Andrew and Laura McCain Art Gallery

Drawing with Stephen Hutchings
2026-02-07 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-02-21 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-07 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Halifax)

Drawing with Stephen Hutchings
2026-02-07 13:30 - 15:30, 2026-02-21 13:30 - 15:30, 2026-03-07 13:30 - 15:30 | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick

6 Week Wheel Course with Jenna Ross
2026-02-08 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-08 18:00 - 21:00, 2026-02-15 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-15 18:00 - 21:00, 2026-02-22 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-22 18:00 - 21:00 | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick

6 Week Handbuilding Course with Jenna Ross
2026-02-11 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-11 18:00 - 21:00, 2026-02-18 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-02-18 18:00 - 21:00

Sarah Petite, The Line is the Canon
2026-02-14 - 2026-03-21
“In 2015, for the second time in my long practice, I became impatient with the eternal rectangle. I began experimenting with shapes, cut from plywood and intruded with meandering jigsaw ‘lines’. Everything the jigsaw does is like a line that can’t ever be erased. It’s the given, the canon. The paint has to answer to it.

A shape in my head becomes a sketch, becomes a plywood cutout, becomes a photograph, becomes a more precise sketch, printed out, for plotting the painting – which sometimes takes a few days before I pounce. Gazing at the beautiful shape. The paint – its colours, how it is applied, how its expression responds to the shape, is the project.
It’s true, my paintings are about encaustic paint, they reflect my fascination with its virtuosity, and the beauty and richness to be found in its effects. The process itself is what has kept me loyal to this medium for many years.” Sarah Petite
For a YouTube introduction to Sarah, Click Here
Born Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Sarah grew up near Boston and then settled in Canada, receiving Canadian citizenship in 1971. Sarah attended the Nova Scotia College of Art And Design, graduating with a BFA in Painting and in 1985 she studied Art History (early Christian, 12th century European, 16th century Italian architecture), at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. Sarah is represented at Gallery on Queen, Fredericton and is in major public and private collections in Canada. Having lived in various parts of Canada, Singapore, Italy, and England, she currently splits her time between Port Maitland, Nova Scotia and Fredericton NB.
Sarah began encaustic painting, and was largely self-taught. She won the Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship Award from the Sheila Hugh MacKay Foundation in 2022 for her encaustic work. As part of its mandate to promote the visual arts in New Brunswick, the SHMF recognises the accomplishments of mid-career New Brunswick artists who are engaged in the exploration and deepening of their creative endeavour. The jury was convinced by the accomplishments and perseverance Sarah demonstrates in discovering new directions through considered engagement with her materials and process, revealing a practice that contributes to and is in discourse with modernist painting traditions.
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“With encaustic, ‘hot’, or melted, means ‘wet’. Beeswax and pigment are combined in a small can (tomato paste, actually), melted down and dipped into. I use natural-bristle brushes whose long handles have been sawn off, to allow them to stand ready in the paint without tipping the can over. The paint stays ‘wet’ for about ten seconds, after which I must dip again, or may begin to cut and sculpt, using a variety of tools. The heat gun allows me to re-melt the paint right on the panel, making for textural enhancements like troweling, stippling or puddling”. Sarah Petite

2 Hour Intro to Wheel with Jenna Ross
2026-02-21
Learn the basics of “throwing” pottery on the wheel in this 2 hour session. Come ready to be messy, have fun, embrace imperfection, and enjoy the challenge of taming a spinning blob of clay! This one-time session is perfect for absolute beginners or those who have tried it in the past and want a refresher.
For participants who would like to keep their creation: this class includes one finished piece per student (which will be fired & receive a clear glaze coat + second firing, for pickup at a later date). Students can choose to keep additional pieces for a cost of $10/piece.
Course Details:

Saturday February 21, 10am-12pm
Saturday February 21, 1pm-3pm

Location: River Arts Centre,8746 Main St, Florenceville-Bristol
To Register: info@mccainartgallery.com or 506-392-6769
NO REFUNDS ON CANCELLATIONS WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF WORKSHOP!!!
LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE!!!

Clay Drop-in: Intermediate
2026-02-26 18:00 - 20:00 | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick

Creating a Body of Work: Workshop for Artists
2026-02-28 10:00 - 16:00 | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
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Whether you are working in clay or paint, making drawings or taking photographs, how do you create a series of images or objects that successfully form a “body of work”?
Join artist Stephen Hutchings for this full-day workshop where you will be led through a discussion of content, themes, and graphic elements that are used to help make art and craft-work more unified.
You are encouraged to bring in some of your own works so that the concepts and discussions can be relevant to what you are currently working on.
When: Saturday, February 28 from 10AM-4PM
Where: River Art Centre, Upstairs: 8746 Main St, Florenceville-Bristol
Cost: $40
To register or for questions:
(506) 392-6769 or info@mccainartgallery.com

Raku Make-it Day
2026-02-28 12:00 - 16:00
Join Jenna for a handbuilding session where you will be led through making pots using Raku clay! You will leave having completed a minimum of 3 pots which prepares you to sign up for the Raku firing this summer!
If you wish to make more pots for the Raku firing, you can attend any clay drop-in until April 30th and ask for Raku Clay (drop-in pricing applies).
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Date: Saturday, February 28 2026
Time: 12pm-4pm
Location: River Art Centre, 8746 Main St, Florenceville Bristol
Cost: $40

To register: info@mccainartgallery.com or (506) 393-6769

*Important note: The raku firing workshop is separate: June 13, 9AM-5PM, $60.
Raku Firing Day Details

2.0 6-Week Wheel Course
2026-03-02 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-03-04 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-03-09 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-03-11 14:00 - 17:00, 2026-03-16 14:00 - 17:00

Clay Drop-in: Newbie
2026-03-05 18:00 - 20:00

Encaustic Painting Workshop - Children & Youth
2026-03-07 09:00 - 12:00

Encaustic Painting Workshop - Adults
2026-03-07 13:00 - 16:00

Intro to Linocut Printmaking Part I
2026-03-14 13:00 - 16:00 | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
