Medium: Oil or acrylic (Joyful will work in oil)
Level: All levels welcome
Class Dates: Wednesdays, August 12-26, 2026
Class Times:
• 10:00 am-12:30 pm Pacific Time
• 1:00 pm-3:30 pm Eastern Time
• 6:00 pm-8:30 pm UK Time
Explore the luminous world beneath the ocean’s surface in this three-week live online oil painting workshop with artist Joyful Ward. Using a sea turtle gliding through sunlit tropical waters as a vehicle for studying light, color, depth, and movement underwater, you’ll learn how to simplify and abstract water, capture atmosphere and motion, and create a convincing sense of space beneath the surface. Through live demonstrations and guided assignments, we’ll explore underwater light and color, reflected and refracted light, caustic patterns, underwater perspective, color mixing, and techniques for integrating wildlife naturally into its environment. You’ll also discover how glazing, impasto, palette knife work, and expressive brushwork can create paintings rich in luminosity, texture, and movement. Suitable for all skill levels, this workshop emphasizes observation, interpretation, and the techniques that bring underwater scenes to life.
In stock
$225.00
Joyful Ward (b. 1987) is a Pacific Northwest-based marine wildlife artist whose deep love for the ocean was ignited in childhood and reawakened after a near-death experience at age 22, during which she dreamed of swimming with whales — a vision she believes called her back to life and to her art. Holding both a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts in Studio Art and Painting, she creates richly expressive oil paintings that blend palette knife and brushwork to capture the movement, light, and atmosphere of the underwater world. A certified scuba diver, Joyful draws from firsthand experience beneath the surface and collaborates with marine biologists and conservationists to authentically portray her subjects. Her paintings are intended as portals of peace — visual sanctuaries that invite viewers into the beauty of the underwater world, offering relief from anxiety and a place of stillness and wonder. Her work has earned international recognition, including the Marine Artist of the Year award at the 42nd Schaeffer International Marine Art Exhibition at the Newport Sailing Museum, a Stobart Foundation grant funding an expedition to swim with and paint Humpback Whales in Tonga, an Artist-in-Residency grant from the Mystic Seaport Museum, and membership in the American Society of Marine Artists, the Society of Animal Artists, and the Oil Painters of America.
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