Heartland Art Club

2026 Members' Showcase
2026-08-05 12:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | MO
The Members Showcase is one of Heartland Art Club’s most popular annual events, a celebration of the talent across our full membership. Whether you’re a seasoned exhibitor or showing with us for the first time, this is your chance to share your best work with the Heartland Art Club community and the public.
Visit the Members Showcase page for full details, guidelines, and to submit your entry. We hope to see every member represented on the walls this year!
Visit the Event Submission Page

Watercolor Landscape with Christopher Leeper: 8/7/2026 - 8/9/2026
2026-08-07 09:00 - 2026-08-09 16:00 | The Galleries at Heartland Art Club, 101A Argonne, Kirkwood, MO, 63122, United States
Watercolor Workshop with Christopher Leeper
Chris teaches in a fun and relaxed style. There will be daily demo and lectures, and lots of one-on-one instruction.
What we will discuss in this workshop:
– Technique fundamentals (Things I wish I knew 30 years ago).
Getting the most from our brushwork and our palette.
– The first half-hour of a painting (Make it or break it).
Understanding the importance of drawing and early painting development.
– Values (Why value is more important than color in your painting).
We will do value studies and small color studies to understand value shapes and painting structure.
– Color (Spend more time painting and less time mixing colors).
Understanding color temperature, intensity, value, and basic color theory to improve color mixing.
– Composition (If it feels right, it probably is right).
We will discuss pictorial design and learn how to create dynamic compositions.
Supply ListHeartland Art Club Members: Enter the member discount code to get 10% off at checkout.
Forgot the discount code? Check your email first—we send members a quarterly email reminder with the member discount code. If you still can’t find it, please email us (art@heartlandartclub.org) with your name, email address, and phone number—we’ll verify your membership status and send you the code.
Not a member? Sign up here
Read the Workshop & Class Information & Policies
3 Day Workshop
When: August 7 through August 9, 2026, 9 AM to 4 PM
Limited to 12 participants.
​Location:
The Galleries at Heartland Art Club
101A West Argonne
Kirkwood, Missouri 63122
About Christopher LeeperChristopher Leeper is a realist painter and workshop instructor painting in all mediums.

He 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. In 2021,
he was a finalist in the Plein Air Magazine Salon.

He participates frequently in national juried and invitational plein air events.

He graduated from Youngstown State University (YSU) in 1988 with a BFA degree in graphic design. He was an adjunct faculty member of the YSU Art Department for 22 years. He is past president of the Ohio Watercolor Society and is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society. He works and teaches from his studio in Canfield, Ohio.

email: leepart@zoominternet.net

www.christopherleeper.com

Secrets to Interpreting the Landscape with Gino Santa Maria: 9/4/2026 - 9/5/2026
2026-09-04 09:00 - 2026-09-05 16:00 | The Galleries at Heartland Art Club, 101A Argonne, Kirkwood, MO, 63122, United States
Every landscape holds a story, whispered through light, shadow, composition, and form. This workshop invites you to look beyond the surface, to sense the poetry of place, and to translate nature’s quiet mysteries onto canvas. Together we’ll explore how to capture not just what is seen, but what is felt—creating paintings that resonate with mood, meaning, and authenticity.
Heartland Art Club Members: Enter the member discount code to get 10% off at checkout.
Forgot the discount code? Check your email first—we send members a quarterly email reminder with the member discount code. If you still can’t find it, please email us (art@heartlandartclub.org) with your name, email address, and phone number—we’ll verify your membership status and send you the code.
Not a member? Sign up here
Read the Workshop & Class Information & Policies
2 Day Workshop
When: September 4 through September 5, 2026, 9 AM to 4 PM
Limited to 16 participants.
​Location:
The Galleries at Heartland Art Club
101A West Argonne
Kirkwood, Missouri 63122
About Gino Santa MariaSaint Louis based artist, Gino Santa Maria, is a representational oil painter with a passion for exploring the transformative effects of light and color in the world around us.
Born in Peru, he showed a strong inclination for painting since childhood. Though later trained as an engineer, he knew that pursuing art was his true passion.
His work reflects the beauty found in the breathtaking views of nature as well as in the small, mundane things. His paintings consist primarily of landscapes, portraits, still lifes and urban depictions.
He views nature as a reflection of God’s character, so he has a deep connection with the great outdoors. When Gino is not working in his studio, he can be found painting on location en plein air where he makes small studies for larger pieces.
His work adorns the walls of private and public collections around the world, such as Baltusrol Country Club in Springfield, NJ and Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
email: gino@ginosantamaria.com
https://www.ginosantamaria.com

Taking Command of Your Scene en Plein Air with Shawn Cornell: 10/24/2026 - 10/25/2026
2026-10-24 09:00 - 2026-10-25 16:00 | Kirkwood Park, 111 S Geyer Rd, Saint Louis, MO, 63122
“But that’s how it looked.” is a common cry from artists when defending any stumbling blocks in their paintings. This is one of the earliest excuses artists learn to lean on. It’s a favorite crutch best discarded since art is about creating, not copying. In this two day, plein air, landscape workshop we will focus on strengthening those creative legs, elevating the imagination and ditching the crutch of “But that’s how it looked.”
Additional discussions will touch on:
• The importance of “Thinking More Before Painting More” – TM • PM
• Contrast in your paintings beyond just value contrasts
• Talking to yourself, constantly asking yourself questions and the importance of self-critiquing
• Simple tips in dealing with painting outsides in Mother Nature’s ever-changing conditions
During the workshop, we’ll be having lots of fun doing lots of thinking and painting. During the first day we’ll talk a little, I’ll demo a little, and you’ll be painting and sketching a lot. The second day will be a bit of the same in the morning and then you’ll have several hours to create your masterpiece (no pressure). At 2:30, we will pack-up and go to The Galleries at the Heartland Art Club for more conversions and your painting’s critique. We’ll also have some drawings for any of my demos that survive the weekend.
Heartland Art Club Members: Enter the member discount code to get 10% off at checkout.
Forgot the discount code? Check your email first—we send members a quarterly email reminder with the member discount code. If you still can’t find it, please email us (art@heartlandartclub.org) with your name, email address, and phone number—we’ll verify your membership status and send you the code.
Not a member? Sign up here
Read the Workshop & Class Information & Policies
2 Day Workshop
When: October 24 through October 25, 2026, 9 AM to 4 PM
Class will begin at 9:00 AM and end at 4:00 PM
Limited to 15 participants.
​Location:
Kirkwood Park
111 S Geyer Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63122
AND
Galleries of Heartland Art Club
101A West Argonne
Kirkwood, Missouri 63122
Suggested Supply ListAbout Shawn CornellAs a plein air painter, Shawn is outdoors year round attempting to capture on canvas the wonders and beauty of Missouri’s four seasons. His paintings are neither cutting edge nor deep in metaphorical meaning, they’re simply stories about brief moments that he has experienced and witnessed during his excursions. He hopes these stories connect with the viewer, sparking a fond memory, a sense of familiarity or a bit of humor. Each painting is documented with its location, date, time of day, weather conditions, and brief observations about the day. Many have referred to this documentation as the painting’s birth certificate.
Email: mshawncornellstudio@gmail.com
Website: mshawncornellstudio.com
