bobNot able to join me during the winter in Mexico at Studio South, please join me for one of these unique events in the United States.

Art Workshops and Demos conducted by Robert Masla at the Casa – Studios North, Ashfield, Massachusetts and various other locations in the U.S. will be listed below. Listings are added and updated throughout the year, please check back.

“My goal as an instructor/facilitator is not to teach you to paint or draw like me, but to facilitate your painting and drawing like you. To help you uncover your intention, your unique vision and signature and assist you in the technical tools necessary to manifest it. In this process I create a safe and non-judgmental environment for you to experiment, explore and grow.  I will help you expand the “colors on your palette”, assisting you in developing your repertoire and understanding of various techniques, knowledge and skills in the mastery of the craft of drawing and painting. Most importantly, my goal is to help you to learn how to see and think visually, with that comes an expanded awareness that art springs from creativity and connectedness to life” – Masla

Spend a relaxing weekend in the country while you learn at your own pace with lots of demos and helpful one on one instruction at Masla Studios North.

Due to a very busy schedule I will only be offering 2 weekend mentoring workshop this year at Masla Studios North and only 2 one day workshop at The Springfield Museums this summer.

 Mentoring Weekend:
Mentoring Weekend – To be announced – in Plein Air and the Studio – All Media

Springfield Museum

The Artists Sketchbook – Drawing for the Painter
Friday, September 29, 2023, 10:30am to 3:30pm

Watercolor Simplified for Success
Friday, October 27, 2023, 10:30am to 3:30pm
Links to be posted in Early Sept.

To register call Clarissa at the Museum School:
413-314-6448

I have also been awarded a grant to do 2 plein air “paint along” demo workshops for Ashfield residents and residents in the adjacent region. Theses are free and open to area residents. To participate you must contact me: [email protected]
Ashfield: July 29 & August 26, 2023, 9:30 – 1pm

Scroll towards the bottom to read about these Demo/Workshops
See more below.
bob-new

Masla painting in Jerome, Arizona at the 10th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival.

For a list of Studio North, area B & B’s click here

Get Away This Summer And Spend an enjoyable, relaxing weekend in the country while you learn and grow as an artist. Still some space for this unique workshop! Special Mentoring Weekend at Masla Studios North.

Saturday & Sunday, September 23 & 24, 2023
- Drawing and Painting the Landscape in Plein Air and the Studio - All Media

at Masla Studios North
962 Apple Valley Rd. Ashfield, MA 01330 for info and to register :
Call - 413-625-8382 or 413-335-4295

Morning Walk 9x72dpiMasla, Morning Walk, (on Apple Valley - plein air), imprimatura oil technique on Fredrix all media paint-board, 8" x 16"
 
Blinded By the Light,(San Pancho)8x72dpiMasla, Salt in the Air, (plein air San Pancho), Cobra water-mixable oil on Fredrix all media paint-board, 8" x 16"

Experience Masla's award winning teaching style in this weekend working towards achieving your intentions. In this workshop we will be drawing and painting the bucolic New England landscape in  Summer and Fall colors with the media of your choice. Masla will demo in a variety of media various principles, techniques and aspects of painting the landscape. The important effects of atmosphere, value, color temperature, light & shadow and composition will be covered.

Morning at Buck Pond, Plein Air Tonal Study, Adirondacks
Graphite-wash, gouache on Rembrandt toned-paper-4x6
A Distant View, (Manadnock from Brown Rd.), plein air Cobra oil on 24"x 36" canvas on panel

Classes at Studios North are always small, at this time I am limiting workshops to only 6 participants, so there is a lot of personal attention. People work in the medium of their choice - no problem as a beginner, you will take away a lot of useful techniques and information and experienced artist will broaden their vision and deepen their skills, moving towards understanding and achieving their intentions.

Spend a relaxing weekend in the country while you learn at your own pace with lots of demos and one on one instruction. Improve your ease and comfort with drawing and painting as Masla reveals methods, techniques and materials that give the painter unparalleled access to freedom, speed and spontaneity to rapidly nail down a paintings composition and values, arguably two of the most important factors in the success of a painting. Learn to understand the difference between criticism and critique and how to move from a narrow vision to Seeing and Being in the Flow.

Shed-Light-11x14Masla, Shed Light, plein air oil, 11" x 14"

Understanding artistic intention along with various approaches to painting in plein air and the studio will be discussed and methods for portraying different aspects of the landscape, i.e. rocks, water, clouds, in convincing manners will be revealed. Be prepared for a thoroughly enjoyable relaxing time in the outdoors and studio, painting and picnicking, as Masla brings you to some of his favorite painting spots around his Studio North, in Ashfield, MA. Cost for the weekend is $350.00, picnic lunch provided. 1 day only, (Sunday) -$200. picnic lunch provided, some art material, call for more info.

Masla, A Hint of Autumn, plein air, Cobra oil on 18" x 24" canvas

- Returning Studio North Participants Receive a $25. discount on the weekend retreat! (not applied with other discounts).
Other dates for 2023 Studio North Weekends (Satuday, and or Sunday - 10:00am - 5pm), if there will be one, have not yet been posted, depends on my travel schedule. Call or write to make sure space is available, some dates may change, check back periodically):

Join me for painting in
Rural New England this Summer & Fall.

- Studio painting if inclement weather

To read about and see Studio North and for a list of area B&B's click here


The following workshops listed below with Masla are run through The Museum School at the Springfield Museums

The workshops below are run through The Museum School at the Springfield Museums.
You can register at Springfieldmuseums.org
or call 413-314-6448

Our tour of Holland in 2022 organized by Jeanne Fontaine with the Springfield Museum School, was a great success. We are planning more European Adventures with Jeanne, now of ArtfulTravels. Our 2024. Destination - Painting and Sailing Croatia, limited enrollment is almost sold out!
Only 1 cabin Left!  We will announce the 2025 tour soon.
See our website for details. Write to me to be put on a mailing list to be the first to know so you don't miss out.

Thursday & Friday, May 16 & 17, 2024, 10:00am to 3:00pm
Drawing FUNdamentals - Drawing for the Painter
Link to be posted soon

Tuesday & Wednesday, June 4 & 5, 2024, 10:00am to 3:00pm
Expressive Loose Representational Painting in Acrylic
Link to be posted soon

Tuesday & Wednesday, July 9 & 10, 2024, 10:00am to 3:00pm
Watercolor Simplified for Success
Link to be posted soon

To register call Clarissa at the Museum School:
413-314-6448

Other workshops will have the sponsor contact at the end of each listing. To find out more about in person workshops keep scrolling down.

Watch Masla's free demos:

"2 at Once" - With the publisher of Plein Air Magazine, Eric Rhoads  Live, You Tube Channel

Watercolor Painting Using an Imprimatura Technique on Fredrix Watercolor Canvas,
on Royal Talens North America, Creators Studio Live.

Watch another of  Masla's demos with Royal Talens N.A. Creator Studios Live: “Painting Rocks and Water Using an Imprimatura Technique and Cobra water mixable oils on Fredrix oil primed linen”


En Plein Air and the Studio - The Elements of Landscape Painting

Tuesday, July 11 @ 10:00 am3:00 pm
Springfield Museum School
Robert Masla, A Distant View, (Mt Manadnock from Brown Rd.,   oil on canvas 24" x 36"

Landscapes can impress, inform and inspire us. The creative artist does not just replicate what they see, but seeks to capture and express their reaction to their experience. Join artist Robert Masla for this unique Zoom workshop as he shares with you over 40 years of painting and teaching experience in a relaxed and informative environment. Masla will lead you through paint-along demonstrations, revealing not just the various techniques on how to portray depth, light, value and atmosphere, but also how our individual emotional response connects to the landscape to convey a mood in our painting. Masla will explain the importance of understanding your intention and its influence on the planning of your composition and the execution of creating a successful landscape painting either in the studio or en plein air. Supply list, images and a Fredrix canvas panel provided. 

You can register for this and the other Springfield Museum School workshops at Springfieldmuseums.org
or call Clarissa 413-314-6448



Painting


July 29 & August 26, Life Enhancement Through Drawing & Painting, Ashfield, with artist Robert Masla

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Join Ashfield artist Robert Masla, July 29 and August 26, in Ashfield for a series of FREE, fun, in-depth demo/workshops on watercolor & oil painting. Day 1 will focus on watercolor, Day 2 on oil, (Masla will use Cobra water mixable oils). These are free to area residents and are limited to 20 participants on a first registered basis. Some Materials supplied, contact the artist. Appropriate for all levels of persons, beginners to advanced, with an interest in drawing and painting (ages 14+, those younger please contact the artist for clearance). Participants with little or no experience to those that are actively engaged in art and want to review basics and recharge their creativity with fresh input will find this workshop series beneficial. To Register: 413 335 4295 [email protected]

Masla, Rhythm of 2,(at the frisbee tournament), graphite wash pencil in sketchbook.

 

Masla, Plein air from the Casa Patio, watercolor on 1/4sheet   cold press w.c. paper

Workshop Structure:
Masla will lead you through his demos on a large gamut of approaches to drawing and painting extracting lessons from his over 50 years of experience making art. Through a series of exercises covering intention, composition, value, shape, line and edges you will discover the magic of mark making. You will gain an understanding of the effects of light and shadow on form, and the methods for creating a sense of atmosphere and 3 dimensional illusions on a 2 dimensional surface. You will also learn about simplification and abstraction and developing a personal “shorthand” to convey detail. Through exploring a variety of skills and techniques you will evolve your ability to SEE – building your confidence in your mark and enhancing your drawing and painting.

Day 1 will be “En Plein Air”, (painting outdoors, sketching and painting on location in the Ashfield area, (exact location to be revealed to participants closer to the day / rain date created). This “paint along” demo/workshop will focus on Simple Ways to Success in Watercolor.There will be an introduction to the basics & the essentials of creating successful landscape composition and the use of watercolors. Watercolor is no more difficult to master than any other painting medium. It is about gaining an understanding of it's unique attributes and characteristics and then applying principles related to them with patience, practice and persistence. We will start at the very beginning, understanding paper, brushes and pigments – and their relationship to water. Through this paint along demonstration Masla will lead you in the dance of watercolor painting. You will be given the tools, exercises and principles to practice and continue gaining the understanding of the give and take between the artist, the paint, paper and the water that ultimately brings mastery to watercolor painting.

Day 2 will also be spent “En Plein Air”, sketching and painting on location in the Ashfield area, (exact location to be revealed to participants closer to the day / rain date created). Masla will do demonstrations to elaborate on lessons previously learned, this time working with Cobra water mixable oils, (participants may use medium of their choice). Participants will receive some materials to use awarded by sponsors Royal Talens North America, Princeton Brush and Fredrix Artist Canvas.

Masla, April Snows in Apple Valley, w.c. on paper, 5" x 7"

Masla’s workshops reach beyond techniques, the underlying principles shared transcend any one medium and are applicable to all. His methods encourage individual expression and self observation, seeking the implied balance of art and life and those elements that create unity, meaning and beauty in painting.

"A Distant View, (Manadnock from Brown Road)", plein air Cobra oil on 24" x 36" Fredrix canvas on board.

Schedule:

Saturday, July 29, 9:30am – 1pm Participants meet at designated location for Demo/Paint along workshop –Landscape Composition & Simple Ways to Success in Watercolor

Sunday, August 26, 9:30am – 1pm Participants meet at designated location for Demo/Paint along workshop–Landscape Composition cont'd. & Oil Demo with Cobra water mixable oils.

After conclussion of the workshop there will be an exhibition of completed work at the Ashfield Post Office for those that want to participate.

Materials:A list of basic materials/resources will be shared after registration. Some supplies will be given for plein air donated by Royal Talens North America, Fredrix Canvas and Princeton Brush Co.

For information about space availability to register and materials call and write:(413) 335-4295 [email protected]