Ontario Landscape with Soft Pastel
Explore the soft pastel medium with Maria Iva!
Type:In-Studio
Level:Intermediate
Medium:Drawing
Class Dates
Friday Jan 16, 2026 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday Jan 17, 2026 11:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Overview
Join accomplished pastel artist Maria Iva for a dynamic 4-hour workshop designed for artists eager to deepen their skills while capturing the vibrant essence of Ontario landscapes in soft pastel.
In this engaging workshop, Maria will guide you through the unique challenges and creative opportunities that come with painting fall/winter scenes. You'll explore how to plan strong compositions tailored to autumn/winter subjects, emphasize contrast and color variation, and create depth and atmosphere that resonate emotionally.
Through step-by-step demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and personalized feedback, you'll learn how to:
• Layer colors for luminosity and richness
• Apply expressive strokes with confidence
• Balance light and shadow for visual impact
• Infuse your landscapes with energy and mood
By the end of the course, you'll complete a fully realized autumn/winter-themed pastel painting and gain tools to elevate your future work.
This workshop is ideal for artists with some experience in dry pastels or other media who are ready to advance their technique and creative expression.
Pre-requisites: some experience in dry pastels or other media
Materials:
Please note, this is an in-studio program.
Please contact programs@niagarapumphouse.ca for any questions.
Materials List
-This workshop is for SOFT pastel technique. No oil pastels please!
-Any brand of soft pastels
-Blue, green, magenta, orange, yellow, turquoise, and purple in light, dark, cool, and warm variations).
-UART grit 320, 400, or 500 SANDED 9" x 12" pastel paper (one per class). Sand colour or off white only.
-One sheet black foam board (11" x 14")
-Masking tape
-Rubbing alcohol
-Small plastic container with lid (dressing container size)
-Paper towels
-Gloves
-Aluminum foil
-Apron (optional)
-Table cloth or plastic table cover
-Notebook/sketchbook
-Pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener
-Wipes
Instructor - Maria Iva
Maria Iva is a landscape painter and instructor known for her impressionistic style and vibrant colorist approach, working primarily with oil and dry pastel mediums.