Fun and Fearless Fridays: Watercolor, Pencils, Pastels & More with Lois Bender

Fun and Fearless Fridays: Watercolor, Pencils, Pastels & More with Lois Bender

Adult Classes | Available

200 Port Washington Blvd. Manhasset, NY 11030 United States
Indoor/Outdoor
All Levels
11/13/2026-12/11/2026
10:00 AM-1:00 PM on Fri
$265.00 USD
$230.00 USD

Fun and Fearless Fridays: Watercolor, Pencils, Pastels & More with Lois Bender

Adult Classes | Available

Fun & Fearless Fridays: Watercolor, Pencils, Pastels & More!

Explore, Experiment & Create—No Experience Necessary!

Who says making art has to be intimidating? Give yourself permission to play, experiment, and discover your creative side in this fun, relaxed series designed for beginners and anyone looking for a little creative escape.

Watercolor is just the beginning! You'll explore a variety of materials and techniques, including watercolor pencils, crayons, oil pastels, wax resist, salt textures, and colorful collage. Each Friday introduces a new project with step-by-step guidance, plenty of encouragement, and room to make it your own.

There's no pressure to be perfect, no need to know how to draw, and no unfinished projects to worry about. Every class is a fresh creative adventure, and you'll leave with a completed piece of artwork to take home!

Come on your own, bring a friend, and feel free to bring your lunch. It's three hours of creative fun, discovery, and a little time just for yourself.

Four Fridays, Four Creative Adventures

November 13 — Caribbean Vacation Dreaming

Escape to the tropics with a colorful seascape! Learn basic watercolor techniques while experimenting with watercolor crayons and salt to create beautiful textures and effects.

November 20 — Autumn Leaves

Celebrate the colors and shapes of fall! Use real leaves as inspiration while exploring wet-on-wet watercolor and wax-crayon resist techniques.

December 4 — Playing with Color

Discover the joy of color, patterns, and collage! Create vibrant compositions using watercolor grids inspired by Paul Klee, playful plaid patterns, tissue paper, and acrylic gel medium.

December 11 — Holiday Celebrations

Get festive with dazzling New Year's Eve fireworks or whimsical holiday food-inspired artwork! Experiment with watercolor and wax or oil pastel resist techniques to create colorful holiday-inspired pieces.

Class Details

Fridays, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
November 13, November 20, December 4 & December 11

All levels welcome—especially beginners!
No previous art experience or drawing skills required. Just bring your curiosity and a willingness to try something new.

Feel free to bring your lunch!

  • Enrollment: Classes are confirmed one week before the start date and may be canceled due to low enrollment.
  • Late Registration: Students may join an ongoing session when space is available. Contact us for adjusted tuition.
  • Policies: Please review our
  • make-up, refund, and enrollment policies.
  • Supplies with be provided

Bender, Lois
Lois Bender

Lois Bender has an extensive background in drawing and painting flowers in watercolor. She teaches floral painting in various venues in New York (The Salmagundi Club) and the Hamptons (Baker House 1650), etc. Lois' current art practice featuring garden and nature themes started in 1996 with her retail design brand "TeaQuotes & GardenSpirits." which grew out of her art direction career in the gift industry for the Godiva Chocolates Brand. Celebrating the healing and aesthetic beauty of gardens, her brand sold art, stationery and textiles to gift shops nationally and internationally. This success led also to becoming a product designer for the NY Botanical Garden Gift Shop.

Lois' love of flowers is inspired by her mother Flora Bloom, and nana Hortense Bloom (from hortis, garden in Latin), both garden lovers! She attended Carnegie- Mellon University, graduating from Hunter College (BA) and Boston University (MFA). Lois' art practice continues today as "GardenSpiritsNY" primarily in painting and printmaking mediums and exhibits her work at various venues in metro New York and the Hamptons.


additional samples of Lois Benders work can be seen at https://www.gardenspiritsny.com