Upcoming Classes:
A Two-Day Workshop with Brigitte Woosley
Please note: This event includes a FREE Meet the Artist Reception on Friday, November 13, followed by the two-day drawing workshop on Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15. The Friday reception is open to everyone—you do not have to attend the workshop to join us. Workshop participants are especially encouraged to come meet Brigitte before the weekend begins.
Friday, November 13 | 3-5PM — Meet the Artist Reception
Everyone is invited! Join us at The Classroom Friday evening to meet award-winning artist and instructor Brigitte Woosley, see where HCCA classes happen, and enjoy an evening with fellow members, students, sponsors, friends and arts supporters.
You do not have to attend the weekend workshop to come to the reception. Workshop participants are especially encouraged to join us Friday and meet Brigitte before the weekend begins.
Wine and light snacks will be served. RSVP is required for the reception so we can plan accordingly. Please RSVP 2–3 days in advance.
Saturday & Sunday, November 14–15 | 9AM-4PM — Two-Day Drawing Workshop
“Drawing is the skeleton of a painting. You cannot have a strong body without a strong skeleton.” — Sergei Bongart
Join Brigitte Woosley for an immersive two-day workshop exploring freehand drawing as the foundation of strong painting.
Through hands-on exercises and instruction, Brigitte will help students strengthen their observation, line confidence, proportion, perspective, form, shading and understanding of light and value.
Through freehand drawing exercises and instruction, Brigitte will help students strengthen their observation, line confidence, proportion, perspective, form, shading and understanding of light and value. Students will work with traditional drawing materials while learning to see and translate what is in front of them onto the page.
What You’ll Explore
• Line and Stroke: Develop confident, controlled lines and expressive mark-making.
• Basic Shapes & Form: Break complex subjects into simple shapes, blocks, spheres and cylinders.
• Freehand Perspective: Understand depth, angles and spatial relationships without relying on a ruler.
• Proportion: Learn to compare sizes and spaces using visual measurement and conte crayon.
• Shading & Value: Explore light, dark and texture to create dimension and form.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your drawing skills or build a stronger foundation for painting, this workshop offers an opportunity to slow down, observe and really understand what you’re seeing.
About Brigitte Woosley
Brigitte Woosley is an award-winning fine artist, Western artist, illustrator and courtroom artist, as well as an experienced art instructor who has taught university-level courses and workshops throughout Texas.
Her career as a courtroom artist began while she was a student at Trinity University, when she was hired to sketch the Houston Mass Murders trial for the San Antonio Light. Her courtroom work went on to include nationally and internationally recognized trials, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Ft. Hood Maj. Nidal Hasan trial and the Waco Branch Davidian trial. Much of her courtroom artwork is now held by the Library of Congress.
Alongside her courtroom work, Brigitte has built an extensive career as a painter and illustrator, with a particular focus on Western art. Her work has been exhibited at venues and exhibitions including the Russell in Great Falls, Montana; Cowgirl Up! in Wickenburg, Arizona; the Museum of Western Art; and exhibitions throughout Texas and beyond. She has also been featured in Western Art Collector and Southwest Art magazines, and has received the Joe Beeler Western Art Award of Excellence as well as awards from the Dallas Society of Illustrators.
Brigitte holds a B.A.S. from Trinity University and an MFA in Illustration and Computer Art from the University of North Texas. She has taught at UNT, San Antonio College, Collin County Community College and the Western Art Academy in Kerrville, as well as through numerous workshops and arts organizations.
Her deep connection to Texas and its people is reflected in her Western art, which draws from her family history and lifelong experiences around ranching, livestock and the Texas landscape. Her work is held in public and private collections, and she is currently represented by Texas Treasures Art Gallery in Boerne.
Workshop Details
Meet the Artist Reception: Friday, November 13
Workshop: Saturday & Sunday, November 14–15
Materials
Students should bring:
• 18 × 24” newsprint pad or larger
• Conte crayons and/or brown or black Nupastels or similar hard pastels
• Large kneaded eraser
• Masonite panel or drawing board large enough to support the newsprint pad
• Bulldog clips or similar clips to hold the pad to the board
Space is limited.
Postponed until further notice.
Hill Country Horizons: A 3-Day Start-to-Finish Landscape Intensive
Pauly Tamez
Pauly Tamez is an abstract expressionist and impressionistic landscape painter whose work is an exploration of color, form, and emotion. Primarily working in oil paints, Pauly creates compositions that pulsate with energy and invites viewers into a world of boundless creativity. His watercolor studies serve as a foundation for larger oil paintings, allowing for a deep exploration of the Texas landscape that ultimately informs his abstract work Through the intentional use of contrasting and complementary colors, as well as fluid, organic shapes, Pauly aims to evoke a range of emotions and inspire others to embrace their own creative spirit. Deeply influenced by the mentorship of renowned Texas landscape painters Bill Zaner and David Caton, Pauly continues to evolve his artistic practice while honoring the legacy of his mentors.
Pauly and his wife, Linda, and 2 dogs live in the Hill Country west of Borne, Texas.
Goal: Participants complete a finished oil landscape painting while learning foundational
techniques—composition, color mixing, brushwork, and finishing.
September 11-13 2026 | 10AM-1PM Everyday
3-Day Oil Painting Landscape Workshop
Theme: From Sketch to Finished Landscape
Goal: Participants complete a finished oil landscape painting while learning foundational
techniques—composition, color mixing, brushwork, and finishing.
Day 1 — Composition, Underpainting & Block-In
Morning (3 hrs)
1. Introduction & Materials Overview
Overview of materials: brushes, palettes, mediums, supports.
Demonstration: reference photo setup or plein air scene.
Discuss composition principles (rule of thirds, focal point, depth).
2. Thumbnail Sketches
Quick pencil and thin-paint brush sketches to explore composition.
Decide on final composition together.
Afternoon (3 hrs)
3. Drawing & Underpainting
Light drawing on canvas (thinned paint).
Demonstrate grisaille or warm-toned underpainting to establish values.
Begin blocking in large shapes with thinned paint.
End-of-day objective: Completed composition drawing + tonal block-in.
Day 2 — Color Mixing, Layers & Defining Forms
Morning (3 hrs)
1. Color Theory & Mixing Practice
Warm vs cool colors, complementary relationships.
Mixing natural greens, skies, and earth tones.
Paint small color charts from scene elements.
2. First Color Layer
Block in major color areas (sky, foreground, middle ground, etc.).
Work from general to specific, maintaining value structure.
Afternoon (3 hrs)
3. Refining Forms & Edges
Add new layers using thicker paint.
Demonstrate blending for soft transitions (e.g., skies, water).
Introduce scumbling and glazing basics.
End-of-day objective: All major color areas established; subject recognizable and
harmonious.
Day 3 — Details & Finishing basics
Morning (3 hrs)
1. Texture & Detail Work
Add highlights, accents, and focal details.
Demonstrate impasto and brush variety.
Refine atmospheric perspective (soften distant forms).
2. Evaluating & Adjusting
Step-back critique sessions.
Discuss balance, rhythm, and harmony in the composition.
Afternoon (3 hrs)
3. Finishing Touches
Final glazing for luminosity.
Edge control—sharp vs soft to lead the eye.
Clean-up and basic instruction on drying, varnishing, and framing.
End-of-day objective: Completed, signed landscape painting ready for drying.
For multi-day intensives—
Hill Country Horizons 3-Day Landscape Intensive hosted through the Hill Country Council for the Arts (HCCArts)
1. The Paint Palette (Water Miscible Oils)
Pauly recommends professional lines like Winsor and Newton. Do not use student-grade paints, as they lack the pigment density required for his bold blending techniques.
• Titanium White (Large tube)
• Cadmium Yellow Light (or Cadmium Lemon)
• Yellow Ochre
• Cadmium Red Light (or Vermilion alternative)
• Alizarin Crimson
• Burnt Sienna (Critical for blocking in earth tones and underpainting tones)
• Ultramarine Blue
2. Brushes
His expressionistic, structural landscape style requires stiff brushes that hold their shape under heavy paint loads. Bring high-quality hog bristle or stiff synthetic equivalents: []
• Flat Brushes: Sizes #4, #6, #8, and #10 (for building sharp geometric blocks of clouds and horizons)
• Filbert Brushes: Sizes #6 and #8 (for organic forms like live oaks, foliage, and rolling hills)
• Small Round Brush: Size #2 or #4 (strictly for initial composition sketching and fine detail lines) [, 2 (https://robertliberace.com/workshops-events/supply-lists/)]
3. Surfaces & Substrates
The intensive is a progressive course, meaning you will need separate surfaces for practice value studies and your final centerpiece.
• For Value Studies & Color Mixing: 2 or 3 cheap canvas boards or a pad of canvas sheets (Size 9"x12"or 11"x14").
• For the Final Painting: 1 premium stretched canvas or high-quality linen panel (Size 11"x14" up to 16"x20" maximum).
4. Studio Tools & Equipment
• Portable Easel: A tabletop easel, half-French easel, or a compact pochade box if you prefer working on your own setup.
• Palette Knife: A metal, offset diamond-shaped painting knife (used for mixing clean piles of paint rather than muddying your brushes).
• Mixing Palette: A large grey or clear glass palette, or a pad of grey disposable palette paper (minimum 12"x16" for adequate mixing paints.
5. Solvents & Cleaners
• Odorless Mineral Spirits: Strictly Gamsol by Gamblin. (Do not bring hardware store paint thinner, which emits toxic fumes in an enclosed studio).
• Brush Washer: A leak-proof, stainless steel airtight brush washer container to hold your Gamsol safely.
6. Reference Materials
• Sketchbook & Pencil: For planning compositions, horizon lines, and value mapping before applying paint.
• Landscape Photos: 3 to 4 high-contrast reference images of horizons, big skies, or Texas Hill Country vistas to use as your foundational subject.