Adult Programs

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• Sketching Lunch First Fridays at the Harbor

  • When
    05 Jun 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Buenaventura Art Center, on the terrace - 1591 Spinnaker Dr., #207

  Sketching Lunch First Fridays - Monthly
  

  Join us on the First Friday of each month and visit the beautiful Ventura Harbor to sketch! Come for the cool ocean breezes, and bring your lunch (or pick up something in the Village) and hang out on the second floor terrace next to Buenaventura Art Association, with the folks from Plein Air Ventura County.

  You are welcome to sketch outside along the promenade or terrace, or be inside with the comfy heat. You are welcome to bring whatever you are working on.
  

  Please keep your setup unscented as much as possible (certain oil paint mediums and perfumes are too much for indoors.)

  Please consider making a donation to help keep the doors open to this amazing gathering space at the harbor.

  Hope to see you there! It's so fun creating art together. 

  Restroom available. 

  Besides parking, this is a free get-together. No need to RSVP, just come!

  NOTE PARKING CHARGES:
  Be aware the Ventura Harbor Village collects parking fees on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Parking in the lot outside of Buenaventura Art Center will cost $1 per hour up to 4 hours. After four hours the all-day cost is a flat $10.

  Free parking is available on the street on Spinnaker Dr. or in the "Dolphin Lot" which is toward the entrance to the Harbor area at Spinnaker Dr. and Harbor Blvd. You'll see some big signs for Safe Harbor Ventura Isle and other dolphin signs. Park in that parking lot for free and enjoy a 5 - 10 minute stroll down the promenade to the Art Center above Le Petit Cafe.

  
  

  
  

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• Plein Air In The Studio with Beverly Lazor

  • When
    06 Jun 2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Buenaventura Art Center - 1591 Spinnaker Dr., #207, entrance #3 into the Ventura Harbor Village, above Le Petit Cafe

  PLEIN AIR IN THE STUDIO

  Composition, Value & Color.
  Design as the foundation.

  with Beverly Lazor

  
  

  Registration limit reached! Registration is closed.

  Saturday, June 6th 2026
  Hours 10:00am to 4:00pm

  This Integrative Workshop emphasizes composition and value as the primary drivers of successful painting, with color introduced only after strong structural decisions are established.

  Each participant brings 10 to 20 photos to discuss the best ways to crop, adjust the composition of the photos, create a value study, and enlarge from your value study

  Work on the provided 11"x14" Canvas board. 

  Bring your own preference: oil, acrylic, or watercolor (with H2O paper)

  Students work through a disciplined, sequential process —thumbnail → notan → drawing → value → color — to create paintings that are clear, intentional, and unified. The focus is not on style or novelty, but on making fewer, stronger decisions and learning to edit ruthlessly in service of design.

  

  

  FEES
  BAA Members - $120
  Non-Members - $145

  Register

  DATES / TIMES
  Saturday June 6th - 9:30am to 4:00pm

  LOCATION
  The Buenaventura Art Center
  1591 Spinnaker Dr. Suite #207, Ventura, CA 93001
  3rd entrance into the Ventura Harbor Village parking lot, (above Le Petit Cafe)

  

  NOTE PARKING CHARGES:
  Be aware the Ventura Harbor Village collects parking fees on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Parking in the lot outside of Buenaventura Art Center will cost $1 per hour up to 4 hours. After four hours the all-day cost is a flat $10.

  Free parking is available on the street on Spinnaker Dr. or in the "Dolphin Lot" which is toward the entrance to the Harbor area at Spinnaker Dr. and Harbor Blvd. You'll see some big signs for Safe Harbor Ventura Isle and other dolphin signs. Park in that parking lot for free and enjoy a 5 - 10 minute stroll down the promenade to the Art Center above Le Petit Cafe.

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• Ongoing Glass Mosaic: Bring your Art to Life in Glass with Larissa Strauss

  • Start
    08 Jun 2026
  •  
  • End
    13 Jul 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    6 sessions
  • Location
    Buenaventura Art Center - 1591 Spinnaker Dr., #207, entrance #3 to the Ventura Harbor Village

  Register

  
  

  Glass Mosaic: Bring your Art to Life in Glass
  with Larissa Strauss
  Ongoing, weekly instruction

  Discover the art of glass mosaic with Larissa Strauss! This is an ongoing series in six-week blocks. You can sign up at any time in the six weeks and extend your session into the next block. If you wish to keep going beyond six weeks, you will need to sign up and pay the registration fee for another six-week session.

  Students will bring a simple image of their own — a painting, drawing, or photograph — and learn to transform it into a luminous glass mosaic.

  Guided by Larissa, you'll explore how color, texture, and light can elevate the limits of the original artwork as it comes to life in glass.

  This relaxed, creative class is perfect for beginners or experienced artists ready to try something different. All materials are provided, including glass and a 12" x 16" board, with your $20 materials fee payable at the first class. Come create, explore and see your art in a whole new light.

  Fee: $185 class fee payable with online registration and $20 materials fee payable to the instructor at the first class or beginning of your six-week session.

  Contact Larissa if you have questions about the suitability of your painting, drawing or photograph: lgstrauss70@gmail.com

  Dates: Mondays, 5:30 - 8:30PM
  June 8
  June 15
  June 22
  June 29
  July 6
  July 13

  Location: Buenaventura Art Center in the Ventura Harbor Village. Use entrance #3 into the Village parking lot. We are upstairs above Le Petit Cafe restaurant.

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• Lively Brushstrokes: Animal Painting Workshop with Sarah J. Webber

  • Start
    25 Jul 2026
  •  
  • End
    26 Jul 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    Buenaventura Art Center - 1591 Spinnaker Dr., #207, in the Ventura Harbor Village above Le Petit Cafe, entrance #3

  Register

  Lively Brushstrokes:
  Animal Painting Workshop

  with Sarah J. Webber

  
  

  "It’s all about big brushstrokes," says Sarah J. Webber,
  and "experimenting with big drawing, abstraction, and color harmony!"

  Register
  

  Saturday, July 25th & Sunday, July 26th 2026
  hours 9:30am to 4:00pm

  

  Award winning artist Webber works in the "alla prima" painting style of wet on wet.  "I am interested in broken color and abstract shapes.  I am also very interested in looking for the play of rhythm and light." She starts with the basics. "I love to draw and and want good draftsmanship."

  How do you accomplish it all? Take this two-day workshop with Sarah J. Webber and find out! Sarah's primary subject-matter is animals and she will teach you how to work quickly to achieve a spontaneous, expressive and sculptured stroke, working from photos that you bring from home.

  See Sarah's work: https://www.sarahjwebber.com/

  Click here to download Sarah's supply list.

  

  

  FEES
  BAA Members - $285
  Non-Members - $300

  Register

  DATES / TIMES
  Saturday & Sunday, July 25 & 26
  9:30am to 4:00pm

  LOCATION
  The Buenaventura Art Center
  1591 Spinnaker Dr. Suite #207, Ventura, CA 93001
  3rd entrance into the Ventura Harbor Village parking lot, (above Le Petit Cafe)

  
  

  
  

  NOTE PARKING CHARGES:
  Be aware the Ventura Harbor Village collects parking fees on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Parking in the lot outside of Buenaventura Art Center will cost $1 per hour up to 4 hours. After four hours the all-day cost is a flat $10.

  Free parking is available on the street on Spinnaker Dr. or in the "Dolphin Lot" which is toward the entrance to the Harbor area at Spinnaker Dr. and Harbor Blvd. You'll see some big signs for Safe Harbor Ventura Isle and other dolphin signs. Park in that parking lot for free and enjoy a 10 minute stroll down the promenade to the Art Center above Le Petit Cafe.

  
  

  Show details