Art classes near Ottawa — and in the city itself — are a wonderful way to jumpstart your creativity and a great reason for a road trip! Depending on your destination, you could combine your workshop with an invigorating hike, a bit of shopping, coffee and baked goodies, or a relaxed restaurant meal. Check this list to discover art workshops near you!
Cover photo courtesy of Paint with Janet.
Ottawa School of Art
At campuses in the ByWard Market and Orleans, the Ottawa School of Art offers dozens of classes and courses at any given time for adults, teens and children. Programs also include art diplomas and certificates, art camps, and online courses.
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
At the National Gallery of Canada, public art programs for kids and adults include open studio sessions, workshops and tours.
Ottawa Art Gallery
The Ottawa Art Gallery offers lots of drop-in classes and studio sessions for visitors of all ages, and many of them are free.
Wallack’s Art Supplies and Framing, Ottawa
This Centretown art supplies shop won’t only sell you every kind of paint, pencil or paper imaginable; it also offers a wide range of beginner and intermediate workshops in drawing, painting, calligraphy, mixed media and other techniques. You can also check out product demonstrations.
Nepean Visual Arts Centre
As at the Ottawa School of Art, the range of programs for adults and kids at the Nepean Visual Arts Centre is so extensive it’s hard to even scratch the surface. At any given time, you’ll likely find classes in everything from drawing with coloured pencils to hand-building pottery. To see what’s currently available, click on the “Registered programs” box on the page linked above.
Kate Green, Ottawa/Kemptville
In her studio on the Rideau River near Kemptville, artist Kate Green provides instruction in oil, acrylic and watercolour painting, as well as drawing.
La Fab sur Mill, Chelsea
La Fab sur Mill in Chelsea offers workshops onsite and in other Outaouais locations in a wide variety of disciplines, including drawing, painting, beading, encaustics, quilting, printmaking and many more.
Hidden Daisy Fine Art Studio, Russell
You can sign up for one of the monthly Coffee & Canvas paint nights at Hidden Daisy Fine Art Studio (the evenings include dessert!) or enquire about art classes.
Paint with Janet, Carleton Place and Mississippi Mills
Artist Janet Beath offers a wide range of painting and drawing classes through her Facebook page, Paint With Janet. Most are held in Carleton Place, but she also offers classes in Mississippi Mills and elsewhere. If you can’t get out to one of her art classes near Ottawa, she also does free online tutorials on YouTube.
Carleton Place Gallery
As well as showing and selling art by local artists, the Carleton Place Gallery organizes single and multi-day art workshops focusing on painting, drawing, weaving and many other skills.
Maureen McAuliff, Merrickville
Here’s one for the romantics: Artist Maureen McAuliff arranges paint date sessions at her Merrickville gallery. You and your significant other can enjoy a private art lesson. P.S.: Maureen also coordinates the Merrickville Art Walk, a village-wide art event that takes place once a month from spring through fall.
Arnprior Art Loft
The Arnprior Art Loft runs weekly art circles where everyone is welcome to come and create, as well as art classes.
Art Factory, Renfrew
Art Factory is another art supply store that runs classes and workshops to help customers discover ways to use its products. Check the website for the latest news on the shop’s art classes near Ottawa.
Art & Class Studio Boutique, Perth
Choose from classes and workshops in painting, felting and other techniques at Art & Class Studio Boutique in downtown Perth.
The Dreaming Heart Art Studio, various locations
The Dreaming Heart Art Studio offers paint afternoons and nights at various locations in Osgoode, North Dundas, Kemptville, Embrun and Cornwall.
Priest’s Mill Arts Centre, Alexandria
At the Priest’s Mill Arts Centre in Alexandria, you can choose from a range of workshops focusing on drawing, watercolours or stained glass.
Art and Dream Studio, Vankleek Hill
Art and Dream Studio offers a selection of art workshops for adults and kids, including art camps for children.
Fun Art Paint Parties, Brockville
Fun Art Paint Parties runs monthly art workshops and weekly drop-in painting sessions for adults, as well as a wide array of art classes and camps for kids.
Stone Manor Studios, Newboro
Stone Manor Studios in Newboro organizes half-day, full-day and weekend-long art classes and retreats, including workshops in felting, watercolours, acrylic painting, stained glass and more. The studio also has a partnership with a local potter to offer ceramics and wood-fired pottery activities (offsite).
Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, Kingston
The Tett Centre maintains a packed calendar of art workshops and classes for adults and kids, in disciplines such as painting, felting and scrapbooking. There’s also a monthly open studio session. The Tett has a gorgeous location on the Lake Ontario shoreline, too.
Art Noise, Kingston
In Kingston, Art Noise runs all sorts of art workshops, ranging from short sessions for kids to multi-week classes for adults. You’ll usually find classes in watercolour, acrylic and oil painting, as well as sketching, stained glass and more. There’s a weekly open studio, too.
So there you have it: over a dozen places where you can take art classes near Ottawa or in the city itself! Whether you’re looking for workshops in painting, needlecrafts, stained glass, drawing or many other skills, you should be able to find suitable art classes near Ottawa in Prescott-Russell, Lanark County, Renfrew County, Leeds-Grenville, Kingston and beyond.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.
As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.
