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Let’s create together.

Vancouver Island School of Art is a contemporary art school located in Downtown Victoria.

Open to adults of all ages. VISA is a Non-Profit Registered Charity.
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We're 20 years old!

With over 5900 students and 135 instructors since September 2004, we've provided a welcoming place for people of all ages to learn about contemporary art, as well as a venue for MFA graduates to get training as instructors. 

Anniversary Highlights

Discover upcoming 20th celebration events & key achievements over the years

Learn. Create. Play.

Whether you want to take only one art course or complete a full-time program, there is a place for you at our school. The Vancouver Island School of Art offers two modes of study:

Certificate of Visual Arts

One year full-time or a maximum of four years part-time

Individual Courses and Workshops

On-going, no application required

Discover our courses

Thoughtfully designed in the focus areas of drawing, painting and art history.

SCHEDULES
Course & Workshop Schedules
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COURSES BY CATEGORY
  • Discover how the landscape remains an exciting source of inspiration for many painters.


    Starts Jan 7, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Develop your painting skills and discover your artist’s voice while exploring subject matter.


    Starts Jan 7, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Enhance your paintings by learning how to create a sense of light and space with colour.


    Starts Jan 7, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • See how the 1970s “Pattern and Decoration” movement can inspire work being done today.


    Starts Jan 8, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Let the excitement of the urban environment inspire your paintings.


    Starts Jan 8, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn ways to approach painting the figure as you examine the work of contemporary artists.


    Starts Jan 9, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Your everyday life can provide endless subject matter for painting with gouache.


    Starts Jan 7, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Discover an array of subject matter with this thematic-focussed painting course.


    Starts Jan 7, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn how abstract painting relates to many things that exist in the world.


    Starts Jan 10, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Discover the possibility of drawing by looking at art found in today’s contemporary art galleries.


    Starts Jan 7, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn new drawing materials and methods each week while focusing on a variety of subject matter.


    Starts Jan 8, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Expand your knowledge of drawing techniques and develop a personal approach to subject matter.


    Starts Jan 10, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Get to know Victoria better by sketching what you see as you meander through the city streets.


    Starts Jan 8, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Make expressive drawings while learning about Expressionism in the 20th century.


    Starts Jan 9, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Let the contemplative act of slow stitching bring joy into your life on weekly basis.


    Starts Jan 9, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • An understanding of design will make all your artwork more exciting and sophisticated.


    Starts Jan 10, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Discover how interpretations of the human form have developed over the last 150 years.


    Starts Jan 9, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Awaken your mind to the often-surprising world of contemporary art in the 21st century.


    Starts Jan 8, 2025

    575 Canadian dollars

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  • Make collage studies as inspiration for expressive watercolour landscapes.


    Ended

    75 Canadian dollars
  • Learn how to draw some of the birds and mammals of Vancouver Island using pencils.


    Ended

    185 Canadian dollars
  • Create otherworldly gardens by using a fusion of artistic expression and speculative science.


    Starts Jan 18, 2025

    185 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn some informative techniques to bring light and shadow into your drawings.


    Starts Jan 25, 2025

    185 Canadian dollars

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  • If you love flowers and the colour blue, this workshop is for you!


    Starts Jan 25, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • Discover the beautiful effects of ink and water while creating imaginative jellyfish.


    Starts Feb 1, 2025

    185 Canadian dollars

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  • If you love flowers and the colour red, this workshop is for you!


    Starts Feb 1, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • Discover the imaginative and spontaneous techniques the Surrealist used to create drawings.


    Starts Feb 8, 2025

    185 Canadian dollars

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  • Want to do something creative? Collage is a great way to start.


    Starts Feb 8, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn how artists use photographs as a source for paintings.


    Starts Feb 15, 2025

    135 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn the basic techniques for working with colour including value, hue and saturation.


    Starts Feb 22, 2025

    135 Canadian dollars

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  • The workshop will teach you all you need to know to paint people in an urban environment.


    Starts Feb 22, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • The workshop is a basic introduction to landscape painting with acrylics.


    Starts Mar 1, 2025

    135 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn to use colour to create depth in your paintings.


    Starts Mar 15, 2025

    135 Canadian dollars

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  • If you love flowers and the colour yellow, this workshop is for you!


    Starts Mar 15, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • Discover how to incorporate photographs in your collages and paintings through image transfer.


    Starts Mar 22, 2025

    185 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn how to draw people using traditional Japanese ink drawing techniques.


    Starts Mar 22, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn how taking photos will give you a new way of looking at downtown Victoria.


    Starts Mar 29, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • See how the techniques of Cezanne can give you a new approach to watercolour painting.


    Starts Mar 29, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • Discover the world of texture by making monoprints with acrylic paint.


    Starts Apr 5, 2025

    185 Canadian dollars

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  • Repurpose old books by turning the pages into works of art.


    Starts Apr 5, 2025

    75 Canadian dollars

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  • Learn the basics of oil painting including colour mixing and layering.


    Starts Apr 12, 2025

    135 Canadian dollars

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WORKSHOP SCHEDULES
Current Workshop Schedule