Prairie Skies & Buildings Painting Workshops Calgary NW | Developing A

Prairie Skies & Buildings Painting Workshops | Grasby Art Studio Calgary

A big prairie sky over a grain elevator, a weathered barn, a row of small-town storefronts. This series is about the two things that make a prairie painting work — an enormous, moving sky, and the solid, simple structures sitting under it.

Prairie grain elevator beneath a dramatic, cloud-filled sky

Prairie grain elevator beneath a colourful evening sky

Prairie grain elevator beneath a sweeping natural sky

What You'll Learn

Painting a deep, luminous prairie sky with real movement in it
Weathered surfaces — old wood, rusted metal, faded paint
Simple one- and two-point perspective for barns, elevators and storefronts
Scale and distance across a flat horizon
Balancing a dramatic sky against a quiet foreground

In the studio

Out here the sky is nine tenths of the picture. Four sessions on cloud structure, warm light and keeping the land quiet underneath it.

Student painting a cloud and sunset study from reference photographs, palette and brushes laid out, Prairie Skies workshop, Grasby Art Studio, NW Calgary — A cloud study before the big canvas

Student beside her finished painting of a towering cumulus sky over a golden prairie field and a lone pumpjack, Prairie Skies workshop, Grasby Art Studio, NW Calgary — Big sky, small landmark — the whole idea

Student beside his finished painting of a burning red and gold sunset over a dark ridge and still water, Prairie Skies workshop, Grasby Art Studio, NW Calgary — A finished prairie sunset off the easel

Tap an image to see it full size.

Fall 2026 Dates

Wednesdays · 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
October 28, November 4, 11 & 18, 2026

Saturdays · 1:00 – 4:00 PM
November 14, 21, 28 & December 5, 2026

November 11 falls in the school fall break — the workshop runs as normal.

Cost

$95 — single workshop
$360 — full four-workshop series

Working with Teresa

These intermediate workshops are led by studio founder Teresa Grasby. Teresa takes on the subjects artists find most challenging and shares the efficient process she has developed for them, worked in a loose, expressive style. Most artists use the four sessions to build one large-format canvas — a finished feature wall painting to take home.

Details

Level: Intermediate — for artists who have completed our Beginners series, or who have equivalent experience
Duration: 3 hours per workshop
Class size: 8 artists maximum
Location: Grasby Art Studio, 6520 Bowness Road NW, Calgary

Supplies

We provide the specialty tools, soft-bodied acrylics and a student-grade canvas for each workshop. For the best results we recommend bringing an artist-quality canvas and a basic heavy-bodied paint kit — the three primaries plus black and white, a small palette knife, a disposable palette and a variety of brushes. If you already own these, bring what you have. Canvases and individual supplies are at the front desk, and our Beginners Acrylic Supply Kit or Oil Supply Kit covers the whole kit list for $88.

How to Register

Choose the full series for all four workshops, or a single date to try one.
Booking more than one single date? Add each one to your cart separately.

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Prairie Skies & Buildings Painting Workshops Calgary NW | Developing Artists

Prairie Skies & Buildings Painting Workshops Calgary NW | Developing Artists

Student 1