Online Class: Exploring Seashells in Soft Pastels (2 Parts)

A Beautiful World in itself

In this two-part class, explore the beauty of O’Keeffe’s shell paintings while developing your skills with soft pastels

Part 1 | Tuesday, February 17, 2026 from 5–7:00 PM MT

Part 2 | Tuesday, Februrary 24, 2026 from 5–7:00 PM MT

Registering for this class will automatically enroll you in both sessions.

After reviewing seashell paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe, teaching artist Deborah Shea will provide students with an overview of how to use soft pastels, covering topics like tone and color development, mark-making, and sketching. After practicing these skills, Deborah will also demonstrate how students can create an underpainting, layer colors, and add details with pencils to their own compositions.

Supplies Needed for this Class:

• 3 Tombow greyscale markers: light, medium, and dark
• One piece of Bristol paper (smooth)
• A few sheets of pastel paper—Strathmore 400 Series Pastel Pad
• Uart 12 x 16 Premium Mounted Board, #600
• Soft pastels (Refer to O’Keeffe’s shell paintings for color inspiration) 
• Pastel pencils in various colors for detail work
• White charcoal pencil
• Kneaded eraser
• Xacto knife  
• HB graphite pencil for sketching
• Brush and cup for alcohol wash
• Mask (always wear for pastel work!)
• Paper towel for tapping off dust
• Winsor & Newton Artguard Barrier Cream or disposable gloves
• Fixative for the finished drawing
• Glassine sheets

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This class is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. Children are welcome to participate alongside their adults.

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registering and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance in order to access the program.

Note that all program times are in Mountain Time.

About the Instructor:

Deborah Shea was born into a family of artists and grew up in San Francisco. At the age of 14, she attended a summer arts program with Ruth Asawa and created images for the Hyatt Fountain and UCSF Mural. Deborah received a BA in Studio Art & Design at UC Davis. She had a career for over 20 years as a creative director, designer, and illustrator before becoming a full-time fine artist in 2017. She has won numerous awards in juried and solo exhibitions, and has taught pastel classes at Filoli, the Pacific Art League, the Atherton Art Foundation, and in her studio at Art Bias. In 2023, she was selected as one of seven San Mateo County artists for a yearlong exhibition in the Chan Zuckerberg Community Center in Redwood City. Deborah is currently pursuing her MFA at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She resides in Redwood City, California. For more information about Deborah, please see her website or her Instagram page @debdsheastudios.

Registration

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.

$20 minimal fee.

$40 covers the cost of the class.

$60 covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs.