Northwind Art School opens spring classes

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 21, 2026

PORT TOWNSEND — Mary Black, an accomplished artist who makes clothes and mixed media artwork, had never taught a class before last December.

She taught herself a lot of things, though, including how to construct pająki (pronounced pah-yonkey), Polish mobiles made from natural materials.

In the interest of expanding her skills and having some seasonal fun, Black took the plunge and led a “Make a Pająk Mobile” workshop at the nonprofit Northwind Art School on Dec. 9.

“I was pretty nervous — but I was very prepared. I didn’t just wing it,” she recalled.

“The group of students were just so enthusiastic about being there. They made it such a fun experience. I felt good about being helpful when they hit roadblocks, and everyone was talking to each other and collaborating. It felt like we were creating together,” Black said.

This spring, she decided to teach again: March 28 will be the day for the next “Make a Pająk Mobile” class, one of more than 60 offerings at Northwind in the new season.

Information and registration are available at NorthwindArt.org for the classes offered by the school.

“It’s unlimited what you can do,” Black said of her pajaki-making session. In her December class, there were no two pająki that were even close to being similar — “everyone made something truly unique,” she said.

“That applies to each one of our classes,” Northwind Art spokesperson Diane Urbani added.

“Our mission, whether it’s a short afternoon workshop or a six-week course, is to help each person develop their innate style. Our teaching artists guide people as they learn new skills, such as watercolor painting or printmaking, but they also help each one make their artwork their own,” she added.

Classes this month include “Art Journaling for Self-Care” with Meg Kaczyk of Port Townsend on March 24 and Japanese Calligraphy with Chiyo Sanada of Olympia on March 29. Northwind also will offer Aging Creatively, a free art workshop series for people with memory loss and their caregivers, on March 31.

Next month, credentialed Intentional Creativity instructor Jan Jorgensen will teach a “Mini Altar Boxes” workshop on April 2; David Repyak of Bainbridge Island will start a series on watercolor and the Pacific Northwest, and Erika Wurm of Port Townsend will offer Intro to Mixed Media in 3-D on April 24. Wayne Jiang, a popular teacher from Portland, Ore., will return to Northwind Art to teach “Explore Color Harmony” the weekend of April 25-26.

On May 4, Anne Pfeiffer of Sequim will offer a four-session workshop, “Drawing Portraits: A Progressive Approach.” On Mothers Day weekend, May 9 and 10, Seattle teaching artist Charles Spitzack will guide a woodcut printmaking workshop and print exchange, while Kaczyk will teach “Pacific Northwest Abstract,” a painting class with Fort Worden State Park’s woods and sea as its setting.

Northwind Art’s Jewelry Studio, also part of its Fort Worden campus, has six workshops in its spring-summer lineup. Madison Barnett of Port Angeles will teach “Introduction to Sand-Cast Jewelry” on April 18.

Then comes “Introduction to Silversmithing: Making a Simple Ring,” a one-day standalone class offered on April 26, May 24, June 28 and July 26. These are taught by Sarah Calautti of Port Townsend, who also will guide a six-session “Jewelry Fabrication I” course on Thursday evenings starting May 21.

“Classes in weaving in cedar bark and willow, as well as a ‘Painting Pets’ class and a ‘Drawing Animals’ workshop are also coming this spring,” Urbani said.

“Whether you’re an experienced artist or someone who wants to dip your toe in, the school’s doors are open.”