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Harbour Arts unleashed

The Harbour Arts, a new painting class in Gibsons, wraps up its winter workshop series this weekend with an already fully committed course titled Unleashed with Paint.

The Harbour Arts, a new painting class in Gibsons, wraps up its winter workshop series this weekend with an already fully committed course titled Unleashed with Paint.

It will feature the work of all three local art instructors - Donna Swain, Ann Willsie and Nancy Hache - and it will be held in a donated space at Zocalo, a clothing store in Lower Gibsons that is currently on its winter hiatus.

Since Jan. 22, the three artists have held five-day and weekend intensive workshops in their painting specialties.

Swain teaches acrylics and mixed media, Willsie works in oils, and Hache has taught her big and bold acrylics. Their goal is to make painting fun and accessible to beginners, and by all reports they've succeeded.

Zocalo owner Joann Hetherington was thrilled to complete a painting during Hache's class.

"The workshops struck a chord," Swain said, adding that every class was filled with those eager to learn. "We wanted to make it non-intimidating for beginners."

The Harbour Arts group is not looking to compete with the Gibsons School of the Arts that is gearing up for this summer by offering intensive week-long classes with professional guest artists. Instead, the goal is to give novice painters confidence to continue with more advanced classes in the future.

Although the winter session comes to a close this weekend, the Harbour Arts program will continue in the spring as Studio 201 in the former Gibsons Public Art Gallery space downstairs on Gower Point Road. If interested, contact Swain at 604-885-5047 or search for Harbour Arts on Facebook.