Attached is your Registration Brochure for this Spring’s NFWS Workshop with Chris Leeper, “Paint yourself here! Chris Leeper will show you the way.” At the Castiglia Center on the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora, New York from Tuesday, May 19 through Friday, May 22, 2026
The fee for NFWS Members is $310, for non-Members it is $340. Time to sign up!!
Spring 2026 Registration Brochure
Chris teaches with a fun and relaxed style. Each day there will be demonstrations and lots of one-on- one instruction. He will have some reference photos available to paint. Participants are also welcome to bring their own photos,
“Why do I paint?” That thought occurs to me occasionally. My answer is not particularly enlightening. I paint because I have to. It is what I do. It seems it has always been that way. Growing up in rural western Pennsylvania left an impression on my sense of how I look at the world. It seems as far back as I can remember I have had an excitement and a need to respond when confronted with a sublime landscape.
My muse is the light. Iam always looking for that moment when light, shadow, and form al come together. I enjoy representation; however I will often alter a painting as it develops. For me, the act of painting is one of discovery and possibility, thus my paintings are usually more distillations than true representations.
So, Ipaint. The wonder and blessing of it is that after 40 years or so, Iam still excited, inspired, and curious. That is a gift.
Dates and times: Tuesday, May 19 through Friday, May 22, 2026, 9:30 – 4 pm
Location: Castiglia Center on the Roycroft Campus, 21 South Grove St., East Aurora, NY 14052
Fee: Members: $310 Non-Members: $340 (see application for details)
About the Artist:
Christopher Leeper is a realist painter and workshop instructor painting in all mediums. His award-winning work has been shown in solo and juried exhibitions throughout the country. He has illustrated four children’s books and has written and illustrated the book, Realism in Watermedia, (North Light). His work has also been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, Plein Air Magazine, Watercolor Magic and Ohio Magazine and in the book Splash 14 (North Light). In 2021, he was a finalist in the Plein Air Magazine Salon and was featured in the Aug./Sept. 2021 issue of the magazine. He participates frequently in national juried and invitational plein air events such as Wayne, Easton, Door County, Cape Ann and En Plein Air Texas. He is a consistent award winner. He graduated from Youngstown State University in 1988 with a BFA degree in graphic design. He was a member of the YSU adjunct faculty for 22 years. He is past president of the Ohio Watercolor Society and is a signature member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society and the Oil Painters of America. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Plein Air Society and the Cliffside Artists Collaborative, Hinckley, Ohio. Since 2000, he has painted and taught full-time from his studio in Canfield, Ohio. https://www.christopherleeper.com