The Vancouver Island School of Art is a contemporary art school located in downtown Victoria that offers in-person and online courses and workshops for adults of all ages. 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. 20 years and counting! With more than 6000 students and 140 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. 2025-2026 Highlights Discover some exciting upcoming events—and key achievements over the last 20+ 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 ABOUT US WHAT'S NEW Discover our courses Thoughtfully designed in the focus areas of drawing, painting and art history. SCHEDULES Course & Workshop Schedules Subscribe to Newsletter COURSES BY CATEGORY Painting Drawing Mixed Media Art Fundamentals Art History, Theory Fall Workshops Acrylic Painting Basics Learn basic paintings techniques in this welcoming course for beginners. Started Sep 9 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE Fantastical Gardens with Gouache Be inspired to use gouache by learning how a range of artists visit the garden as subject. Started Sep 9 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE Landscape Painting Now I Bring your landscape painting to a new level by looking at contemporary landscape artists. Started Sep 19 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE Painting Inspired by Photographs Discover how you can use photography as a tool to make exciting and dramatic paintings. Started Sep 9 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE Painting: Introduction I This course covers introductory techniques to painting with an emphasis on personal style. Started Sep 18 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE Painting: Light and Space Enhance your paintings by understanding how to use light and space in an effective way. Started Sep 19 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE Painting: Series Development Learn to develop a body of work based on a singular theme. Started Sep 18 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE Painting the Figure This online course will use the timeless subject of the human figure as a source of painting. Started Sep 17 575 Canadian dollars $575 Loading availability... Loading availability... VIEW COURSE WORKSHOP SCHEDULES Current Workshop Schedule Create your future COURSES & WORKSHOPS Vancouver Island School of Art is a contemporary art school located in Downtown Victoria open to adults of all ages. Your donation matters DONATE TODAY Paint like an Artist II Pastel Flowers Student Work See what we are up to.

Discover Russ Reynolds's background and education. Born in Victoria, Russ attended degree programs at Uvic and UBC and studied professional programs at Cornell and UNLV. He has a master’s degree in Business Administration and nine professional designations (four international) in real estate appraisal and urban land economics. Over the years Russ has volunteered on land use committees, neighbourhood community associations and professional panels. He is a collector of art, patron to artists and hobby artist primarily with respect to paintings on canvas. Russ has endless passion about all aspects of the art world from the prepping of a canvas to the tax mechanisms of art foundations. When he isn’t thinking about art or trying to assist a starving artist, he is appraising hotels and casinos and has done so for the last 38 years. Russ Reynolds Create your future COURSES & WORKSHOPS

Visa Art Club Events at the Vancouver Islands School Art including exhibition openings, artist talks and lectures, fundraisers and Open Houses Visa Art Club Create your future COURSES & WORKSHOPS

1b409c5f-7b65-4d9e-ba40-b23eedb8057f Vancouver Island School of Art 302-733 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 250-380-3500 info@vancouverislandschoolart.com Supply List - Collage as Landscape - 6 sheets 8.5x11 card stock (or equivalant) - scissors - glue stick (“permanent” if possible) - Vogue magazine (Vogue has a great range of colours and textures but any high quality fashion magazine will do) The Vancouver Island School of Art is delighted to have a partnership with Opus Art Supplies so please consider using this link and clicking on your course to purchase supplies from Opus Art Supplies: Partnership Page . You can also consider an Opus A+ Membership, where students can sign up to save 10% on all orders during their studies: Sign Up For Opus A+ Membership .

a4bbf479-410a-4bd8-b0e8-17a15b67c3eb Vancouver Island School of Art 302-733 Johnson St Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 250-380-3500 info@vancouverislandschoolart.com Supply List - The Self-Portrait Items Required for the First Class: Graphite pencils, HB, 2B, 4B Xacto Knife Sandpaper Paddle White Vinyl Erasure Kneaded Erasure, firm Strathmore 400 Series Sketch Pad, 18" x 24", 89gsm (or 2 - 3 single sheets) Drawing Board with clips, 23" x 26" (or Masonite board with large clips) Large mirror (stand alone or mounted) Portable lighting (or existing household strong directional lighting) Additional Items Discussed During the First Class: Vine/Willow charcoal (optional) Colored Chalk Soft Pastels, Rembrandt, set of 10 (or Sinoart set of 12) Toned paper Prefered: Canson Mi-Teintes, 19" x 25", 160 gsm, Graphite, Dark Gray or any color that is a medium value Alternative: Strathmore 400 Series Artagain, 19" x 25", 160 gsm, Steel Gray Blending Stump/Tortillon Misc. supplies as needed The Vancouver Island School of Art is delighted to have a partnership with Opus Art Supplies. You can consider an Opus A+ Membership, where students can sign up to save 10% on all orders during their studies: Sign Up For Opus A+ Membership .

18753406-d022-42e9-9949-87b072150917 Vancouver Island School of Art 302-733 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 250-380-3500 info@vancouverislandschoolart.com Supply List - Drawing and Film Noir Items required for the first class: - 18" x 24" or larger cartridge pad - HB, 2B and 4B pencils - white soft eraser - grey gum eraser (kneadable) - pencil sharpener - compressed charcoal/conte - willow or vine stick charcoal - bulldog clips (2 large size) - India ink & brushes Additional items to be discussed during the first class: - 11" ×14" or larger sketchbook - 18" x 24" newsprint pad - white and black conte crayons - 2-3 paper drawing stumps - #6 & #10 round watercolour brush - 1 tube each black and white gouache (optional) - rag/paper towel - scissors, exacto knife or box-cutter - masking tape - note-taking materials The Vancouver Island School of Art is delighted to have a partnership with Opus Art Supplies so please consider using this link and clicking on your course to purchase supplies from Opus Art Supplies: Partnership Page . You can also consider an Opus A+ Membership, where students can sign up to save 10% on all orders during their studies: Sign Up For Opus A+ Membership .

d584c7b0-c611-4ca6-a0dd-9ce55456d789 Vancouver Island School of Art 302-733 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 250-380-3500 info@vancouverislandschoolart.com Supply List - Painting: Canadian Landscape I Paint: For this class it is assumed that you have some painting experience, so use whatever paints and brushes you generally use—oil, acrylic, watercolour, or gouache. Recommended (but not required) colours: Quinacridone Red or Permanent Rose, Ultramarine Blue, Lemon or Hansa Yellow, Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Medium, Phthalo Blue (green shade), Cadmium Yellow Medium, Ivory Black. You will need a palette, brushes, rags, and whatever you need to clean your brushes. Surfaces: We will generally need one medium-sized surface (12” x 16” or larger) to paint on each week. Stretched primed canvas, large canvas paper, or gessoed wood panels are acceptable for acrylic and oil, or any watercolour paper for watercolour and gouache. The Vancouver Island School of Art is delighted to have a partnership with Opus Art Supplies so please consider using this link and clicking on your course to purchase supplies from Opus Art Supplies: Partnership Page . You can also consider an Opus A+ Membership, where students can sign up to save 10% on all orders during their studies: Sign Up For Opus A+ Membership .

55be09e5-63a6-463d-a6d3-4660916446db Vancouver Island School of Art 302-733 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 250-380-3500 info@vancouverislandschoolart.com Supply List - Watercolour: Experimental Landscapes - watercolour pan set or watercolour in tubes (blue, red, yellow, orange, violet, green) (if you already own watercolours bring what you have) - #10 or #12 round synthetic sable watercolour brush - plastic tray for mixing colours (white plastic lids could suffice). - two containers of water - H pencil, eraser and sharpener - lo-tac masking tape (1/2") - small spray bottle - 9 x 12″ watercolour sketchbook with 100% cotton paper, cold press, 140 lb (Arches paper pad is recommended. This pad is more expensive than the lesser quality pads but you will get better results and you can use both sides of paper. - paper towels Suggested place to buy art supplies: Opus Art Supplies, 512 Herald St, Victoria BC or order online: https://opusartsupplies.com/ You can consider an Opus A+ Membership, where students can sign up to save 10% on all orders during their studies: Sign Up For Opus A+ Membership .

Discover Jessica Ziakin's background and education. Biography Jessica grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has an MA Art History and Visual Studies and a BA in History in Art and Psychology from the University of Victoria. She also did the diploma program at VISA from 2010 to 2015. Currently a Fellow at the Center for Studies in Religion and Society, her research focuses on visual theology and the sacred in modern art and art history. Jessica's art practice is based on religious texts and medieval Illuminations, and explores the limits of faithfulness and the construction of sacred space. She has 20 years of experience teaching art, art history, creative development and theology across many communities, both secular and sacred, in Victoria. She is grateful to be from and live with her family in the territories of the Coast Salish and Lekwungen speaking peoples. https://jessicazcook.wordpress.com/work/ https://www.instagram.com/jessziacook/?igshid=Y2M0YTlkZGNmOQ%3D%3D Education BA History in Art and Psychology University of Victoria MA Art History and Visual Studies University of Victoria Jessica Ziakin Create your future COURSES & WORKSHOPS

7acfa3f7-6978-4546-90a1-5add20cd9bd6 Vancouver Island School of Art 302-733 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 250-380-3500 info@vancouverislandschoolart.com Supply List - To Draw a Diary Items required for the first class: - black conté and/or charcoal - pen/pencil- sketchbook - pad of newsprint Additional Items to be discussed during the first class: - pencils: range from 4H - 8B - conté crayon (black, white, sanguine) - charcoal (compressed, vine) - white vinyl eraser - kneaded eraser - watercolours: travel sets or tubes (red, blue, yellow, violet, orange, green) - plastic palette and/or white plastic lids or small white ceramic plates to mix paint on - watercolour brushes - colour pencils (assortment of colours) - oil pastels (assortment of colours) - variety of paper (including cartridge paper, rag paper, black/coloured paper, rice paper and anything else that catches your eye) The Vancouver Island School of Art is delighted to have a partnership with Opus Art Supplies so please consider using this link and clicking on your course to purchase supplies from Opus Art Supplies: Partnership Page . You can also consider an Opus A+ Membership, where students can sign up to save 10% on all orders during their studies: Sign Up For Opus A+ Membership .

Discover Kathleen Greenaway's background and education. Kathleen Greenaway is a retired academic (digital technology management and organization behaviour) with decades of experience working in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. In all her endeavours, Kathleen brings to bear her significant leadership, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. She has led large staff complements, managed significant budgets and implemented Canada-wide program initiatives. As an academic at Queen’s University and Toronto Metropolitan University, taught undergraduate and graduate courses in digital technology management and published in privacy, security and surveillance. As the Chair at a previous volunteer organization, Kathleen led the efforts to implement a strategic plan, overhauled the organization’s bylaws, recruited new board members, and reinvigorated several key tourism focused events. Kathleen is a graduate of Queen’s University (PhD in Management and MPA), Western University (MBA) and the University of Alberta (BA in Canadian Studies). Importantly, she is also a recent graduate of VISA with a Certificate in Visual Arts. She was an artist as a child but spent many years as a consumer of art. Attending VISA gave Kathleen back her love of creating art and she now spends her time on Salt Spring Island documenting in oils the changing scenes that appear just outside her kitchen window. Kathleen Greenaway Create your future COURSES & WORKSHOPS

98b59487-55e7-47e6-b067-ce762422cc93 Vancouver Island School of Art 302-733 Johnson St, Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 250-380-3500 info@vancouverislandschoolart.com Supply List - Painting: Composition and Process Items required for the first class: Paint: For this class I am assuming that you have some experience painting so use whatever paints you generally use-oil, acrylic, gouache or watercolour. Recommended colours: Quinacridone Red or Permanent Rose, Ultramarine Blue, Lemon Yellow, Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Medium, Phthalo Blue, Cadmium Yellow Medium. You will need a palette, brushes, rags, and whatever you need to clean your brushes. Surfaces: Three small or medium-sized surfaces. Stretched primed canvas, canvas paper, or gessoed wood panel is acceptable. Additional items to be discussed during first class: This course will include collage exercises, so have some colour magazine sources available, glue, scissors and matboard or stiff cardboard to glue images onto. Also have available: tracing paper, glassine, or parchment paper (from grocery store is fine) or any thin translucent paper that you can trace images on and/or paint on. For the digital collage part of the course you will need some photo processing software. I will be providing information during the first class as to a few free Open Source options. We will generally need two small or medium-sized surfaces (11" x 14" to 16" x 20") to paint on each week for class and homework assignments. Along with gessoed surfaces, stretched primed canvas and canvas paper are acceptable. The Vancouver Island School of Art is delighted to have a partnership with Opus Art Supplies so please consider using this link and clicking on your course to purchase supplies from Opus Art Supplies: Partnership Page . You can also consider an Opus A+ Membership, where students can sign up to save 10% on all orders during their studies: Sign Up For Opus A+ Membership .