One-Day In-Person Class in Sarasota

Among the Stars

with Hayley Anderson

A whole day away from the feed, opening a flat canvas into something that feels like real distance.

September 27, 2026
11am to 3pm
$100

Only 10 seats. Every supply included. All levels welcome.

What you'll paint

You'll leave with this

One day, one finished piece. You start with a blank canvas and walk out carrying your own painting.

Among the Stars painting

Among the Stars by Hayley Anderson. Yours won't look like this one, and that's the whole idea.

What the day is actually like

You'll forget to check your phone

Depth is six decisions stacked on each other: color, value, scale, detail, layering, and placement. Hayley takes you through them in order, and the moment the canvas stops being flat is usually audible, because somebody says so.

Four hours is longer than it sounds. It's long enough that your phone ends up face down somewhere behind you, and long enough that you stop narrating what you're doing and just do it. Most people book for the painting and leave talking about the day.

You'll be at an easel with nine other people, none of whom need anything from you. Nobody's checking the news at your table, and there's no feed to scroll because your hands are covered in paint. The only decision you owe anyone for the next few hours is what color goes down next.

And it'll be yours. You're taught the actual principle, then you make your own calls, with a professional artist behind you catching the ones that would have cost you the painting. Ten easels, ten different canvases, every time. Nobody goes home carrying a copy of the instructor's picture.

Inside the room

This is what you're walking into

Real classes at the gallery, and real people holding what they made that day. These are from other classes, in the same room, at the same easels you'll be using.

The studio on South Palm Ave, downtown Sarasota.
The studio on South Palm Ave, downtown Sarasota.
Mid-class, somewhere in the afternoon.
Mid-class, somewhere in the afternoon.
Working from a reference at the easel.
Working from a reference at the easel.
Three students with what they finished that day.
Three students with what they finished that day.
The end of a portrait class.
The end of a portrait class.

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What you'll learn

The techniques you'll take home

You keep these. They're what make the next painting easier, the one you do at home on your own kitchen table.

01
Layer for distance

Establish separate levels of depth so some forms sit close and others fall away.

02
Scale and placement

Learn how size and where you put something changes how far away it reads.

03
Push and recede

Use color and value to bring elements forward or drop them back into the dark.

04
Focal point in vastness

Give the eye somewhere to land without killing the sense of open space.

No shopping list

Everything is included

All art suppliesPaint, surface, tools. It's on the table when you arrive.
Painting sourcesReferences and setups, ready to go.
Live instructionA working artist teaching at the front all day.
A room of 10Small enough that you actually get helped.

Just bring yourself. Wear something you don't mind getting paint on.

Who teaches it

Your instructor

Hayley Anderson

Hayley Anderson

All Levels welcome

Hayley Anderson, who paints as Bopa, is a professional artist working from her studio in Northumberland, England, and a graduate of the Mastery Program. She combines realism with abstract elements in mixed media, using iridescent pigments, 3D texture, and mica powders, and takes all her inspiration from the natural world.

The details

When and where

Your class

Date: September 27, 2026
Time: 11am to 3pm ET
Instructor: Hayley Anderson
Level: All Levels
Seats: 10 total

The studio

Milan Art Gallery
72 S Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236
Open in Google Maps

Doors open a few minutes early so you can settle in.

Two ways to do this

Take this one, or take all four

Hayley teaches four classes this September, each built around a different problem. Book them together and the fourth is free.

This class

Among the Stars

Sunday, September 27, 11am to 3pm

$100

  • One day, one finished piece
  • Every art supply included
  • A room of 10
Reserve This Seat
One free

All four with Hayley

The whole run

Sep 21, Sep 24, Sep 27 and Oct 1, 11am to 3pm each

$400 $300

  • Four days, four finished pieces
  • Every art supply, all four days
  • A seat held in each one
  • Plus Into the Forest, Beneath the Waves and Chasing the Light
Get All Four for $300

One day, ten seats

Give yourself September 27

Block out the day, leave your phone in your bag, and come make something. Beginners are genuinely welcome, most of the room has never taken a class with us, and everyone goes home with a painting they want on a wall.

$100

10 seats total. All supplies included.

Before you book

Common questions

Do I need to bring anything?

No. Every art supply, the surface, and the painting sources are provided. Just wear something you don't mind getting paint on.

I've never painted before. Is this class for me?

Yes. Most people in the room have never taken a class with us before, and the instructor walks you through every step.

Where exactly is the class?

At Milan Art Gallery, 72 S Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236, in downtown Sarasota. Doors open a few minutes before 11am.

How many people are in the class?

Ten. It's kept small on purpose so the instructor can actually get to everyone.

I'm not really a creative person. Will I be out of my depth?

This comes up more than any other question, and the honest answer is that the people who say it tend to leave with the pieces everyone crowds around. You're being taught a method you can follow step by step. If you can follow along for a day, you'll finish a painting.

Won't I be the worst one in the room?

Somebody has to be, and it genuinely doesn't matter, because nobody is comparing. Everyone is deep in their own canvas by the second hour. The classes are all levels on purpose, and most of the room is doing this for the first time.

What if I can't make it?

All sales for in-person events are final, and seats can't be transferred to another date. If something comes up, email info@milanart.com.

In-Person Experience Refund and Cancellation Policy

All sales for in-person events, including workshops, retreats, intensives, and other experiences, are final. We do not offer refunds or credit for cancellations or no-shows. Funds cannot be transferred to another event. By registering for any in-person event, you're agreeing to this policy and helping us keep every event well prepared for everyone.