “one go” demonstration. The demo will focus on bold composition with an understanding of the 4 Pillars.

You will learn how to make quick decisions and simplify a subject to achieve the most impact. Alvaro will discuss color relationships, tonal range, forms & shapes and edges. Participants will then paint until lunch. Alvaro will assist and advise on works in progress. Participants will be asked to start a second painting for the afternoon session, after Alvaro’s 2nd. Demonstration. Alvaro will supervise participants until the end of each day.
You will go home not only feeling great about your achievement, but also realizing how much you have learned after having so much fun. You will have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your paintings.

About the Artist

Alvaro is a renowned master watercolor artist with a passion and flair for his medium. He is an expressive painter with a strong impressionist and impactful style. He is a signature member of many prestigious watercolor societies around the world, such as the American Watercolor Society (AWS) and the Australian Watercolour Institute (AWI)

A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, Alvaro’s paintings grace the walls of many private and corporate collections across the globe and his works have been recognized with the top honors in esteemed international art competitions.
Alvart travels the world exhibiting, demonstrating, lecturing and judging. He is also a successful author, often contributing to acclaimed international art publications. His books “Watercolor Painting with Passion”; “Painting with Passion”,”Beyond Technique”; & “Watercolour Masterclass: Understanding the 4 Pillars” are sold out bestsellers.
His work and products can be viewed at alvarocastagnet.net

Dates: Sept. 10-12, 2026   9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Terms and Conditions:

The Kanata Art Club reserves the right to cancel a workshop if there is insufficient registration. You will notified and will receive a full refund.
To withdraw prior to the start date, please contact: treasurer@kanataartclub.com. A full refund less an administrative fee of $25.00 will be issued if the request is received prior to May 11th, 2026. There will be no refund issued after May 11th, 2026, unless we can fill your spot from a waitlist.

Workshop Coordinator: Manju Sah  sahmanju@gmail.com