Welcome to the Portsmouth Arts Guild
We are a vibrant local artistic community open to all ages, media, and abilities. We provide weekly events, exhibits, and classes. Check out all we have to offer and we welcome you to join us as we create, learn, and laugh!
Events and Exhibits
Join Us!
Ragged Island Brewery Paintoff
Join the Portsmouth Arts Guild for our 2nd Annual Paint Off on Monday, June 22nd, at Ragged Island Brewery from 5:30 to 9:00 PM. Enjoy live music, trivia, and food trucks while watching nine local artists race the sunset to complete their paintings. Tickets are $25, and children under 18 are free.
Now on Display!
Water and Reflections
Let water flow through your work – or let reflection stand on its own. Literal or abstract. Physical or emotional. Seen or felt. Stretch your imagination. Visit our Gallery on Open Studio Thursdays from 9:30 – 11:30am & 5:30 – 7:30pm. You can also view this exhibit online.
Upcoming Classes and Workshops
Drawing and Painting Botanicals with Elizabeth O'Connell
MAY 19,26, JUN 2,9,16 | 1-4PM
Please join us for this fun, relaxed and step-by-step drawing and painting 5-week class to celebrate the beauty of spring! You will only need to bring yourself, as all materials are included, including a “flower of the week”. Beginners are welcome, as well as experienced artists! For more class details click the link below
Watercolor Batik with Peter Sterling Turner
JUN 18 | 1-4:30PM
Explore the luminous and textured world of Line and Wash Watercolor Batik on Kinwashi Rice Paper. This immersive, hands-on workshop teaches students how to combine bold waterproof marker linework with flowing watercolor washes and layers of wax resist to create uniquely vibrant and textured works. For more class details click the link below
Out on a Limb with Mi Ok Song
JUN 20 | 2-4PM
OUT ON A LIMB : Drawing the Human Figure: Face, Hands & Feet. The human figure is one of art’s greatest challenges — and its greatest rewards. In this focused drawing workshop, instructor Mi Ok guides students through the expressive power of the body’s most demanding details: the face, the hands, and the feet.
Chakra Flow Drawing with Mia de Bethune
JUN 26 | 6:30-8PM
This two-part workshop invites you to slow down, turn inward, and let your body become your muse. Through gentle guided meditation, you’ll explore the chakras — the body’s energy centers — and then bring what you discover to life on paper. The art that emerges is your own unique Chakra Flow Drawing.
Golden Hour Plein Air with Amy Bartlett Wright
JUL 1 | 4:30-8PM & JUL 2 | 5:30-8PM
Join us for “The Golden Hour” paint from life this summer. We wait all year for warm summer nights with cool ocean breezes. Aquidneck Island summer sunsets are magical and fleeting! Capture the glow and changing light of land and water from life this summer with guidance from your instructor. For more class details click the link below
The Bigger Picture with Lisa Daria Kennedy
JUL 7 & 8| 10AM-4PM
This two-day workshop combines demos, in-class assignments and individual instruction to teach students the techniques to create fresh, deliberate marks on a big canvas. Using observational painting as our launching point (we’ll start with/observational but deviate from it), we’ll embark each day with energetic painting exercises designed to tap into each participant’s personal voice.
Painting Outside with Sam & Bill
SEP 8, 9, & 10 | 9:00AM–4:30PM
The Portsmouth Arts Guild is proud to offer another plein air workshop with this wildly popular duo. Join us as Sam & Bill teach as they entertain. Both oil and watercolor artists will enjoy three full days of plein air painting and guidance. All levels are welcome, but you should have some plein air experience under your belt. This is a very popular class so sign up soon!
With thanks to our generous sponsors
