Sunday June 14, 2026 | 2:00 – 4:00pm
Location: RU House at Colonels Row, Building #404B on Governors Island (map)
Ferry information | Video directions
Free Workshop
Limited to 12 participants. RSVP required.
Join Rory Torstensson (2025 RU alum) for an exploratory color workshop on Governors Island where art, ecology, and observation come together.
Participants will begin by walking the island to forage for small natural materials that catch their eye such as rocks, leaves, flowers, seaweed, soil, or other found elements that inspire a particular color. Back at the RU House, we’ll use these materials as references to learn how to mix paint to match the colors we discovered. Through guided color-mixing exercises, participants will create a series of hand-painted swatches that translate the island’s natural palette into paint.
Each swatch will be labeled with its “ingredient list”, the specific paint combinations used to create the color, so the palette can be recreated and built upon later.
By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a personal library of repeatable colors drawn directly from the landscape of Governors Island. This workshop encourages slow looking, experimentation, and a deeper connection between place and palette.
No prior painting experience is necessary and all materials are provided.
About
Rory Torstensson is a Brooklyn based artist originally from Marblehead, Massachusetts. She received her BFA from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. She is the recipient of the Folger Purchase Award, 3 Arts Scholarship and the Constance McClure Scholarship. Her work has been exhibited at galleries including Susan Eley Gallery (New York), the Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati), WavePool Gallery (Cincinnati), Roman Susan (Chicago), Pique (Kentucky), and the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (Cincinnati) and has been featured in publications such as Suboart Magazine, Tellus Zine, and Blending Magazine. Her work has been acquired for the permanent collection of the Art Academy of Cincinnati and private collections nationally.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
RU is grateful for the partnership with Governors Island Arts.
