About Us
Welcome to Island Girl Art Studio & Gallery.
We are located on beautiful Vancouver Island in the heart of Departure Bay.
We offer weekly art classes in watercolor, drawing, acrylics, and mixed media for ages 16 and up .
No experience is required and your supplies are included
*( check course descriptions for exceptions).
Check out our One Day workshops on weekends, corporate team building events, private Paint Nights and so much more, including our Art, Culture & Culinary Tours to Florence.
An Art Gallery right inside the studio!
Art Show Opening: Friday, Oct. 3. 2025
6:30 - 8:30 pm
' West Coast Landscapes: BIG Water + BIG Sky '
Small to medium sized works in watercolor and acrylics
by Penny Maday Ciochetti.
Penny spends the summer travelling up and down Vancouver Island painting on location and capturing the colors, light and impressions of this magical place.
PLEASE NOTE: Parking is limited at the gallery - please consider parking at Departure Bay Beach and taking the short walk up to the studio or consider car- sharing.
Go to the 'more' tab to find pages with information about upcoming Art shows and events
Located in Nanaimo, BC, Island Girl Art Studio offers fine art courses for the curious newbie to the emerging professional artist.
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With an emphasis on creativity and freedom of expression, Penny Maday Ciochetti guides students through Drawing, Watercolor, Acrylics and more.
Penny has over 40 years experience teaching children and adults in Canada and Europe and is a professional artist who has had her work in shows in European cities such as Berlin, Florence, Rome and across Canada.
Her artist website is PennyMadayCiochetti.com and you can follow her on Instagram @Align.Flow.Create
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to know how to draw to take a Painting class?
No, you do not have to know how to draw to take the Acrylics or the Watercolor classes I offer
as I teach you how to use a reference image or photo and how to enlarge it using a grid. This
technique has been around for centuries and used by all the great Masters!
If you know how to draw already, that's a bonus as you can use your sketches to complete
paintings or develop ideas/compositions - but not knowing how to draw won't hold you back
when you are just learning to paint!
Do I have to bring any art supplies or materials to class?
All materials and supplies are included in my classes. If you have supplies/materials - or brushes for example, that you love and use at home, feel free to bring them along, but it's not necessary. For example, in the Acrylics class - an assortment of canvases are provided for students to use ( whatever happens to be in the studio that day (up to a maximum size of
16 X 20 ''). But if you wish to create a large piece, then just bring this canvas to class with you.
All the paints, brushes, mediums and materials for painting are available for student use in the studio.
In the watercolor class, all materials are also included and in the Drawing class, students are given a supply list at the first class and should bring a 9X 12'' drawing sketchbook with them.
Should I register for a Beginner's class if I have painted before but don't feel very
accomplished or have been away from painting for a while?
If you have painted in watercolor or acrylics before, but feel like you need more instruction or you
can't complete a painting you are satisfied with -from start to finish, then I recommend taking the Beginners class to get going again!
What do we paint in the Acrylics class, does everyone do the same thing?
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From the very first class, I want students to paint what they are interested in or what they
love. Of course, this does depend on your experience and comfort level, but almost any subject
can be tackled. We don't paint portraits, figures, and abstracts in the beginners class, but after
you have taken that you are better prepared to move on to more advanced projects.
What is different about your watercolor classes?
I teach transparent, modern watercolor with lots of room to make mistakes, break the rules and I teach students how to embrace and fix mistakes, so you can be fearlessly creative. This approach makes students confident and gain mastery of the medium, so they can create the art they want.
I have been fortunate to have studied and learned from some of the best teachers in North America and Europe and they all have one thing in common they experiment and are constantly learning and perfecting their skills ! I paint in watercolor almost every day, either in a sketchbook or on paintings and although I work in a long list of other mediums (photography, printmaking, acrylics, encaustic, Italian limestone fresco to name a few) - watercolor is a passion!
Students learn how to jump right in and to build on their technique, color, composition, skills and creativity as they go along. So many people are very intimidated by watercolor, but really it's a lot of fun and very relaxing! The range of this medium is absolutely endless and can produce beautiful artwork right from the start, even if you've never painted with it before.