Winter 2025
Intermediate Acrylic Painting
For students aged 16+ years
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Acrylic painting can be at once liberating and confining. You have a medium that can look like oil paint or watercolour without the drawbacks of either. Quite often the trick to painting with acrylics is not getting started but getting the most out of them and being satisfied with the results. Join Michael Howell and a friendly but serious group of fellow acrylic painters as they push the limits of the medium through experimentation in composition and technique. The goal of the intermediate course is to further refine your painting techniques and personal style with a particular emphasis on finishing details including final framing. Challenging subjects on larger canvasses and boards will be encouraged.
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Start: Tuesday February 4, 2025
Time: 7 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Duration: 8 weeks
Fee: $87.50 (resident), includes HST
$113.75 (non-resident), includes HST
Location: Orillia Opera House,
Market Room
***** NEW TECHNIQUE *****
The paintings at the left were created by Mike by pouring acrylic paint onto the canvas and then adding a layer to it.
Please note, there will be no class March 11, 2025.
Spring 2025
Painting Seascapes (Advanced)
For students aged 16+ years
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Bodies of water have the power to calm, inspire or terrify us and so figure prominently in the history of art. Painting water can be particularly challenging because it requires the artist to be aware of the physical properties of this element especially the ways it interacts with the earth and air. Join Michael Howell and become part of a friendly but serious group of painters who love a challenge. We will go overboard, painting beaches, storms, boats, islands and seaside towns while studying how master painters treated these subjects.
Materials: Participants must have their own acrylic paints and brushes. Initial classes will involve the use of 8" x 10" or 9" x 12" boards or canvases. Further requirements will be discussed in the first class.
Start: Tuesday April 15, 2025
Time: 7 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Duration: 8 weeks
Fee: $87.50 (resident), includes HST
$113.75 (non-resident), includes HST
Location: Orillia Opera House,
Market Room
Start: Wednesday April 16, 2025
Time: 7 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Duration: 8 weeks
Fee: $87.50 (resident), includes HST
$113.75 (non-resident), includes HST
Location: Orillia Opera House,
Market Room
Materials: Participants should have acrylic paints, brushes, and a small board or canvass (8 x 10, or 9 x 12).
Please note: Planning worksheets will be provided to help conceptualize designs. The PDF document provided below is a manifesto developed by the instructor to help students understand this new way of painting.
Mike Howell's Courses
Introduction to Painting with Watercolours
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The wonderful lightness of watercolour paintings combined with the happy accidents that occur when using this medium make it both attractive and challenging to the novice painter. Michael Howell is a classically trained artist who will show you the basics of painting with watercolour including colour theory, brush techniques and composition. It won’t take long before you are developing your own style as you begin a love affair with one of the most expressive and delightful forms of painting.
Intermediate Watercolour Painting
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Watercolours present the novice and the accomplished painter with many challenges and delights. This very subtle medium requires patience and a willingness to start over. Join Michael Howell and a group of friendly but devoted watercolourists as we explore this medium in depth looking into advanced brush and wash work, new products like watercolour pencils and markers, and different papers upon which to paint. There will be weekly challenges and larger projects will be attempted as you develop your personal style. The course will include framing and matting techniques required for a high quality completion of a watercolour painting.
Introductory Acrylic Painting
For students aged 16+ years.
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Acrylics combine the best aspects of oil and watercolour paints but their very versatility can be daunting for a novice. Classically trained artist Michael Howell will show you how to mix acrylics and apply them in a variety of ways including washes and with a palette knife to produce vibrant paintings. Study colour theory and composition as you develop your style. Discover the vibrant world of painting with one of the most exciting ways of doing it – ACRYLICS!
Intermediate Acrylic Painting
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Acrylic painting can be at once liberating and confining. You have a medium that can look like oil paint or watercolour without the drawbacks of either. Quite often the trick to painting with acrylics is not getting started but getting the most out of them and being satisfied with the results. Join Michael Howell and a friendly but serious group of fellow acrylic painters as they push the limits of the medium through experimentation in composition and technique. The goal of the intermediate course is to further refine your painting techniques and personal style with a particular emphasis on finishing details including final framing. Challenging subjects on larger canvasses and boards will be encouraged.
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Streetscape
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Streetscapes are made up of buildings, people, trees, and vehicles. This makes them a challenge for even experienced painters. Join Mike Howell and a group of friendly but serious painters as they explore such topics as one and two point perspective and the history of painting the built environment. Mike has a degree in architecture and knows how buildings are put together. The class will make use of chalk, pen and ink, and both acrylic and water colour paint to capture the unique charm of Orillia's streets. Drawing devices like the camera lucida and the camera obscura will be discussed and used to assist in acquiring proportion and detail in the artwork. A variety of painting styles will be looked at and in the end, you will paint your own favourite part of Orillia.
How to Make a Good Impressionist (Advanced)
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One of the most popular painting styles is Impressionism. Join Michael Howell on an exploration of the Impressionist artists and their impact on the modern world of art. If you enjoyed the “Show Me the Monet” exercise is previous painting courses, this is a better opportunity to explore the Impressionist style and develop your own painting skills by making a good Impressionist. Each class member will choose one painter and then work on painting in a similar manner. Weather permitting we will try painting ‘en plein air’ as they did. You can choose to work in oil, acrylic or water colour. Materials will be discussed during the first class. Bring your brushes and a board to work on - beret is optional.
In Search of The Group of Seven (Advanced)
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The most iconic painters in Canada are The Group of Seven. If you have ever wanted to learn more about them and how they changed painting forever you can join Mike Howell and a friendly but serious group of seven or more painters in an exploration of The Group of Seven. The classes will combine videos, discussion, and of course, painting as you develop your own style through an exploration of the works of Thompson, Varley, Carmichael, Harris, Casson, Lismer, Jackson, Johnson, and Carr.
You may choose to work in oils, acrylic, water colour, or pastels. Have your brushes and paint and a small board or canvas for the first class and other materials will be discussed then.
Advanced Artists' Studio
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If you have mastered the basics of painting in acrylics and/or watercolour and you looking for more artistic challenges, Michael Howell welcomes you to Advanced Artists' Studio. In this 8 week program you will be introduced to oil painting, chalk pastels, oil pastels, and mixed media. Two weeks will be spent on each of the four categories and you will be encouraged to apply new materials and techniques to further the development of your artistic abilities and personal style. You will be able to try these materials at no additonal cost to allow you to discover if they are right for you. Time will be provided for you to discuss your current projects as well. Please have your own paint brushes and pallette knives with you for the first class. All other requirements will be discussed with the instructor.
Join The Art Movement (Advanced)
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Art movements have always had a dynamic effect on the world. Traditional methods and established styles are challenged by innovative ideas and novel materials and bold new directions are discovered. This course will examine the development of art movements such as Impressionism, the Group of Seven, Picasso, and Andy Warhol. The applied component of the course will involve the creation of an art movement based on painting in 4 dimensions on wooden panel cubes and half cubes created by the instructor, Mike Howell. Although the cubes can accommodate any style, they pose a unique compositional challenge for even the most experienced painters. For the most part we will be working in acrylic paint, though oils are an option. This is an advanced level painting course and there will be an art show at the end of it. Can we create an art movement that changes the world? There’s only one way to find out.
Please note: Planning worksheets will be provided to help conceptualize designs. Click on the PDF document shown here to read the manifesto developed by the instructor to help students understand this new way of painting.
The intriguing Fibonacci cube shown below was designed by Mike Howell to encapsulate the kind of studies students undertake at university and is deliberately mysterious.
The numbers 1,2,5,8 and 13 are part of the Fibonacci series. Mike paired those six numbers with related pictures:
for the universe
for sunflowers (which have 2 sets of spirals, clockwise and counterclockwise)
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for bees, which have the number 3 built into their lifespan
for the hand which has 5 fingers, each with 3 segments
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with DNA spirals, partly because the number resembles the double helix and there are 4 natural and 4 artificial amino acids in DNA studies
for the piano
Introduction to Painting Portraits (Advanced)
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Portraits are one of the most challenging subjects to paint. Join our friendly but serious group of painters as we explore the history of portraits and learn the basics of how to draw and paint faces. We will look carefully at eyes, delve beneath the surface of skin tones, and get to the roots of painting hair. Let’s face it: the only way to get ahead in painting is to learn new skills. A materials list will be sent to registered students.
The Franklin Carmichael Project
For students aged 18+ years.
Recent events have shown the importance of local heroes to both the city and the country. Franklin Carmichael was born in Orillia and became one of the original Group of Seven painters. He was a designer, teacher and painter, excelling in both oils and water colours. This course will examine Carmichael and his legacy closely. We will be looking at his landscapes and other design work through discussion and design exercises. The goal of the course will be for each participant to design and paint a portrait of Franklin Carmichael. Landscapes, portraits, and Group of Seven…. This course has something for every serious painter. Join Mike Howell and his friendly but serious students as they try to burnish a local and national legend.
A materials list and class notes will be sent to all enlisted class members.
The painting of Franklin Carmichael was done by Fred S. Haines, who was a friend of the Group of Seven. It is in the library of Orillia Secondary School and the plaque on the frame indicates that it was donated to "the Town of Orillia by Dorothy Haines Hoover through the Orillia Artists’ Guild".
Click on the link to the Group of Seven website to read about Franklin Carmichael's life and to see his artworks.
Painting Seascapes (Advanced)
For students aged 16+ years.
Bodies of water have the power to calm, inspire or terrify us and so figure prominently in the history of art. Painting water can be particularly challenging because it requires the artist to be aware of the physical properties of this element especially the ways it interacts with the earth and air. Join Michael Howell and become part of a friendly but serious group of painters who love a challenge. We will go overboard, painting beaches, storms, boats, islands and seaside towns while studying how master painters treated these subjects.
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