Give your group four unhurried hours at the easel with a studio drawing and oil painting class, a team building painting activity rooted in classical atelier training in the San Jose and Bay Area region. In a well equipped studio in Saratoga, guests refine their skills in drawing and alla prima painting with an expert instructor.
The class runs four hours and is priced at $100 per guest for private groups of 6 to 10 guests. All skill levels are welcome. The course suits anyone who wants guidance and useful techniques for their practice, whether they are coming back to art after years away or pushing a personal project further.
What's Included
- Four hours of instruction and studio time for your private group
- A studio
Give your group four unhurried hours at the easel with a studio drawing and oil painting class, a team building painting activity rooted in classical atelier training in the San Jose and Bay Area region. In a well equipped studio in Saratoga, guests refine their skills in drawing and alla prima painting with an expert instructor.
The class runs four hours and is priced at $100 per guest for private groups of 6 to 10 guests. All skill levels are welcome. The course suits anyone who wants guidance and useful techniques for their practice, whether they are coming back to art after years away or pushing a personal project further.
What's Included
- Four hours of instruction and studio time for your private group
- A studio well equipped with easels and good lighting
- Some materials provided, plus advice from the instructor in advance on what to bring
- The model fee whenever the group works from life
- An alla prima painting from still life or a model
- Drawing in graphite, charcoal, chalk, pastels and sanded papers
What You Will Work On
This immersive class covers everything from personal projects to life drawing and painting with a model. You will work with graphite, charcoal and chalk, as well as pastels and sanded papers, and the session also includes an alla prima painting from still life or a model. There is room to work through passion projects with your instructor while picking up new skills.
Before the class, the instructor contacts your group so everyone knows what materials to bring. Some materials are provided and the studio supplies easels and good lighting, so guests can focus on looking and drawing instead of setting up.
Why It Works for Groups
Four hours is long enough for real progress, which makes this one of the more substantial creative team bonding activities a team can book. Colleagues trade the screen for charcoal and paint, work side by side and watch each other's skills grow over a single session. With 6 to 10 guests it is one of the calmer indoor team building activities for small groups, and it slots easily into staff retreat team building activities when people need time to recharge.
The class is a fit for a team building activity, a Christmas party, a birthday or a bachelorette party. For holiday team building it gives people something calm and absorbing to do together, and it ranks among the more focused fun team building activities for adults who enjoy learning a craft. It is also a good way to connect with other artists and the local art community.
About the Atelier and Your Instructor
The studio is a small, neatly organized atelier in Historic Saratoga Village, tucked behind the shops on the main downtown street, with walls lined with artwork. It is set up for drawing and oil painting, with easels and good lighting. Your instructor is a realist painter and draftsman who pursued private atelier studies from the mid 1990s in Seattle, Santa Fe, France, Norway and New York City, and who has fifteen years of continuous experience teaching in his own studio.
Most of the studio's students are teens preparing for college and art school, and many students have worked there in small groups for several years at a time. Adults and groups take classes and workshops throughout the year, and the studio also hosts visiting instructors for intensive weekend workshops. In 2025 a museum exhibition in Santa Clara featured 27 of the instructor's original works alongside work by more than 30 current and alumni students. The teaching formula is simple: an ideal studio environment, expert instruction by lecture and demonstration, and a healthy amount of personal space and freedom to work.
What Past Guests Say
One guest described the instructor as an amazing teacher who was very thorough in walking them through his general painting process, said they learned a lot and planned to come back for another lesson.
How the Session Runs
- Hear from the instructor ahead of time about materials
- Arrive at the studio and set up at an easel under good lighting
- Draw in graphite, charcoal, chalk or pastel on sanded papers
- Paint an alla prima study from still life or a model
- Get guidance on personal projects and new techniques along the way
Good to Know
- All skill levels are welcome
- Bring water and food if needed
- Some materials are provided; ask the instructor for advice on the rest
- The model fee is included when the group works from life
- Private groups range from 6 to 10 guests
Plan Your Studio Class
Share your preferred date and group size to check availability. At $100 per guest for four hours of instruction, with easels, lighting and some materials provided, this class gives your group a full studio session of classical drawing and painting.
