Master Class

February 3-7, 2027

Wednesday - Sunday, 9am-4pm each day

Course Description

This intensive five-day Master Class is designed for established artists who are ready to push their work forward, take creative risks, and discover new possibilities within their practice.

There is something uniquely energizing about working alongside other experienced artists who share a desire to experiment and grow. Over five concentrated days, you will have the time, space and encouragement to immerse yourself in your work—while benefiting from the ideas, questions and creative energy of the group.

After 37 years of developing her own painting practice, Emily understands the rhythms of an artist’s life: the exhilaration of making, the love of paint and materials, the shifts and discoveries—but also those times when courage ebbs, familiar ways of working begin to feel too familiar, or the work simply feels stuck.

This Master Class is designed to help you move through those moments.

You may arrive with paintings or an ongoing project that you would like help developing, or use the course as an opportunity to begin exploring an entirely new subject or direction. Either way, Emily will work closely with you to identify what is alive in the work, what might be holding it back, and where there is room to experiment.

Throughout the week, Emily will generously share her experience through demonstrations, prompts, practical processes, slide presentations and discussion. There will also be individual tutorials and group feedback, providing opportunities to look closely at your work and consider where it might go next.

Collaboration and Improvisation

An important part of the five days will be collaborative working and improvisation. These playful processes can be surprisingly powerful. Allowing another artist to respond to your work—or encountering someone else's way of handling paint, making marks or solving a visual problem—can interrupt habitual ways of working and open unexpected doors.

A fresh pair of eyes asks different questions.

Through collaboration, experimentation and serious creative play, you will be encouraged to step temporarily outside your familiar ways of working. The aim is not to abandon the practice you have developed, but to expand it—to discover new approaches, new questions and new possibilities that you can take back into your studio.

By the end of the five days, you will leave with more than the work you have made. You will have a refreshed sense of possibility and a broader creative “kit bag” of processes, ideas and approaches to draw upon as your practice continues to evolve.

Pre-Class Preparation

PLEASE NOTE: You will receive homework in early November from Emily, with a video describing the tasks. You will be expected to send responses to some thoughtful questions to Emily before the course and bring your completed homework assignments to the class. Showcasing each person's studies and preparatory projects will be the first thing we do as a group when we meet on day one.

Mediums and Skill Level

  • Acrylic, Oils, or Mixed-Media artists

  • Advanced Beginners and Beyond

Pricing

  • Early Bird pricing (through November 2, 2026) $1,450

  • Regular price (after November 2, 2026): $1,600

Your fee includes pre-course preparation support, group and individual instruction from Emily during the workshop, facility usage (including easel, wall space and tables for your materials and supplies), and hospitality (still and sparkling water, coffee and tea, and morning and afternoon snacks). You may either bring your own lunch or order from nearby restaurants and delivery services.

Your fee also includes an invitation to a Salon with Emily Ball on Tuesday, February 2nd from 7-9pm.

In addition, we will be organizing an optional self-pay happy hour/dinner outing at a local eatery for fun, food and the chance to get to know one another better in a relaxed atmosphere.

Please read Policies about Payment, Cancellations, and Refunds carefully before registering.