2026 Figure Study with Alex Grey & Allyson Grey
ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
Join Alex Grey & Allyson Grey for a day of live figure drawing and painting. This workshop offers a six-hour single pose of one female model, with a break every thirty minutes.
Artwork by Alex Grey
The extended pose will allow careful observation of the model to study form, proportion, color, lighting, composition and character. The aim of this day-long session is to approach an ability to paint the figure realistically.
Artwork by Allyson Grey
The class will begin with a brief discussion of sighting reminders for drawing a correctly proportioned figure. Additional preparatory and interstitial remarks will offer tips on composing the figure within the picture plane.
Left: Artwork by Alex Grey | Right: Artwork by Allyson Grey
WHAT TO EXPECT:
All are encouraged to arrive on time for set-up and introduction.
Mediums of focus will be drawing and painting. All levels of ability are welcome.
Participants are warmly invited to practice their life drawing or painting skills in preparation for this long-pose workshop.
CoSM monthly figure drawing events are open studio, non instruction based sessions with a series of poses ranging from brief gestural poses to 45 minute poses over the course of 3 hours.
2026 Figure Drawing at CoSM
SCHEDULE:
All times are listed in EDT
Saturday, May 23, 2026
- 10:30am: Morning Session
- 1pm Lunch Break—Buffet Lunch served in the Grey House Dining Hall
- 2pm: Afternoon Session
- 5:30pm: Workshop ends
- 6pm: CoSM Closes
CoSM & Entheon are open weekly on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 12pm - 6pm when CoSM Grounds close. Tuition includes a day pass to CoSM facilities and grounds during open hours on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
For a full day of immersive experience in art making, participants are invited to consider an overnight stay, offering ample time to visit Entheon, a three-story, 12,000 square foot tour of Visionary Art and to enjoy all CoSM visitor offerings, including the Wisdom Trail, The Mushroom Cafe, Entheon & CoSM Shop.
Book Your Overnight Stay at CoSM
CoSM’s monthly figure drawing session will be held the following day: from 1pm- 4pm on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Sessions are open studio, non instruction based with a series of poses ranging from brief gestural poses to 45 min poses.
2026 Figure Drawing at CoSM
Sunday, May 24, 2026
- 12pm - CoSM opens to the public
- 1pm - 4pm - Figure Drawing in the Art Lab: open studio, non instruction based.
- 6pm - CoSM closes
Tickets are separate from the Figure Study workshop.
MATERIALS:
Easels, chairs, back jacks & side tables will be provided based on preferences stated at registration.
Artists may draw & paint in their medium of choice.
Suggested Drawing Materials:
- Pencils & pens for drawing — HB, 2B, 3B, 4B, HB pencils recommended
- Pencil sharpener
- Kneadable eraser and other preferred types11″ x 14″ Best quality drawing paper pad — 4 ply Strathmore or Bristol 100% rag paper
- Good quality colored pencils — 20 or more colors (optional)
Suggested Painting Materials
- Watercolor, Acrylic or oil paints - *If using oils, odorless medium is a must.
- Paint palette of choice.
- Good quality brushes of various sizes — 0, 1, 2, 4, 6… point? flat? angled? Listen to what calls you.
- Watercolor paper block — Pink Arche watercolor block is smooth and recommended for figurative watercolors. Stretched pre-gessoed canvas(es) or wood panel(s) recommended for acrylics or oils.Considering space constraints, maximum size allowed is 30″ x 40″.
YOUR INSTRUCTORS:
Alex Grey & Allyson Grey
Alex Grey, world-renowned artist, poet, and author, is best loved for his paintings which portray multiple dimensions of reality, interweaving biological anatomy with psychic and spiritual energies. His books, Sacred Mirrors, The Mission of Art, Transfigurations, and Art Psalms, trace the development of his work and mystical experiences that shaped his spiritual artistic life. Alex’s most recent monograph, Net of Being, addresses how his art is evolving the cultural body through icons of interconnectedness. alexgrey.com
Net of Being by Alex Grey
Allyson Grey is an artist whose paintings have been exhibited and sold internationally. Co-founder of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Grey is a community leader with a Master of Fine Arts degree from Tufts University. She has edited and co-authored over a dozen books and journals, lectured widely, and has been an educator and muse to artists for over 30 years. The symbol system in her paintings represent an essentialized world-view comprised of chaos, order and secret writing. allysongrey.com
Chaos Order Secret Writing by Allyson Grey
Together, the Grey’s co-founded the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, CoSM, a spiritual creative retreat center in the Hudson Valley of New York. On the forefront of a movement in which painters join musicians on stage, the Grey’s painted together live before tens of thousands of folks at New York Broadway theaters, at sold-out festivals and arenas in dozens of international cities across five continents. As long-time advocates of “cognitive liberty,” a growing international “sacramental culture” has embraced the Grey’s as important mapmakers and spokespersons for the visionary realm. The Grey’s, with a dedicated and evolving team, have created CoSM, an interspiritual Art Church and Entheon, a Visionary Art sanctuary at CoSM. cosm.org
Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in Entheon, sanctuary of Visionary Art at CoSM
CoSM WORKSHOP SETTING:
CoSM Art Lab
Class sessions will take place in the MAGI Art Lab—Mystic Artists Guild International.
Participants are welcome to book an overnight stay in the Grey House, CoSM's Visionary Victorian guest house, as an immersive addition to this creative experience.
Accommodations in Grey House are offered in a variety of economies, in addition to the workshop fee. A 10% discount code is provided in your ticket confirmation email.
Participants are welcome to book rooms for the workshop, arriving as early as Thursday, May 21 and departing as late as Monday, May 25, 2026.
Book your stay at CoSM.
WORKSHOP AMENITIES
Lunch is included with Tuition:
- Buffet lunch will be provided for participants from 1pm - 2pm.
- Allergies are noted at checkout.
Tuition also includes Day Admission to CoSM: Saturday, May 23, 12pm - 6pm:
- Access to Facilities, grounds and self-touring Entheon
- Students are welcome to experience Entheon and Grey House Galleries, including both CoSM Shop & Entheon Shop.
- The Mushroom Cafe is an additional gallery, an immersively muraled space with mushroom themed contributions from 19 accomplished visionary artists
- The Wisdom Trail offers a contemplative walk through the CoSM woods, including a labyrinth, outdoor sculptural installations by visionary artists
TUITION:
Tuition for the one day course includes a buffet lunch served in the Grey House
- Early Bird: $99.00 (limited!)
- General Admission: $135.00
- Dietary Restrictions are noted at check out.
- Accommodations are additional.
For further information, contact [email protected]
ACCOMMODATIONS:
The Grey House, CoSM’s Visionary Victorian guest house, offers accommodations for all participants. Works of art by Alex Grey, Allyson Grey and accomplished artists of the international Visionary Art community are featured throughout the guest rooms and common spaces of the Grey House.
Onsite accommodations are available in a variety of economies. Here is the pricing for the Saturday, May 23 stay, departing Sunday, May 24, 2026, reflective of the 10% workshop discount:
- King with ensuite bathroom $247.50
- Queen with ensuite bathroom $225.00
- Private Queen/shared bath $180.00
- Dorm bed: Single $108.00 *co-ed & women’s only options available
You are welcome to extend your stay to the Thursday before or the Monday after the workshop.
To redeem the 10% workshop discount: use the code provided in your registration email to book accommodations.
Questions about tuition or accommodation fees, travel, retreat amenities, materials etc.?
Contact us at: [email protected] | +1 (845) 297-2323