“Painting Outside the Canvas”
with Instructor Deborah Hildinger
This is a 2-Day Workshop
Saturday & Sunday March 6 & 7, 2027
Time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Classes are limited to 8 students.
Registration Deadline March 3
All Skill Levels welcome
Please Bring Your Own Lunch
If you prefer to pay by check/cash for $200 (members) or $250 (non-members), please notify the Art League by email in order for us to hold your spot, make check payable to Art League of Daytona Beach and mail to 433 S. Palmetto Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 along with a completed registration form or you may drop off at the Art League during our gallery hours. For registration form click HERE.
MATERIALS
Provided by the instructor:
• One gourd for each student.
• Gloves
• Gourd dyes.
• Acrylic paints and metallic paints.
• Iridescent oil paint sticks.
• Stencils
• Demonstration and shared specialty tools/equipment as needed.
Students bring:
• Their own acrylic paints—the colors they enjoy working with.
• Their favorite paintbrushes.
• Stencils, texture tools, or other mark-making materials if they have them.
• Rags or paper towels and protective gloves, if desired.
• A box or paper bag for transporting the gourd home after the final session.
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Take your acrylic painting experience beyond the canvas and onto an unexpected three-dimensional surface—a gourd. In this two-day workshop, students with little or no gourd experience will explore color, texture, pattern, layering, and shimmer while creating a finished abstract mixed-media painting on a gourd. The emphasis is on making artistic decisions and responding to the surface rather than following a predetermined design. Students will begin with a light surface preparation, build layers of color using gourd dyes and acrylic paints, experiment with stencils and found texture tools, and finish with iridescent oil paint sticks. No previous experience with gourds is necessary. A background in acrylic painting is helpful, but the workshop is designed for artists who are curious about working on a new and very different surface.
WHAT STUDENTS WILL CREATE
Each student will complete an abstract, mixed-media painted gourd. The resulting surface will incorporate layered color, texture, pattern, and iridescent accents, with each finished piece reflecting the student's own artistic choices.
- Day One: Surface preparation, color, dye techniques, acrylic layering, and exploration of stencils and texture.
-Day Two: Continued development of the surface, detail work, layering, and finishing with iridescent oil paint sticks.
- Students work at their own pace with individual guidance and demonstrations throughout the workshop.
MEET THE INSTRUCTOR
Deborah Hildinger is a mixed-media artist whose background includes printmaking, painting, pastels, digital imagery, and mixed-media work. She now focuses on creating and teaching mixed-media sculptures utilizing gourds.