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St. Johns County Council on Aging

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The Arts (writing, painting, acting, etc.)

Journal Projects: Special Decorative Pages on Monday, June 15 at River House

$1250

with Liz Monaco

Calendar Jun 15, 2026 at 1:30 pm, runs for 1 week

Join our inspiring hands-on class designed to help you craft and personalize your very own art journal! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, these workshops offers a perfect space to explore your creativity, experiment with different techniques, and develop your unique artistic voice.

Many of the book pages will have some decorative or interactive elements, like pockets, flip outs, and ephemera. You can even include some personal items that you want to keep in your special book.

Supplies specific to this class:

  • You can use paints, markers, pens, or other mixed media to decorate your pages. Magazine images, decorative paper scraps, old book pages, stickers, etc. Whatever you have on hand that you can include as part of your theme.
  • Stick Glue
  • Scissors

Class session will be held on Monday, June 15 from 1:30 to 3:30 at River House (179 Marine Street, St. Augustine 32084)

For ages 18 and up.

Will run

Journal Projects: Creating Tags or Journal Cards on Monday, June 22 & 29 at River House

$25

with Liz Monaco

Calendar Jun 22, 2026 at 1:30 pm, runs for 2 weeks

Join our inspiring hands-on class designed to help you craft and personalize your very own art journal! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, these workshops offers a perfect space to explore your creativity, experiment with different techniques, and develop your unique artistic voice.

Finding ways to expand your journaling spots can be done many ways. Two of them are making tags and journal cards. You can tuck them away in some pockets, belly bands and tuck places. This is a good way to use up paper scraps.

Supplies specific to this class:

  • Decorative papers
  • Glue stick and Elmer’s glue
  • Stickers, pictures, paint (watercolor or acrylic), brushes
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Scissors

Class session will be held on Monday, June 22 & 29 from 1:30 to 3:30 at River House (179 Marine Street, St. Augustine 32084)

For ages 18 and up.

Will run

Watercolor Landscape Painting on Wednesdays in July at River House

$50

with David Ouellette

Calendar Jul 1, 2026 at 9 am, runs for 5 weeks

This Watercolor class is designed to expose you to the unique characteristics and techniques of the medium using various scenes and compositional layout. We will be studying atmospheric perspective and depth of field that makes landscape watercolor painting so effective. There will be regular critiques and discussions to improve your understanding and skill development.

Mr. Ouellette received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts in Painting from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He taught at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and showed in many galleries and museums including the Detroit Institute of Art. He moved to St. Augustine in 1981 where he continued his career as an artist and professor of Fine Art at the Florida School of the Arts in his twenty-six year tenure. He was also a professor of Fine Arts, Painting and Design and Art History at SJRCC St. Augustine campus. He is currently teaching Art History and Studio classes at Flagler College Continuing Education.

Watercolor Materials and Supplies                

Brushes:

  • sable (preferred), ox hair (if you can find it or sable blends or sable synthetics 
  • 1”       flat
  • 1/2”    flat
  • #6 and #8 round
  • rigger brush 

 Paper:

  • Two sheets of Arches 22”x30”, 140 lb. cold press,  or a 9” x 12” block      

Paints:

Box sets of tube watercolors which should include most of these:        

  • ultramarine blue
  • cerulean blue
  • cobalt blue
  • thalo blue
  • alizarin crimson
  • cadmium red light
  • cadmium yellow light 
  • new gamboge
  • burnt umber
  • burnt sienna 

Other materials:                            

  • covered palette, plastic
  • painting board approx. 16” x 20”
  • masking tape
  • materials box
  • non-breakable container for water
  • roll of paper towels

Class sessions will be held on Wednesdays, July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 9 to 11 at River House (179 Marine St.  St. Augustine 32084)

For ages 18 and up.

Full Course

Drawing 1 on Wednesdays in July at River House

$50

with David Ouellette

Calendar Jul 1, 2026 at 11:15 am, runs for 5 weeks

This course is structured to develop basic drawing techniques by concentrating on the elements of descriptive drawing through observation. 

Students will develop the qualities of line and volume with a full range of values. The course will also cover linear perspective and compositional design.

Materials needed:

  • 18" x 24" drawing paper pad (not sketching paper)
  • 16" x 20" (approx.) drawing board
  • #2 and #4 graphic pencils
  • white plastic eraser
  • kneaded eraser
  • masking tape

Mr. Ouellette received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts in Painting from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He taught at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and showed in many galleries and museums including the Detroit Institute of Art. He moved to St. Augustine in 1981 where he continued his career as an artist and professor of Fine Art at the Florida School of the Arts in his twenty-six year tenure. He was also a professor of Fine Arts, Painting and Design and Art History at SJRCC St. Augustine campus. He is currently teaching Art History and Studio classes at Flagler College Continuing Education.

Class sessions will be held on Wednesdays, July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 from 11:15 to 1:15 at the River House (179 Marine Street, St. Augustine 32084).

For ages 18 and up.

Will run

Jewelry Wire Wrapping Class for Beginners on Wednesdays in July at River House

$50

with Kathy Tengesdahl

Calendar Jul 1, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 4 weeks

Jewelry art students can expect to learn basic tool use and refine a wire loop in the first class as well as creating a pair of wire wrapped crystal earrings. In subsequent classes we will create spirals combined with crystals to create earrings and advancing to a tree of life wire wrapped pendant as well as a wire link bracelet. Along the way you will learn correct tool usage, wire straightening, wrapped loops, unclosed loops, and making your own loop clasps.

Supplies required:

  • Shynek 10 piece Jewelry tools kit
  • Oh Pandehall 1200 piece 4mm bicone AB crystal beads
  • Bencreat wire 18, 20, 26 gauge
  • Any other beads you may have 

(These items can be found on Amazon)

Kathy Tengesdahl has an AA degree in art and a BS in Education. She combines that with 35 years of creating Jewelry art and she is adept at bead weaving with a focus on creating with wire wrapping. She has taught for the past 5 yrs in The Villages, Florida and now 7 months living in St Augustine. She hopes you will join her in creating something beautiful that you will be proud to wear.

Class sessions will be held on Wednesdays, July 1, 8, 15, 29 (no class session on July 22) from 1 to 3 at River House (179 Marine Street, St. Augustine 32084)

For ages 18 and up.

Will run

Watercolor Doodles on Thursdays in July at River House

$50

with Liz Monaco

Calendar Jul 2, 2026 at 11 am, runs for 5 weeks

Watercolor/doodle class is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to learn about, and experiment with, two fascinating art forms: watercolor painting and doodling. Through a combination of hands-on instruction, group discussions, and individual feedback, students will develop their own unique style and gain the skills and confidence needed to express themselves creatively. 

 Supplies needed:

  • Watercolor paints - tube or pan paint sets
  • Extra-Fine black line markers (i.e. Sharpie black)
  • Small set of color markers (dual tips)
  • 140lb watercolor paper (hot or cold press -ok)
  • Mechanical pencil
  • White gel pen
  • Gold gel pen
  • Eraser
  • Paper towels
  • 2 Water containers
  • Paint brushes - 4, 6, 8 rounds; 1 inch flat brush; rigger brush
  • Color wheel

Class sessions take place on Thursdays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 from 11 - 1 at the River House, 179 Marine Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084.

For ages 18 and up

Colored Pencil Art on Thursdays in July at River House

$50

with Liz Monaco

Calendar Jul 2, 2026 at 1:30 pm, runs for 5 weeks

With instructor Liz Monaco, this class is designed to teach you the popular art of Colored Pencil to create your very own works of art. You will learn color mixing, layering, and other techniques to get the results you have always wanted. 

*Supplies Needed:

  • Prisma Color Premier Colored Pencils – Set of 24
  • Open Stock Colors: Black Grape, Magenta
  • Colorless Blender
  • White Plastic Eraser, Pencil Sharpener, Ruler
  • Bristol Vellum Drawing Paper
  • Tracing paper, Graphite Transfer Paper

Class sessions will be held on Thursdays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 from 1:30 to 3:30 at River House (179 Marine Street, St. Augustine 32084)

For ages 18 and up.

Will run

What Happened to the Broadway Musical When It Went to Hollywood? on Mondays in July at River House

$3750

with Thomas Hischak

Calendar Jul 6, 2026 at 9:30 am, runs for 4 weeks

Just about every major Broadway musical in the past has been turned into a Hollywood movie. The results were sometimes a Hit, other times a Miss, often an Also-Ran. This class looks at popular stage musicals and their cinema counterparts from the 1920s up until the 1970s. From Show Boat to Cabaret, these are musical adaptations with fascinating back-stories.

The class is part-lecture, part-watching scenes from classic movies.

Thomas Hischak is a retired Professor of Performing Arts from the State University of New York College at Cortland. He is the author of over thirty books on theatre, film, and popular music.

Class sessions will be on Mondays, July 6, 13, 20, 27 from 9:30 to 11 at River House (179 Marine St. in St. Augustine)

For ages 18 and up.

Will run





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