2025/2026 Workshops
A NAWS workshop is a special opportunity to learn from top national instructors in a variety of water media. Our attendees enjoy an excellent facility, location, and resources.
Workshops take place 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Village Baptist Church, 55 Canyon Diablo Rd, Sedona, AZ. Participation is limited to 20 persons per workshop. Scroll down this page to view available workshops.
Workshop Registration Procedures
Sign-Up:
To sign up for 2025 workshops, members may email Pat Fraleigh at: fraleighski@gmail.com
Deposits/Payments/Refunds:
A deposit of $50 is required within 10 days of signup to hold your place. You may pay either by credit card/PayPal using the link supplied to you or you may send a check to: NAWS. (PO Box 508, Sedona, AZ 86339.) Deposits are workshop specific and cannot be transferred to another workshop. Deposits are non-refundable.
Final payment is due on the 1st of the month prior to the workshop month. For example, if the workshop is in January 2026, the final payment is due on December 1, 2025. No refunds of the workshop final payment will be given unless a paying replacement, from the waitlist, is found.
Member vs Non-Member Registration:
Current members have first priority for registration. Non-members may be added to a wait list for each workshop and will be notified when non-member registration opens.
Workshops
Carl Purcell Workshop
“Painting the Patterns of Nature”
October 14 – 16, 2025
Most people are trained to identify and name everything they see, which often prevents them from noticing the unifying patterns of color, line, and shape that form our visual world. For centuries, artists have responded to these patterns, yet they remain largely unknown to the general public. In this workshop, I’ll teach you how to see and respond to these patterns like an artist. With three simple steps, you can create paintings that are loose, realistic, and unified.
By focusing on patterns instead of individual objects, many challenges in painting naturally resolve themselves. We’ll explore techniques to achieve sparkling, vivid colors, rich darks, and clean brushwork. You’ll discover that the appearance of reality lies in these hidden patterns of nature—not in painstaking details, as is commonly believed. Additionally, I’ll show you how to maximize the potential of your brushes.
This approach results in paintings that feel realistic yet painterly, all while taking less time than detail-heavy techniques. You’ll learn to enjoy the process of painting and break free from the constraints of trying to replicate a camera’s precision. As artists, our goal is to create something cameras cannot—paintings that are inspired by, but not bound to, photographic references. Think of your photo reference as a springboard, and your painting as the dive that happens after you leap.
The workshop will consist of two days inside, and one day plain air if your participants desire. We can also do all three days indoors; it is up to you. Each day indoors will consist of demonstrations of what is meant by patterns, exercises in responding to these patterns, and step by step painting.
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Village Baptist church, 55 Canyon Diablo Rd, Sedona, 86351
Cost: For members: $375, for non-members: $425
Deposit: A $50 deposit is due at time of registration, final payment due September 1st.
Materials List: Click here
Bio: Click here
Website https://carlpurcell.com
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Stan Kurth Workshop
“The Intuitive Painting Mindset”
February 17, 18, and 19, 2026
In this workshop, you’ll become acquainted with the intuitive painting mindset. In her book Mindset, Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck proposes that human qualities are not fixed—they can be cultivated. People can grow and improve in any area, including sports, art, music, business, parenting, or relationships. This growth also applies to intellectual skills.
With this in mind, you’ll begin to shift from a fixed mindset that separates traditional representational painting from abstraction. It is entirely possible to understand and incorporate both approaches in your work.
Using various mark-making tools, watercolor, and gouache, lessons will begin without reference or preconceived ideas. You’ll create paintings from arbitrary design elements and bring them to completion using principles of design. The goal is to develop a painting that aligns with your personal aesthetic—whether representational or non-objective. The only criteria: no reference, and a willingness to let the process guide the outcome. All three days will vary slightly in process.
Cost: $350 for members, $400 for non-members
Materials List: Click here
Bio: Click here
Website: stankurth.com
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Stephen Quiller Workshops
Workshop #1: Watercolor: Color Theory, Color Relationships and Color Mixing
March 30 and 31, 2026
This two-day workshop will be devoted to color theory, color, relationships, and color mixing as it relates to various subject matter. each morning will be devoted to various color studies and in the afternoon a more finished demonstration.
The watercolors listed will correspond to the Quiller Palette. If the student wishes to work with any other media, the colors should also correspond to those on the Quiller Palette. Each student should have a Quiller Palette. My books COLOR CHOICES, PAINTER’S GUIDE TO COLOR, and my most recent book, published in 2008, WATER MEDIA PAINTING WITH STEPHEN QUILLER, will be used for reference.
Cost: $300 for members, $350 for non-members
Materials List: Click here
Workshop #2: Experimental Water Media – Acrylic
April 1 and 2, 2026
The focus of this workshop will be to expand the possibilities and vocabulary of the watercolor painter. Although the handling of this medium is similar to watercolor painting, the possibility for expression is greatly enhanced working with visual qualities transparent, translucent, and opaque. The workshop participant will explore the various visual qualities and handling characteristics of this medium. Color and composition will also be a part of this workshop. Stephen Quiller’s two books, Painter’s Guide to Color and Acrylic Painting Techniques will be used for reference.
Cost: $300 for members, $350 for non-members
Materials List: Click here
Registration for these workshops will be open for members at our first formal meeting on Sept. 26, 2025.
Website: quillergallery.com
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