Landscape Painting Class at Fishers Art Center: My Honest Review

Two weeks ago, I completed the landscape painting summer session 2026 at the Fishers Art Center with Zoe Hodgden. This is the first class I’ve taken at this location. In the past, I took Acrylic Painting - the Saturday Class with Dan Cooper at the Indy Art Center.

This review is based on my personal experience taking the Summer 2026 Landscape Painting class at the Fishers Art Center with instructor Zoe Hodgden.

Why Take a Landscape Painting Class?

Amy, you already paint landscapes; why are you taking this class? When you feel like you’ve run out of creative ideas, it’s nice to completely take the pressure off, practice your skills, and let someone else tell you what we are going to paint. Plus, you get to be around other creative people. I didn’t have to come up with any ideas; I just had to show up with my supplies and paint. 

How Much Does it Cost to Take this Class?

2026 summer session at the Fishers Art Center Class price: $376 

Cost of supplies (will vary depending on what you need): Expect to spend around $150 - $200 if you have no supplies already - you may also be able to find some deals on Amazon; I heard others talking in class about paint sets they purchased (you just need the basics, nothing fancy - see supply list below)

How Long is the Class?

7 weeks We met every Tuesday from 6:30-9:30 PM

What Skill Level Do You Need?

This is a great class for all skill levels, from complete beginners to intermediate.

Supplies for the Landscape Painting Class

When I saw the supply list, I got excited. Like many an artist, I have a serious addiction to art supplies. I want all the pretty things.

The supply list that is attached to the class on the Fishers Art Center Website is not the same supply list for the class. I learned that the list attached to the class is good for any painting class at the art center, but we received a separate supply list the first day. 

Here is the supply list we received from the instructor:

• “Paints in a wide variety of colors, heavy body preferred, but basics okay: titanium white, mars black, light yellow, medium/deep yellow, burnt Sienna, raw umber, prussian blue, ultramarine blue, cadmium red, crimson, chromium oxide green, sap green, phthalo green.
• A variety of brush shapes and sizes
• Palette paper
• Canvas boards (11x14)
• Palette knife
• Paper towels or rags/old t shirts
• Cup for water
• Apron
• High quality printed out photo references”

As far as heavy body vs basics, you are good with either; I think we all had different brands and types of acrylic paint, and we all did great with what we had.

What I Personally Used for the Class

• Golden Heavy Body Acrylics & Liquitex Basics (I've been slowly replacing my basics as I run out)
• I brought a variety shapes and sizes of the brushes I like to use.
• Palette paper
• 7-pack of canvases from Blick.
• For rags, I use cut-up old T-shirts.
• I used a pickle jar for my water cup.
• I didn’t wear an apron; I just wore clothes I didn’t mind getting paint on.
• As far as printed photos, the first few will be provided, but even for the last painting that is of your choosing, we were able to email them to Zoe to have them printed if you do not have a printer.
• Easels are provided in class as well, and you can sit or stand to paint.

Class Structure

Zoe Hodgden is the instructor for the 7-week course.

We met every Tuesday evening for three hours at the Fishers Art Center.

The class is for all levels; you can follow along step by step or work at your own pace.

Each class would start with a short lecture portion where we would look at landscape paintings from a specific artist, their techniques, composition, lighting, and brushstrokes.

The lecture portion was enjoyable, and informative. It did not take too long. I cant tell you exactly how long because I never once looked down at my watch. After the short lecture we got to the fun part of painting.

Depending on whether you follow along or move ahead, you will paint around 3-4 paintings in this class.

Painting One

For the first painting, you will be guided step by step and the reference is provided for you. The whole class paints together. If you are more experienced, you are free to work ahead; you will still receive feedback and instruction based on where you are with your painting.

There are so many ways to paint; everyone has their own techniques. Some start with the darkest shades, some with mid tones. In this class, you focus on painting from your darkest colors to your lightest. This was a shift for me, and it was difficult at first. But I wanted to stay open to the process; it’s why I signed up after all. That was ultimately the main struggle I had with this first painting, and because it wasn’t a style I was used to, I didn’t trust myself to work ahead.

I did overthink things a little and in the end, I did not like this first painting, and my confidence was a little shaken.

Painting one took us about four classes to complete. I was not happy with the quality of my work on this one. So once I was done with the class, I reworked it at home and am much happier with it.

Painting One Progress Class 4

Painting One Edited at Home After Class 7

Painting Two

This one we chose as a class. Zoe had some references she pulled up and let us choose; we could do one similar to the last one, a sunset on water, or push things to the next level.

We chose to push our skills. I loved this painting.

When we started this one, I gave myself an internal pep talk and reminder that I already know how to paint landscapes and that this is just a different style. So I allowed myself to work ahead.

I felt way more confident here when I trusted myself to make the right decisions. There really are no wrong decisions when painting; you can just paint over it if you don’t like it.

The great thing is that Zoe will show the class the next step for the painting and then go around the class to each individual to give feedback and instruction. So you can work at your own pace and still get the instruction you need, no matter where you are in the process of the painting.

Completed During Class 4, 5 & 6

Painting Three

For this painting, we were to bring our own reference in. I found a couple of images on Pexels for this one.

I really wanted to paint a beach, but I wanted to see how painting darkest to lightest would work with my personal process.

I prepped my canvas with black gesso, and I wasn’t sure how starting with the darkest colors would work since many times really dark colors disappear on a black canvas, but my mixes worked out well.

Completed During Classes 6 & 7 ( I worked on this at home outside of class too)

Painting Four

I started this painting on the last day of class after I finished up the space beach painting.

Again, I found a cool reference photo on Pexels, and used Photoshop to make some changes to the composition.

With this painting, I worked darkest to lightest and finished it up last weekend. I really had a lot of fun with this one. I love painting rocks and water!

Final Painting Started at Class 7 and finished at home

Would I Recommend this Class?

Yes 100%! Anyone at any level can take this class.

It’s a great way to paint without any pressure. For a lot of us, it’s hard to make time to create, and when you take a class, you have a dedicated time for creativity. It’s important to carve that out for yourself. It’s also great to be in a class with other people who just want to paint.

Everyone is at all different experience levels. I know it can be intimidating taking a class, but if you’ve ever considered it, please do yourself a favor and just do it. No one is going to judge you, we are all there to learn.

What I Didn’t Like

I feel like it wouldn't be an honest review if I didn't share anything "bad". So here are the things that I didn’t love so much about the Summer 2026 session of Landscape Painting at the Fisher’s Art Center.

These are NOT issues with the actual class or instruction. I really have no complaints about that.

One thing I didn’t love, and it’s only a personal preference, but some of the music played was hard for me; most was fine. A lot of 60s music was played. I like only a few songs from the 60s; most of it I do not enjoy. I did enjoy more of the 70s and 80s when that came on, but that’s the stuff I grew up with. Also I should say that Zoe did say at the beginning of class that if having the music on bothered us to let her know (but I'm not about to ruin it for the rest of the class and make everyone listen to something else because I know others did enjoy it). 

Side Tangent About Why I Don’t Enjoy 60s Music: When I was in college, I worked for a western show apparel company. I was new and just starting as a cutter, so I had no say in what music was on in the workroom. I worked in there with the owner and a couple of older women, and they listened to 60s soft rock ALL DAY! I do like some of the psychedelic 60s.  But there was some music that came on in class where I was like, UGH I HATE THIS SONG SO MUCH!! On the inside of course. I mean, that’s gonna happen in any genre, but you know when it just brings back memories of feeling trapped at work.

Okay, now back to what I didn’t like so much…

• The time - the class was 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm; it was the only time available for the summer session. I would have preferred something earlier in the day; I didn’t like getting home close to 10 pm.
• Summer concerts were happening at the same time as class - the downside to this was needing to leave earlier during rush hour to find parking, and the music that was playing at the concerts was sometimes distracting and made it so we had to turn off the music in class a couple of times because we couldn’t hear it.
• It would have been good to have the actual class supply list in advance
• I had emailed the Fishers Art Center asking where they recommend parking a week before class started since I had never been there before, but never received a message back. So that added a little anxiety to day one. Obviously, there are other things I could have done to get this information, like drive by and check out the parking situation ahead of time. - There is a small lot next to the Art Center, if that is full there is a parking garage, make sure you look at the signs in the garage as many spots are reserved for residents.

I really don’t want to complain because it was a great class, and my issues are personal issues. They are not related to what you learn and what you will gain from taking this class.

I Highly Recommend This Class for anyone interested in painting landscape paintings with acrylics.