If you would like to take a class with one of our teaching members please click the link in the “Take a Class” section below. Future workshops will be posted here, on our Facebook page, and in the HWS Newsletter. If you would like to become a member and receive the newsletter and member benefits (including reduced tuition for workshops), please click here. If you are interested in teaching a class or workshop, fill out the Member-Teacher Application Form under the “Take a Class” section below.
Unless otherwise specified, workshop fees are non-refundable. Workshop reservations may be transferred to another person if you are unable to attend. If the workshop reaches capacity and HWS can re-sell your seat, we will refund your workshop fee less transaction costs.
Emily McIlroy Critique Session
(Back by popular demand!)
Sunday, July 13, 2025 from 2-5 pm
Location provided upon registration.
Sunday July 13, 2025 2-5PM
Kailua location (Address to be provided upon registration)
Fee: $50
Maximum 15
Each participant will bring 2-3 paintings as subjects for critique.
What is it?
Critique sessions are designed to help artists seeking constructive, professional feedback on their studio work. Sessions will be directed at addressing each participant's specific questions and needs, and don’t require any particular level of experience or expertise. Generally, discussion and feedback center around topics such as compositional strength, use of color, technique, brushwork, personal style, vision, areas for growth, and next steps. Whether you consider yourself relatively new to the joys of art-making, or are an experienced artist looking for fresh insights on your work, this session can help you move forward confidently in your art practice.
About the instructor:
Emily served many years as an instructor and art educator for the Honolulu Museum of Art School and the Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance, and currently teaches in the Drawing and Painting Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). In addition to her teaching position at UHM, McIlroy is a committed working artist. She has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Hawai’i and across the continental United States since 2014, including the 2015 Artists of Hawaiʻi exhibit at the Honolulu Museum of Art. You can view her work at emilymcilroy.com.
Send questions to info@hawaiiwatercolorsociety.org
“The Beauty of Shadows”- with Gary Tucker
Classroom instruction and participation at the Downtown Art Center
Tuesday July 29 - Friday August 1 from 9am - 4pm (1 hour lunch)
Tuesday July 29 - Friday August 1 from 9am - 4pm
Register now!
Cost:
Members $535 Non-members $600
Learn Watercolor through Immersion -
One of the main ways a professional artist improves themselves is through a series, or immersion. This workshop is the perfect format for us to immerse in the media of watercolor. All levels are welcome.
While we are developing the theme of Shadows -
You will come to know how the artist uses shadow to capture the light. As we develop the subject through a small series, you will find a new confidence with in your ability to translate what you see through your brush.
At the end of this Workshop -
You will have a deeper appreciation of the natural world and the ability to find confidence with any subject that you can create beauty with the media of watercolor.
Each day Gary will Demonstrate -
A full painting along with a warm-up drill to get the creativity flowing. Gary blends the technical side of watercolor with the decision making process an artist faces when composing and designing the painting. It’s a real privilege to learn from this world-renowned artist, instructor and master of watercolor.
GARY TUCKER FINE ARTIST PROFILE
Gary started to make art his life path while still in high school under life long mentor Anita Fahs. Eventually Gary was drawn east to Boston where he met Professor Kaji Aso at the SMFA. Professor Aso introduced eastern aesthetics, Calligraphy and Sumi painting. Gary graduated to the media of watercolor and found he could achieve more subtlety, power, and expressiveness in his painting.
"Through the media of watercolor and my process of painting I find power through brushwork, and subtlety through transparency." "Watercolor 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" - Gary Tucker
ON ART, THE ARTIST, AND EDUCATION
What is the place of the artist in society? I feel the artist to be caretaker of the heart. Human beings have empathy for each other, for other creatures, even for plants. The artist values this empathy. This empathy leads them to the heart of human beings, and the artist seeks to move the hearts of others through their artwork.
To communicate through any media we need to understand how to employ our craft. We learn this through immersion. We study nature, we look to the great art of our predecessors, we train our eyes, our ears, our mind, and our heart, to become more perceptive more sensitive that we may say something more. A good teacher will emphasize the fundamentals until the student becomes the artist. The fundamentals are constant through every culture every medium and every masterpiece.
Take a Class or Workshop with Our Teaching Members!
Many of our HWS members are teachers as well as artists. Click here for a list of member-teachers that includes short descriptions and contact information. Reach out to them if you are wanting to join a class, get private instruction, or check out a different style. If you are an instructor and would like to be added to our roster, please fill out the Member-Teach Application Form below.
Questions? Send them to info@hawaiiwatercolorsociety.org