Location: Cole Art Studio, located on the lower level of Cole Gallery. 107 5th Ave S, Edmonds WA 98020 

Description: The secret to painting radiant light lies in understanding its opposite—the shadows. In this immersive pastel workshop (open to all mediums), artist and instructor Amanda Houston will guide you in exploring the beauty, depth, and mystery found in the darker side of every composition. Through live demonstrations, guided exercises, and individual feedback, you’ll learn how to create luminous light effects by studying the temperature shifts, edges, and color relationships that make shadows come alive. Amanda brings her seasoned experience teaching across three continents and her deep passion for helping artists paint with greater sensitivity and awareness. Whether you work in pastel, oil, acrylic, or gouache, you’ll gain practical tools to elevate your understanding of value, color, and form—while also exploring the symbolic “shadow work” that fuels authentic creative expression. Begin the year grounded, inspired, and ready to let your light shine brighter through The Beauty of Shadows.

Pastels, or, if you prefer, oils, acrylics, or gouache paints (as many as you can bring!)

☐ Soft Pastels (Any brand, no oil pastels)

   ▫ Recommended: Richeson Amanda Houston sets, Terry Ludwig darks, Diane

Townsend Terrage sticks, Unison, Sennelier

☐ Hard Pastels (10-30 sticks, Girault or NUPastel)

    ▫ Recommended NUPastel sticks: 207, 212, 257, 256, 276, 245, etc.

    ▫ Recommended Girault sticks: 199, 178, 463, 375

Drawing Board: 3/16” gatorboard (black preferred)

☐ Large Board (Fits 16x20 or 18x24 paper)

Papers: Enough for 10 paintings (8x10, 9x12, 11x14, size range) (or surface appropriate for your medium of choice)

☐ Pastel Air Paper : I will demo the following papers (LaCarte- sand or sienna; Art Spectrum Colorfix- in Raw Sienna or Terracotta; LUX Archival, or any pastel-friendly paper)

☐ Black Surface Paper Choose one: (La Carte, Art Spectrum, UArt)

Misc. Supplies

☐ Sketchbook (Recommended: Strathmore Toned, gray or tan)

☐ Selection of pencils (HB, 2B, 4B, 6B)

☐ Charcoal pencils (white, light, medium, dark) or

☐ Tombow/Faber-Castell gray set of 4 pens (optional)

☐ Kneaded eraser

☐ 1” black artist masking tape

☐ Vine charcoal (soft or very soft)

☐ Compressed charcoal or black pastel

☐ Black artist tape (¾"-1”) and/or clips

☐ Paper towels or rags (Recommended: Viva, Shop Towels, WyPall)

☐ Wet wipes

☐ Exacto knife or straight edge (Olfa recommended)

☐ 2 medium-sized Tupperware containers (one with cornmeal or Swiffer hand duster for pastel cleaning)

☐ Small container of denatured or isopropyl alcohol (for underpainting techniques)

Brush Assortment

☐ (2) cheap 1” hardware brushes

☐ 1-2 synthetic brushes (Princeton Snap! or Simply Simon ¾” flat)

☐ Additional smaller brushes for ink mark-making (optional)

☐ Small jar or plastic container for washing brushes

Other Supplies

☐ Spray Fixative (Lascaux for finished work, or any workable fixative)

☐ Glassine paper (for protecting finished work)

☐ Photo references of landscapes (simple shapes, no intricate details)