Art League hosts "Marks in Motion: Oil & Mixed Media"

Art League Academy will host “Marks in Motion: Oil & Mixed Media,” a two-day workshop led by guest instructor Anne Strutz on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 4–5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at Art League Academy.

Designed for artists of all experience levels, the workshop offers a focused, hands-on opportunity to bring energy, movement, and expressive mark-making into painting. Participants will explore ways to build bold layers, texture, and visual vitality using brayers, water-mixable oil paints, brushes, and other mark-making tools, with guidance on translating gesture and rhythm into compelling composition.

In addition to developing dynamic surfaces and varied marks, students will investigate approaches for combining oil paint with pastel and watercolor. The workshop also includes discussion and demonstration of color theory and palette choices that influence mood and atmosphere, helping participants make intentional decisions about harmony, contrast, and emotional tone in finished work.

Strutz is known for paintings that emphasize motion and energy. Her background includes fashion and textile design in New York City, art education and curriculum development. She is a Master Pastelist recognized by the International Association of Pastel Artists, and her work has appeared in Pastel Journal, Pratique Des Arts Magazine and Strokes of Genius.

Materials and supplies

There is a $25 cash materials fee, payable to the instructor on the first day, which covers brayers, oil paper, a limited water-mixable oil palette, pastels, watercolors, and select mark-making tools. Students should bring additional basic supplies, reference images, and gessoed canvas or wood panels.

“When artists give themselves permission to follow movement and make bold marks, the painting comes alive,” said Anne Strutz, guest instructor. “This workshop is an invitation to explore mixed media with curiosity—layer by layer—and to discover the energy that emerges when tools, texture, and color start to dance together.”