Workshop Description: This workshop will incorporate both wet felting and dry needle felting to create various mushrooms and ferns, small flowers and other debris found on a forest floor.

Several different types of mushrooms call for different methods. Students will learn how to use a resist to create a conical mushroom cap as well as flat wet-felting and shaping. Students will learn how to create ferns using wire and wool and heat and bond product .

Instructor Name: Gayle Mathues

Ferns, Fungi and the Forest Floor

Minimum Age of Student: 18 or older, 12-16 with a parent who also registers

Materials Fee & List of What Fee Covers OR kit contents: $10. Fee includes wire, core wool, merino wool, other types of wool, silk, nepps, glue, photos .

All other non-consumable supplies furnished by instructor (felting pad, wet felting surface, rolling noodle, bubble wrap, heat and bond strips, needles and photos, et)

Materials Student Should Bring (from home or purchase, with names of suppliers.)Students need to bring a piece of wood to mount felting project on. This could be a simple and clean round cut of wood, easily purchased at Michaels or Hobby Lobby or a found piece of weathered wood or drift wood in an interesting shape. If using found wood, please bake in an oven on low heat for at least an hour to make sure any insects and larva are killed. Also, students should have done a little research on the type of mushrooms they would like to make and study woodland scenes with mushrooms in them. Students need to bring two hand towels for wet felting purposes.

Instructor bio

Gayle Mathues has been a Certified Sarafina Instructor for 3 years and has been needlefelting seriously since 2017. She teaches at Carroll Community College, Carroll Arts Center, Natural History Society of Maryland and Common Ground on the Hill. She has her work at Off Track Art and participates in Sheep and Wool of Maryland and various other shows from time to time.

Art That Pops!

Art Camp Description:

Get ready for a creative adventure where art jumps off the page! Students will explore creative art projects that sparkle, spin, pop and glow. We will create anaglyph images, design a rocket lava lamp, draw on expanding sponges and create monsters that pop right out of our imagination! Plus, we’ll paint our own neon light signs and spin paper toys that transform into dazzling designs right before our eyes. We will have fun from the beginning to the end, inspired by Op artist Olimpia Zagnoli, Neo-Folk artist Kristin Farr, Lothar Meggendorfer famous for his pop-up books and Kasing Lung whose plush toys became a pop culture icon around the world! Using our wild imaginations and cool STEAM tricks, every day will bring a new surprise! ·

Program Length: 5 Days, 2 3-hour sessions per day · Times: 9 AM-12 PM 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM · Fee: $180, $350 for both · Age Range: 5 to 12 years old

This comprehensive workshop is designed to help high school students prepare a strong, competitive portfolio for college art program applications. Students will receive guided instruction on selecting and refining artwork, developing cohesive bodies of work, and presenting their pieces professionally for submission.

Participants will learn what colleges and universities look for in an art portfolio, including technical skill, conceptual development, originality, and process documentation. The workshop will cover portfolio organization, photographing artwork, writing effective artist statements, and understanding digital submission platforms such as SlideRoom.

Through personalized feedback, group critiques, and one-on-one guidance, students will leave with a clearer direction for their artistic voice and a structured plan for completing and submitting their portfolio on time.

Ideal for juniors and seniors planning to apply to art schools, design programs, or fine arts departments, this workshop equips students with the tools, confidence, and strategic insight needed to present their work at a professional level.

Art That Pops!

Art Camp Description:

Get ready for a creative adventure where art jumps off the page! Students will explore creative art projects that sparkle, spin, pop and glow. We will create anaglyph images, design a rocket lava lamp, draw on expanding sponges and create monsters that pop right out of our imagination! Plus, we’ll paint our own neon light signs and spin paper toys that transform into dazzling designs right before our eyes. We will have fun from the beginning to the end, inspired by Op artist Olimpia Zagnoli, Neo-Folk artist Kristin Farr, Lothar Meggendorfer famous for his pop-up books and Kasing Lung whose plush toys became a pop culture icon around the world! Using our wild imaginations and cool STEAM tricks, every day will bring a new surprise! ·

Program Length: 5 Days, 2 3-hour sessions per day · Times: 9 AM-12 PM 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM · Fee: $180, $350 for both · Age Range: 5 to 12 years old

Young Artist Studio Camp is a hands-on, creativity-filled experience designed for young artists to explore a wide variety of materials, techniques, and artistic styles in a supportive studio environment. Campers will experiment with drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media, and more while learning foundational art concepts such as color theory, texture, composition, and creative problem-solving.

Each day encourages imagination, self-expression, and skill development through guided projects and open-ended exploration. Students will build confidence in their artistic abilities while discovering new ways to communicate ideas visually.

The camp culminates in a mini showcase where campers can share their artwork with family and friends, celebrating their creativity and growth. Perfect for budding artists of all experience levels, this camp nurtures curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of art.

Course Title: Super-Tastic Cartoons Camp

Description: Do you like to doodle? From superheroes to super-pets, we will turn our doodles into cartoons. Improve your skills and learn new ones while you create a comic strip, a graphic novel or a single-panel comic! We will create cartoon vehicles, cartoon robots and an enchanted house while we discover that all characters have a unique way to tell a story! Between speech balloons and Claymation, we will learn about the art of cartooning and its different expressions. This camp isn’t just a drawing adventure; we will use a variety of art materials to tell our cartoon stories!

·Program Length: 5 Days, 2 3-hour sessions per day

·Times: 9 AM-12 PM 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM

· Fee: $180, $350 for both

· Age Range: 5 to 12 years old 

Course Title: Super-Tastic Cartoons Camp

Description: Do you like to doodle? From superheroes to super-pets, we will turn our doodles into cartoons. Improve your skills and learn new ones while you create a comic strip, a graphic novel or a single-panel comic! We will create cartoon vehicles, cartoon robots and an enchanted house while we discover that all characters have a unique way to tell a story! Between speech balloons and Claymation, we will learn about the art of cartooning and its different expressions. This camp isn’t just a drawing adventure; we will use a variety of art materials to tell our cartoon stories!

·Program Length: 5 Days, 2 3-hour sessions per day

·Times: 9 AM-12 PM 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM

· Fee: $180, $350 for both

· Age Range: 5 to 12 years old 

  From Blob to Frog

Make a frog! From a sinple blob of clay to cute little finished froggy, explore how creating simple shapes and adding them together can make a unique and complex sculpt that is fun and easy to teach to your friends! Students will sculpt, cook, sand, and paint their work.

Date and time: July 18   10-3

Minimum Age of Student: ( usually 18 or older  but you may include younger like 12-16 with a parent who also registers ) 

Materials Student Should Bring (from home or purchase, with names of suppliers.) A photo of a frog they like  

Instructor bio: Kelsey Wailes is a professional artist who teaches and sells her wares up and down the east coast and online. She has been working with polymer clay for 15+ years and loves sharing this versatile and fun art medium with her kid and adult students alike.