Penny Redmon Workshop

Needle Felting a Landscape
with Marti Swanson

Friday, January 23, 2026 | 10:30AM - 12:30PM & 1:30PM - 4:30PM

With 1 Hour Lunch Break

$25 Supply Fee - Members Only

All Supplies Included

Class Information:

Painting with wool! In this 5-hour workshop students learn the basics of 2-d needle felting while creating their own original landscape. We will be making mini 6”x6” landscapes using a variety of wool types, silk, nepps and other embellishments. Bring a couple of photos for inspiration. You will be amazed at the results!

This is a 5-hour class. We will take a short break in the middle. Feel free to bring a snack and drink. Supplies are provided. No experience needed. Curiosity is encouraged.

About the Instructor:

Marti Swanson is an award-winning artisan known for her work in a variety of tactile mediums. She discovered felting and fiber arts, which allowed her to combine her passions for sculpting, color, and the tactile nature of creating with fiber. Swanson is continually inspired by the process of learning and experimenting. Her teaching philosophy centers on exploring and discovering through fun, and she finds her greatest reward in seeing her students succeed as they challenge themselves.

About the Penny Redmon Visiting Lecture Series

Established by Mary Evelyn Atkinson in 2016 The Penny Redmon Visiting lecturer Fund promotes artistic excellence in adult learners.  Visiting lecturers put forth a lecture and then a lesson plan featuring innovative art techniques, methodologies and use of atypical materials to create art.  Since 2016 the Fund has brought a total of 11 artists from different parts of the United States to teach non-traditional, new artistic techniques.  Workshops and lectures are offered free to members of the Rockport center for the Arts.   Through The Penny Redmon Fund, Rockport Center for the Arts maintains Rockport’s long-standing tradition of artist mentoring and the promotion of excellence. Atkinson was Rockport Art Festival Master Artist in 1998.

Let’s Paint a Whooping Crane      

with Greta Watkins

January 16th, 2026 | 1 pM - 4 PM

204 S Austin Street in Rockport, Texas.

$65 for Members, $115 for Nonmembers

Class description: Goals:

This painting session is designed to be fun!

Paint along with me as l walk you through all the steps to create the featured painting.

You’ll learn things about painting in acrylic, like some basics about mixing colors and using different brushes.

All supplies included.

Cookie Decorating -

Snowflakes and Christmas Ornaments

with Jennifer Bartos

Saturday, December 6th | 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM

204 S Austin St Rockport, TX

$50 For Members, $100 For Nonmembers

Class Information:

Celebrate the season with beautifully decorated sugar cookies.  During this hands-on workshop, Jennifer will guide you through the art of decorating sugar cookies with royal icing.

All cookies will be pre-baked and the royal icing freshly prepared, so students can focus on learning techniques for outlining, flooding, and adding beautiful details. You’ll discover that cookie decorating is easier than it looks when techniques a broken down into step-by-step instructions.

No decorating experience is required—just bring your creativity and get ready for a sweet time! At the end of the class, you’ll take home the cookies that you decorated yourself—perfect to share with friends and family or keep as a festive treat.

About the Instructor:

From a young age, Jennifer was inspired by her mom's culinary talents, which sparked her passion for the culinary and sugar arts. After pursuing a traditional career in financial services, Jennifer followed her long-time dream and attended culinary school. Upon graduation, she convinced her husband, Randy, to join her in launching Make It Sweet, a retail cake supply store in Austin, TX.  Over 22 years, the duo grew it into one of the largest specialty baking and decorating stores and sugar arts classrooms in the country and Jennifer taught countless students from hobbyists to aspiring professionals. Jennifer has competed in five Food Network Challenge shows winning multiple awards and has appeared on numerous local television segments.  Jennifer’s true passion is developing recipes and techniques and teaching them through her baking and decorating online and in-person classes.  After selling the store in 2023, Jennifer and Randy are now in the process of moving to Rockport and are excited for their next chapter.

Thermoplastic Molding for Ceramics

with Greg Reuter

November 22, 2025 | 9AM-4PM
204 S Austin St Rockport, TX

$140 for Members and $190 for Non-members

About the Class:

In this workshop, we will create press molds using plaster, clay, wood, and vacuum-formed plastic. I will demonstrate how to use these molds with both hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques. Participants will have the opportunity to use some of my molds in their own projects, and examples of finished works made with these methods will be available for reference.

Each participant will leave with a set of molds—one each made from plaster, clay, wood, and vacuum-formed plastic. Students will also complete a finished piece using a ready-made press mold to gain a full understanding of the entire process from start to finish.

Bring your own clay tools and a small object, maximum size 10" X 14" X 2" from which you will make a mold.

About the Instructor:

Greg Reuter

Growing up in California in the ’60s with a love of music and surfing, Greg Reuter started his career as an artist in Hawaii where he went to graduate school and received an MFA in sculpture and ceramics from the University of Hawaii. After graduation, he worked for a time as a studio potter both in Washington state and California. In 1978 Greg moved to Texas and began teaching at Corpus Christi State University (now Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi).

In 2018 Greg retired from 40 years of teaching. He continues working in his home studio in Corpus Christi. In addition to making sculpture, Greg has returned to his roots working with clay, with a focus on alternative firing processes.

Shown nationally and internationally, his work is represented in numerous public and private art collections including the Art Museum of South Texas. Greg has lectured and exhibited in Germany, Mexico, Japan, and the United States. His sculpture was used in the Hollywood film D.O.A., in which Greg made several brief appearances.

Cookie Baking
with Jennifer Bartos

Thursday, november 12 th, 2025 | 10:30AM - 1PM

$75 For Members | $100 For Non-Members

AT THE ROCC in the american electric power foundation culinary arts kitchen

Class Information:

In this hands-on, culinary kitchen baking class, you’ll join Jennifer to create four classic cookie favorites that are perfect for serving, sharing, and gifting.

Together we’ll make:

Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies – warmly spiced and decorated with crystal sugars

Filled Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies – soft and chewy with a marshmallow filling

Chocolate Chip Mix-In Cookies – a twist on the classic, packed with flavor

Rugelach – tender, flaky pastries rolled with a sweet filling

Jennifer will guide you step by step through mixing, shaping, baking, and finishing each cookie variety, sharing tips and tricks from her years of baking experience.  By the end of class, you’ll have a box of your own assorted cookies—ready to take home, enjoy, or gift to someone special. It’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season and build your cookie platter collection! 

Bring your apron, a love of baking, and leave with new skills (and plenty of cookies!).

About the Instructor:

From a young age, Jennifer was inspired by her mom's culinary talents, which sparked her passion for the culinary and sugar arts. After pursuing a traditional career in financial services, Jennifer followed her long-time dream and attended culinary school. Upon graduation, she convinced her husband, Randy, to join her in launching Make It Sweet, a retail cake supply store in Austin, TX.  Over 22 years, the duo grew it into one of the largest specialty baking and decorating stores and sugar arts classrooms in the country and Jennifer taught countless students from hobbyists to aspiring professionals. Jennifer has competed in five Food Network Challenge shows winning multiple awards and has appeared on numerous local television segments.  Jennifer’s true passion is developing recipes and techniques and teaching them through her baking and decorating online and in-person classes.  After selling the store in 2023, Jennifer and Randy are now in the process of moving to Rockport and are excited for their next chapter.

Plein Air Meet-Up

November 11th, 2025 | 9:30AM - 11:30AM

Rockport Center for the Arts Sculpture Garden -

204 S Austin Street in Rockport, Texas.

$FREE for Everyone!

Class Description:

Anyone interested in Outdoor Painting with like-minded artists is welcome to attend this first of hopefully many Plein Air Painting Meet-Ups.  Bring your gear and set up in the sculpture garden.  The Art Center will open at 10 for your restroom breaks.  Open Studio for Art Center Members will be concurrent for those who might want to move inside for critique or painting inside.  Contact Debbie at 830-928-5076 for more information or to be put on a contact list to be notified of future Plein Air Meet-Ups.

Fall Themed Russian Piping Tips Floral Cake
with Jennifer Bartos

Thursday, November 6th, 2025 | 10:30AM - 1PM

$50 For Members | $100 For Non-Members

Class Information:

Join Jennifer as she shows you the tips and tricks and techniques to make this beautiful cake that is perfect for any season.  Learn how to fill and stack the pre-baked cakes, make and color buttercream icing, prep icing bags and (after some practice) how to decorate the cake.  Everyone will leave with their own beautiful 6” cake to enjoy at home with friends and family.  

About the Instructor:

From a young age, Jennifer was inspired by her mom's culinary talents, which sparked her passion for the culinary and sugar arts. After pursuing a traditional career in financial services, Jennifer followed her long-time dream and attended culinary school. Upon graduation, she convinced her husband, Randy, to join her in launching Make It Sweet, a retail cake supply store in Austin, TX.  Over 22 years, the duo grew it into one of the largest specialty baking and decorating stores and sugar arts classrooms in the country and Jennifer taught countless students from hobbyists to aspiring professionals. Jennifer has competed in five Food Network Challenge shows winning multiple awards and has appeared on numerous local television segments.  Jennifer’s true passion is developing recipes and techniques and teaching them through her baking and decorating online and in-person classes.  After selling the store in 2023, Jennifer and Randy are now in the process of moving to Rockport and are excited for their next chapter.

Sugar Skull Cookie Decorating
with Jennifer Bartos

Thursday, October 30th, 2025 | 10:30AM - 1PM

$50 For Members | $100 For Non-Members

Class Information:

Celebrate the season with a fun and festive Sugar Skull Cookie Decorating Class - just in time for Halloween and Día de los Muertos.  During this hands-on workshop, Jennifer will guide you through the art of decorating sugar cookies with royal icing.

All cookies will be pre-baked and the royal icing freshly prepared, so students can focus on learning techniques for outlining, flooding, and adding beautiful details. From bold colors to intricate designs, you’ll discover how to bring sugar skulls to life with personality and flair.

No decorating experience is required, just bring your creativity and get ready for a sweet time! At the end of the class, you’ll take home the cookies that you decorated yourself — perfect to share with friends and family or keep as a festive treat.

About The instructor

From a young age, Jennifer was inspired by her mom's culinary talents, which sparked her passion for the culinary and sugar arts. After pursuing a traditional career in financial services, Jennifer followed her long-time dream and attended culinary school. Upon graduation, she convinced her husband, Randy, to join her in launching Make It Sweet, a retail cake supply store in Austin, TX.  Over 22 years, the duo grew it into one of the largest specialty baking and decorating stores and sugar arts classrooms in the country and Jennifer taught countless students from hobbyists to aspiring professionals. Jennifer has competed in five Food Network Challenge shows winning multiple awards and has appeared on numerous local television segments.  Jennifer’s true passion is developing recipes and techniques and teaching them through her baking and decorating online and in-person classes.  After selling the store in 2023, Jennifer and Randy are now in the process of moving to Rockport and are excited for their next chapter.

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Let’s Paint a Cactus

with Greta Watkins

October 10th, 2025 | 1 pM - 4 PM

204 S Austin Street in Rockport, Texas.

$65 for Members, $115 for Nonmembers.

Class description: Goals:

This painting session is designed to be fun!

Paint along with me as l walk you through all the steps to create the featured painting.

You’ll learn things about painting in acrylic, like some basics about mixing colors and using different brushes.

All supplies included.

The Duality of Paper Weaving
with Moira Garcia

Saturday, October 4th, 2025 | 10AM - 4:30PM

204 S Austin St Rockport, TX

$75 for Members $125 for Non-Members

Class Information:

Moira Garcia guides participants in the art of paper weaving to create a small handweaving from two original works on paper using gouache paints or other medium/s of choice, and the opportunity to incorporate fiber elements with hand-sewing and embroidery. Participants are encouraged to work with personal symbols and colors to create meaning, and it is highly recommended to attend the artist lecture and demonstration on Oct 3.

About the Instructor:

Moira Garcia is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and native of New Mexico. She holds a BFA in Studio Arts with a focus in Printmaking from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and a MA in Latin American Studies with concentrations in Art History and Indigenous Studies from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Her work is a visual language of symbol, color, and metaphor that references and interprets ancient visual culture and cosmologies. Garcia creates from a variety of materials and methods to produce multilayered narratives that connect ancestral imageries and the contemporary world.

Mesoamerican Visual Language, Symbol and Method Lecture with Hands-On Group Project
with Moira Garcia

Friday, October 3rd, 2025 | 2PM - 4:30PM

204 S Austin St Rockport, TX

$15 Supply Fee - Members Only

Class Information:

Moira Garcia will discuss her artistic practice and present a brief overview of Mesoamerican visual language and pre-Hispanic painting techniques and describe how her works on exhibit in Nepantla: In-Between incorporate both traditional concepts and contemporary methods. RCA members will have the opportunity to create a collaborative painting designed by Garcia, using traditional Mexican amate paper and fibers.

About the Instructor:

Moira Garcia is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and native of New Mexico. She holds a BFA in Studio Arts with a focus in Printmaking from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and a MA in Latin American Studies with concentrations in Art History and Indigenous Studies from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Her work is a visual language of symbol, color, and metaphor that references and interprets ancient visual culture and cosmologies. Garcia creates from a variety of materials and methods to produce multilayered narratives that connect ancestral imageries and the contemporary world.

Tips, Tricks and Tools for Plein Air Painting        

with Shelly Wierzba and Bob Rhodes

September 23rd, 2025 | 10AM - 11AM

204 S Austin Street in Rockport, Texas.

$FREE for Everyone!

Class Description:

Whether you are new to plein air or want to meet with like-minded painters, join us for this informative get-together.  Plein Air Painters will demonstrate their equipment and share things they've learned along the way.  Those wanting to join an informal group can use this opportunity to connect.