Motion and Form

Description

Motion and Form- All Materials Included!

with Shelly Hackett

December 11-12, 2026| Friday-Saturday| 10 am – 3 pm

Experience: All Levels
Medium: Oil Painting
Registration: Each student needs to enroll individually.
Location: Sedona Arts Center, Theatre Studio.
Materials: Materials are included for use during the class, but you are welcome to purchase or bring your own. See Materials tab.

A study of horses at play. Jump in with charcoal on toned paper and explore the many forms a horse can make as they play. Multiple quick drawing exercises will take us to find a scene we want to put on canvas.

Demos will be ongoing throughout the class, covering the beginning of the painting, the stages of adding form and placement, refining, and suggesting detail, edging and blending.

Class includes individual guidance.
All levels and styles welcome.
All materials provided for a 9 x 12 painting.

26 1211w SH

Shelly Hackett

Shelly Hackett is a full-time artist based in Fountain Hills, Arizona, known for her expressive, atmospheric style and vivid gestural brushwork. Her work captures the essence of her subjects—often horses and western themes—with a unique blend of accuracy and emotional depth. As one juror noted, “I can actually hear the movement of these horses going down the path,” a testament to the life and energy in her paintings.

Born in the Sonoran Desert, Shelly’s lifelong connection to the Southwest and its equine culture began early—drawing horses as soon as she could hold a pencil and riding Shetland ponies not long after. Though her subject matter varies, the horse remains a central muse in her work.

Shelly studied art at Arizona State University and Scottsdale Community College, but credits much of her artistic foundation to her time working as a graphic artist under art director Dick Axtell. Her professional journey also includes an impressive design career, working internationally in frame moulding design and production in Italy, Indonesia, and the UK.

In 1996, Shelly transitioned into scenic painting for film and commercial sets in Los Angeles, including work on a Super Bowl Pepsi commercial and multiple music videos—further refining her skills in large-scale, figurative painting.

Her award-winning artwork has been featured in Western Art Collector magazine and exhibited in galleries across the U.S., including in Chicago, Los Angeles, Sedona, and Scottsdale. As a teacher, Shelly brings her diverse experience and deep knowledge to the classroom, leading workshops such as Anatomy of the Horse, Finding Your Style, and Introduction to Oil.

With a passion for sharing her expertise, Shelly’s classes focus not just on technique, but on helping students infuse their work with life, mood, and authenticity.

Materials are included for use during the class, but you are welcome to purchase or bring your own especially if you want to paint larger than 9 x 12 inches.

Provided:

A variety of reference photos and patterns
9 x 12 inch canvas board
Paint brushes
Oil colors
– Permalba White
– Ultramarine Blue
– Raw Umber
– Burnt Sienna
– Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre
– Cadmium Yellow
– Cadmium Red

Optional Materials you can bring:

– Jar with lid for turpentine and two old dish towels
– Suggested brushes: Flat #1 & 4, Filbert #2 & 8, and
~ Material you would need to bring If you prefer to work larger (up to 16 x 20 inches maximum)

– canvas or wood panel (primed 11 x 14 or 12 x 12 suggested)

– your own brushes

– Oil colors listed above

– If you have a specific photo reference you wish to paint, please bring:
* A black and white paper enlargement the same size as your canvas.
*color copy large enough to see detail, or an iPad / laptop top to reference photo

Cancellation Policy

Registration:

Each student must enroll individually.
Students may register online or by calling the Sedona Arts Center’s Office at 928-282-3809, ext. 1.
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express are accepted or student may pay with cash or check by registering in person during office hours, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.

In-Person and Online Workshops Registration/Cancellation Policy:

Payment in full is due upon registration, or a payment plan can be put in place by the student upon check-out through Sezzle.
There is a 15% Cancellation Fee for any cancellations made before November 11, 2026. Remaining balance will be refunded.
There are no refunds after November 11, 2026.
If Sedona Arts Center cancels the workshop for any reason, all payments made will be refunded in full.

Note: If traveling to Sedona, we strongly urge students to purchase refundable airline tickets or travel insurance in case of workshop cancellation due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen changes. Sedona Arts Center is not responsible for non-refundable ticket purchases or lodging fees.

Important Cancellation Policy Message:

The Sedona Arts Center is not responsible for providing make-up sessions or issuing refunds, credits, or transfers for courses missed as a result of illness, emergencies, or other events beyond our control. There are absolutely no refunds after the cut-off date for any reason, unless the Sedona Arts Center has to cancel the workshop, then all fees paid will be refunded in full.

Kelly Sutton - Fountain Hills, AZ

Shelly encourages me to keep moving forward and let go of my perfectionism. Her direction helps me overcome my barrier of meticulous attention to detail too soon, using blocks of color then fine tuning details. We have laughter which allows for more creativity and fun.

Eve and Richard Smith - Cave Creek, AZ

Richard and I really enjoyed the class today. First time we ever attempted a horse. Didn’t think we could do it until your class. Thank you.

Linda - Cave Creek, AZ

Just really enjoyed the class today, it felt great to get back in the studio. You are an excellent teacher.

Beth - Cave Creek, AZ

Thank you so much, your class was very relaxing and enjoyable while learning things, which was exactly what I was looking for.

Jasmin- Sedona

I am writing to let you know that I plan to schedule horse rendering courses with you in the future. Horses are certainly the most difficult animals to draw, but your technical instruction makes the process approachable and almost easy for students. Additionally, the oil paint technique you demonstrated on the second day of class was a complete game changer for me.