Whether you’re already handy with a paintbrush and a set of paints, or wouldn’t know what to do if handed a brush and a palette, Sharon Okun and Adam Markovic are inviting you to join them this fall to face the blank canvas and capture life with your own hands.

The couple, who run an art studio and gallery out of the old Laura Secord school in Queenston, are hosting a three-day painting workshop from Sept. 25 to 27 for painters both aspiring and experienced.

They hope to teach participants the techniques they learned during their classical training in Florence, Italy, guiding them through work in their still life painting, portrait painting with a live model and capturing interior scenes.

Okun and Markovic started hosted these workshops this June — a few years ago, they used to hold a long-term art workshop with a single group of people, which was meant to last eight weeks but sooned became a weekly get-together that went until the end of 2025.

Then, six months later, they decided to reopen their studio, this time welcoming new people into the fold.

Since relaunching the workshops in this new format, the experience has been “wonderful,” Okun said.

“I really love that we’re meeting new people,” she said, adding that it’s been uplifting to see people who’ve previously never painted before figure out how it works and become encouraged by their progress.

“It’s just the contagion of somebody being really excited that they can actually make a bottle look like a bottle. They can express themselves that way,” she said. “That’s really inspiring to witness … and it’s certainly brought more community into our life.”

Each workshop day will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It costs $750 plus tax per person. All art materials and lunch will be provided for the three days.

To reserve a spot, contact Okun at inquiry@sharonokun.com.