Don’t miss the gold in this workshop! This 2-day online workshop, starring autumn foliage, is best suited for experienced beginner to intermediate and advanced acrylic or oil painters. Sam will share his professional painting experience, making learning both inspirational and enjoyable - you'd better be-leaf it!
Don't sweat the fall stuff and learn to see the forest through the trees! Through creative editing, Sam will focus our vision on the cornerstone principles of painting - Composition/Design, Values, Colour and Edges. Active discussion is encouraged throughout the workshop, and as the demos are painted (Sam will demo in acrylic). A glowing, gorgeous autumnal reference image will be our inspiration, and we will learn how to make magic with the landscape elements that we see. Emphasis will be on the importance of value and colour, colour transparency in shadows, as well as the significant role of edge quality in achieving depth - and when to 'leaf' things alone!
Sam will discuss and demonstrate his tools and techniques for both acrylic and oil painting. Constructive critique and encouragement are available for those who wish to share their work at the end of class each day.
Are you ready to paint the town - or maybe just a canvas - red, orange, and every shade of autumn leaves? Don't miss out! This workshop will be recorded for your review, and accessible to you for 4 weeks FALLowing the workshop.
Friday, October 31, 2025 - 7:30 p.m. EST
Saturday, November 1, 2025 - 11:30 a.m. EST
Set against the gorgeous backdrop of Mill Pond Park in Richmond Hill, this one-day workshop is a unique opportunity to capture the fleeting light and rich atmosphere of a fall day. Acclaimed artist Sam Paonessa will guide you through the rewarding process of painting outdoors, sharing techniques to help you simplify a complex scene, quickly mix accurate colours, and paint with confident, gestural brushwork.
Through hands-on demonstrations and one-on-one guidance, you’ll learn to work with the changing light and deepen your connection with nature. Leave with a finished painting and the skills to continue your plein air adventures.
This 11-week painting workshop, led by professional artist and multi-award recipient Sam Paonessa, is perfect for students who have a passion for painting and wish to further develop their skills and techniques. Sam will provide inspiring demonstrations and helpful critiques to help you perfect your skills.
Tuesday Afternoons - October 7th to December 16th Time: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm Price: $374.00 + HST
11 Week oil or acrylic painting workshop suitable
for intermediate to advanced students
Wednesdays - October 8th through December 17th
This 11 week painting workshop, suitable for intermediate to advanced students with prior experience.
Integrating both landscape and abstract, this workshop will inspire students to interpret, simplify and edit photo references using less traditional techniques and colour palettes, while encouraging creativity and imagination.
Wednesday Afternoons - October 8th to December 17th Time: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm Price: $374.00 + HST
Join Sam Paonessa for an inspiring five-week journey into the heart of landscape painting.
In this supportive virtual studio, you’ll discover the building blocks of a powerful painting, from creating a dynamic composition to understanding the nuances of colour and light. Through Sam’s insightful demonstrations and personalized feedback, you will build a toolkit of techniques that allows for both accurate detail and intuitive, gestural brushwork.
This course is designed to help you find and develop your distinctive style, translating the beauty of the natural world into art that is truly your own.
Continue your artistic journey with Sam Paonessa in this focused three-week virtual studio (one exercise), building upon your existing painting and drawing skills. This module is designed to help you investigate a more diverse range of compositions and explore colour relationships, pushing the boundaries of your visual vocabulary.
We will refine your understanding of light and shadow, enabling you to create compelling forms and textures with confidence and nuance. Through engaging demonstrations and tailored critiques, you will be guided in developing a more intuitive and gestural approach to representing the world around you.
This course emphasizes cultivating a unique artistic voice, encouraging you to interpret still life subjects with a personal expression rather than mere replication. You will learn to perceive and translate the inherent beauty and character of objects, transforming them into dynamic and evocative painted narratives. Prepare to elevate your observational skills and enrich your still life practice.
Sam Paonessa is a professional, award winning artist who has enjoyed a creative career for over 40 years. His interest remains with plein air landscapes and he is a founding member of Plein Air Canada.
He is inspired by great art, other artists, loved ones, the ever changing seasons of the land and endless life subjects. Recently Sam has been sharing his creative expertise leading workshops at home and overseas.
This plein air painting course will provide students with the challenges of outdoor painting focusing on the core principles of composition, value, colour and edges. Student should have some experience and be able to carry their materials a short distance to the site. Sam will demonstrate each day, sharing his plein air painting techniques using traditional and less tradition tools in a fun and friendly environment.
Demonstrations will be in acrylics, but oil painters are easily accommodated.
5 Day Plein Air Painting Workshop - Acrylic & Oil
June 9th to 13th
Registration Now Open - Workshop Fee: $400.00
Location:
St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church 20 Russell St E, Thornbury, Ontario
An 8-week painting workshop, led by professional artist and multi-award recipient Sam Paonessa, is perfect for students who have a passion for painting and wish to further develop their skills and techniques. A variety of subject matter will be explored including landscapes, wildlife and still life. Your expert instructor will provide inspiring demonstrations and helpful critiques to help you perfect your skills.
Tuesday Afternoons - February 4th to March 25th Time: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm Price: $272.00 + HST
Plein Air artists, join me for some fun plein air painting at scenic Palmer Park at the shore of Lake Scugog in Port Perry, next to Scugog Memorial Public Library.
Workshop is for intermediate and advanced artists who paint in oils or acrylics.
Artists are given an opportunity to focus on values, creating the feeling of distance in the landscape.
Secondly, learn to paint water using techniques demonstrated by the instructor to capture the reflective characteristics of water.
Landscape Painting - Plein Air & Studio
July 22nd through 26th
Enjoy the best of both worlds - paint and sketch in the field and then develop colour studies and sketches in-studio. The first half of the course will consist of Plein air painting, followed by the remainder of the time in-studio. Instruction will include demonstrations and is suited to oil and acrylic painters.
This course is not suitable for beginner plein air painters.
Capturing Nature Two Day Workshop - Intermediate Plein Air
Saturday & Sunday August 17th & 18th
During this workshop, you'll embark on a journey of artistic exploration, learning essential techniques and principles to create plein air landscape paintings including structures.
This workshop offers something for everyone, providing personalized guidance and instruction from award winning artist Sam Paonessa. Beginning with subject selection for the landscape and how to build a composition to the importance of editing.
By the end of the workshop, you'll leave with seeing the landscape differently and a newfound confidence in your artistic abilities, and a renewed passion for the transformative power of nature. Join us for an unforgettable artistic adventure and experience the joy of painting en plein air!
Please note, this is an in person program
Following a highly successful and creative Summer workshop, come and join award winning plein air artist and instructor, Sam Paonessa, for a 1-day plein air workshop at the scenic Edwards Gardens in East Toronto this Fall. This workshop is for painters who are intermediate to advanced skill and are recommended to have some outdoor painting experience, open to any paint medium students wish to work in.
The workshop will begin with a demonstration by Sam to inspire artists and provide experienced direction to help improve your skill in plein air painting. The surrounding area provides plenty of subjects to choose from as a natural focus. The instructor will be there to assist students individually as well as collectively through technique demonstrations and individual guidance.
The day will allow for a lunch break. The end of the day will encourage students to share their work for constructive feedback.
An 8-week painting workshop, led by professional artist and multi-award recipient Sam Paonessa, is perfect for students who have a passion for painting and wish to further develop their skills and techniques. A variety of subject matter will be explored including landscapes, wildlife and still life. Your expert instructor will provide inspiring demonstrations and helpful critiques to help you perfect your skills.
8 Week oil or acrylic painting workshop suitable
for intermediate to advanced students
An 8 week painting workshop, suitable for intermediate to advanced students with prior experience.
Integrating both landscape and abstract, this workshop will inspire students to interpret, simplify and edit photo references using less traditional techniques and colour palettes, while encouraging creativity and imagination.
PLEIN AIR PAINTINGIN TUSCANY - SEPTEMBER 2017
With Sam Paonessa
Workshop Artists Sook Chang, Sam Paonessa and Zora Buchanan
Tetouan Museum of Fine Art
Plein Air in Chefchaouen
Zora Sketching
Plein Air in Tetouan
Exhibition Night at the Green Olive Studio
Sam, Sook, Zora and School Director, Jeff McRobbie
A first time trip to Sudbury turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Sudbury Art Club invited me to conduct a weekend workshop, which was a real pleasure; a wonderful, friendly, warm group of artists who enjoy learning and appreciated the information that was shared. We had some fun and I was even awarded with a trophy for being one of their favourite instructors. Thanks Sudbury Art Club!
Proudly hoisting my trophy "Playoff" style!
Sudbury Art Club Members
Class Demo
Hard at work
Inspiration
Critique Time
Paulette
Brigitte
Workshop Student Comments
"Great tips, instruction, guidance. Would sign up for another workshop." L.P.
"Relaxing, informative and most of all inspirational." A.B.
"Thank you for your insightful instruction and the inspiration of your paintings." P.G
"Great information in a calm, relaxed atmosphere. Thank you!" B.G.
Plein Air Workshop at Willowpond Inn, Orono Ontario
One day workshop at Willowpond Bed and Breakfast
Participants enjoyed a glorious day at this secluded pond on the
Willowpond property
Left to right Sook, Michaela, Luisa and Rotraud
Rotraud finds a quiet spot
Sook with her beautiful painting
Michaela painting the Willow pond
We had a fabulous outing with a gourmet meal to top off the end of the day prepared my Marta and Lech Jaworski at the Willowpond Inn.
For those interested in the Willowpond and / or painting there call 1-888-732-3265 or email: martajaworski@gmail.com
Workshop Student Testimonials
"I LOVED it. I came home so excited and eager to learn more. Your instruction was informative and respectful. Despite my lack of knowledge and experience, I never felt like I was "just a newbie". I learnt an enormous amount and realized how much more I need to learn before I can consider myself a REAL artist! I would love to do more lessons with you and will look into it…" Debbie Moolman
"I found it very enjoyable and informative. I appreciated your help along the way - particularly showing me some actual brush techniques and tricks, eg loading the brush with multiple colours then turning the brush while painting a stroke to distribute the different colours smoothly. You are very upbeat and encouraging - very important to students who are not too sure of their own progress or ability." Ala Baker
"Sam Paonessa is a warm, generous, and sensitive person, and a very good artist! The atmosphere in his classroom is friendly, supportive, and non-competitive. Sam works with each individual at their own level, offering very good advice and help in producing some really amazing paintings. With his vast experience, he can so often see just what isn’t working and show you how to fix it! He also does painting demonstrations and brings in great reference materials to paint from along with examples of his own paintings to ponder (and be jealous of!). It’s been a real pleasure being in his class, which is why I keep signing up, session after session." Kathy White
One Day Workshop at Edward's Gardens, Toronto
Ala Baker and Sook painting at Edward's Gardens, Toronto
Ontario Society of Artists 140th Anniversary Excursion to Killarney
Shown are some photos and paintings from a retreat in
Killarney Provincial Park.
John Stuart Pryce, Rick Taylor with Sam at George Lake, Killarney Provincial Park
"George Lake" - 12 x 16
"Georgian Grey" - 12 x 16
"Killarney Red" - 12 x 16
"Morning Rain" - 6 x 12
"Pink and Red, Georgian Bay"
Painting at George Lake, Killarney Provincial Park
Over the past few years, Sam has conducted painting workshops and demonstrations for a number of Artist Groups in the GTA.
These groups include:
The Markham Group of Artists
The Thornhill Group of Artists
The Scarborough Arts Guild
The Willowdale Group of Artists
For more information on attending workshops or arranging
a workshop for your group, contact Sam Paonessa at: sam @ sampaonessa.com
