Welcome to Ottawa Valley Art Studio!
Discover the online and in-person courses and workshops offered
Early Bird Sale
Fall 2026
Choose the learning format that works best for you:
STUDIO for in-person instruction,
ZOOM for interactive online study with personalized teacher support,
BASIC for independent online study,
REVIEW for online self-study with personalized teacher support.
Experience the breathtaking beauty of BRITISH COLUMBIA through four distinctive watercolour landscapes inspired by its spectacular Pacific coast, forests, mountains, and lakes.
Start October 1st, 2026
LAKE ONTARIO is one of the mini-courses in the Canadian Landscape series. This time, we will explore the beauty and character of one of Canada’s Great Lakes, from a sunlit lighthouse beneath magnificent summer clouds to peaceful autumn reflections, a glowing sunrise, and a cruise boat moving across brilliant blue water of Lake Ontario.
Start October 29th, 2026
This ANALYTIC PENCIL DRAWING COURSE is designed for absolute BEGINNERS and those who feel gaps in their foundational skills.
Whether you’re transitioning into more serious drawing or want to strengthen your technique before moving into painting, this course will help you see and draw like an artist.
In-Studio course starts October 3rd, 2026
This INTERMEDIATE LEVEL ANALYTIC PENCIL DRAWING COURSE is designed for students who already have a basic understanding of pencil drawing but want to take their skills further. It’s perfect for those who feel like “something is still missing”, whether it’s stronger confidence with landscape elements, understanding reflection and perspective, or loosening up their sketching style.
Designed to follow the beginner course, it helps you bridge the gap from structure to creative fluency.
In-Studio course starts November 14th, 202
In this meditative watercolour course THE SPIRIT OF THE BRUSH, you will discover how simple, intentional brushstrokes can create paintings filled with movement, balance, and expression. Rather than trying to describe every detail, we will learn to capture the essence and spirit of the subject with only a few confident strokes.
Sumi-e is more than a painting technique. It is a practice of slowing down, observing, breathing, and allowing the movement of the brush to become an extension of your energy.
Online interactive course starts November 3rd, 2026
ONLINE ART CLASSES
Explore the available online packages to fit your life style the best
IN-STUDIO ART CLASSES
Learn to create in a small group of students at the Art Studio located in a suburb of Ottawa, Canada
ONLINE FREE TUTORIALS
Practice FREE tutorials
Gallery of Student’s Work
Get inspired by the student’s work.
ANY QUESTIONS?
QUESTIONS?
There is no wrong question. Find answers in the FAQ.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
My name is Iya Carson, I am Canadian artist and a founder of Ottawa Valley Art Studio. My goal is to help all my students to be able to see and analyze the world we live in. I teach how to create an illusion of perspective and 3D shapes.
IN-BETWEEN PHOTO BOOK
IN-BETWEEN PHOTO BOOK
IN-BETWEEN is a meditation on places that linger, spaces that exist not on maps, but in the quiet territory between once life and another. Ottawa’s familiar silhouettes rise and dissolve like fragile recollections, softened by weather, time and passing thought. Streets blue into suggestions, houses lean toward memory, and the sky holds the hush of unspoken belonging. To live between two countries is to carry two versions of the self: one rooted in memory, the other learning to bloom again. these landscapes reflect that duality – a terrain shaped by light and shadow, where past and present overlap like transparent washes of paint. In Between is not a location. It is a way of seeing. A way of being held gently by two worlds at once.
IN-BETWEEN EXHIBITION
YOU ARE INVITED!
Join me for In-Between, my solo watercolour exhibition, a poetic exploration of Ottawa and the quiet spaces between memory, place, and belonging.
Art House Cafe, 555 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, ON, Canada
August 1st to September 30th, 2026
Opening Reception August 13th from 7 PM to 10 PM
I would love to see you there 🤍
