Moya Foley Art Ecuador
Art Classes / Sip and Paint
Come to my home, overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Ecuador, for Sip and Paint afternoons and watercolour or collage workshops. The popular beach town and surfing destination of Canoa, Ecuador is just a few miles up the coast. Join me in paradise for an art vacation by the beach. Additional activities available in Canoa include paragliding, yoga, surf lessons, horseback riding, and visits to Beerkingo Microbrewery in Rio Canoa, the Rio Muchacho Organic Farm or to the aquatic bird sanctuary of Isla Corazon. And while you're in the country, consider a trip to the Galapagos Islands or simply explore the many wonders of mainland Ecuador - the coast, the Andean highlands and the Amazon jungle.
I held the first Sip and Paint session in May of 2017, thinking to meet every few weeks, alternating the medium between acrylic and watercolour. The classes have been so well-received that I now hold Sip and Paint twice a week. I researched this kind of art get-together and found that it is standard for all students to paint the same image. Knowing how intimidating it can be to compare your work to that of your neighbour I have changed it around so that each person chooses an image to paint. This way you are painting something that appeals to you and matches your skill level. As well, you can choose to work in watercolour or acrylic. I supply images or you can bring your own.
Come and join us Wednesday or Thursday afternoon, from 2:30 to 4:30, at my house near Briceño. Bring your beverage of choice. Cost for the two hour session is $15.00. All materials are provided.
The results have been incredible as you can see in the Gallery of Student work that follows - even moreso given the fact that all of my Sipping Painters started out as beginners with no previous training.
Galleries of Student Work
In preparing these Galleries of Student Work, I had the delightful realization that I have created a community of artists. My original group, Deb McKeller, Don Newell, Micky Pedersen, Cristina Sequeira and Joni Jahren, has been with me for ten years. People continue to join Sip and Paint so that I now have sixteen “regulars” plus a small group of snowbirds who come to Canoa for the winter months.
Susan Maaks, Karen Gosting Bennett, Melanie Summerton, Soa Rajaona, Isabelle Baldeon Viault, Liz Tompkins, Debbie Carmichael, plus the “Bahia Bunch” (also known as the Bahia Badgirls – they even had t-shirts made!), Sue Allen, Carrie Coppin, Kim Olson, Julie Koruna and Donya Schweizer live here year-round and have become regulars at our weekly sessions.
Deb McKeller
Sadly we lost Deb McKeller in April of 2025. She was a brilliant watercolourist and the work below is her legacy.
Don Newell
Don works in both watercolour and acrylic, sometimes combining the two media. He is a birder and a surfer as is evident in his work. He also does portraits, the most difficult subject there is, as gifts for people he loves.
Micky Pedersen
Micky doesn’t limit herself to any particular subject matter, taking on cityscapes, people, dogs and still life. She brings her joy to every session, as well as homemade food for my dogs!
Cristina Sequeira
Always creative, Cristina is one of my few painters who works intuitively and generally abstract or semi abstract, in acrylic. She listens to her muse.
Joni Jahren
Joni generally works in acrylic although recently she has ventured in to watercolour with lovely results.
Susan Maaks
Susan has been painting with me since 2022. As you can see from her work, Susan is a dog person like me. She works carefully with painstaking precision. I like to think I taught herb to be a picky perfectionist like me but maybe she was always that way!
Soa Rajaona
Soa started painting with me in 2024 and there’s no stopping her! Unlike most beginners, Soa was able to paint loosely from the beginning, but always with control. She is equally able to reproduce highly realistic portraits of dogs, birds and other animals.
Isabelle Baldeon Viault
Isa also started painting with me in 2024. She iives out in the country north of Canoa and her beautiful, natural surroundings are reflected in her work.
Melanie Summerton
Melanie also started painting with me in 2024. She is a water person, a surfer with an innate affinity for the ocean as clearly evidenced by her work.
Liz Tompkins
Liz started painting with me in 2025. Her work is sometimes whimsical and always fun, just like she is. She paints a variety of subjects, quickly and decisively, with no fear, never losing sight of the fact that painting is fun!
Deb Carmichael
Deb first started Sip and Paint with me in 2023. She started in watercolour but has found her groove painting in acrylic with a palette knife with vibrant and exciting results.
Sue Allen
Sue first came to Sip and Paint in 2024, later bringing a few friends from Bahia who quickly acquired the name, The Bahia Badgirls. There is no doubt that they have fun in class. If I don’t hear their gales of raucous laughter from the table outside (which Sue has custom made for our class) I get worried.
Julie Koruna
Another badgirl from Bahia, Julie’s work is colourful and full of joy, as is she. Over the few years she’s been painting with me, she has acquired confidence and now actually likes some of her art!
Carrie Coppin
One of the first techniques I teach in watercolour is called “wet-in-wet,” where you let the water take the paint and move freely. Needless to say, the badgirls took that phrase and ran with it, even printing it on their t-shirts! But Carrie actually uses the technique and it’s an integral element of her beautiful, fluid art.
Kim Olson
Kim is another badgirl but, really, only by association. She is so sweet, gentle and kind. It’s been a joy for me to watch her skill and confidence grow.
Donya Schweizer
Donya is new to the badgirl group but she fit in immediately. Her nickname is Picassa. You can see the creativity in her work. She starts with an image but immediately makes it her own, creating as she goes.
Karen Gosting Bennett
Karen's first exposure to watercolour was my workshop, "It's Not Easy Being Green," which took place in 2024. She was pleased with her painting and has since joined our weekly sessions with incredible results.
The Snowbirds
Marie Comeau
Marie has such a gentle touch in watercolour and has produced an impressive body of work in the three winters that she's been with us at Sip and Paint.
Grace Fortune Hopkins
Grace Fortune Hopkins, like the other snowbirds, spends her winters here and returns to spend summers with her beloved kids and grandkids. Many of her paintings were done as gifts for the grandkids. Her confidence and skill have increased amazingly from her earliest hummingbird to her more recent works. And she has fun and brings fun to class.
Susan Switzer
Susan hails from Wawa, one of my favourite towns in Northern Ontario. While most of my sipping painters work from images that I provide, Susan brings her own photos that have meaning for her. That personal touch is reflected in the work she creates. Her sense of humour is also a great addition to our classes.