The Northwind Art School at Fort Worden State Park is inviting the public opportunities to try their hand at creating art, whether on canvas or through found objects.

Tracy Grisman is scheduled to guide “Open Air,” a plein air painting meetup from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, June 27.

Grisman plans to give a plein air demonstration, then turn participants loose to draw and paint, providing individual critiques and support afterward.

And fellow local teaching artist Steve Parmelee is slated to conduct his workshop, “Sculptural Assemblage: Creating Art with Found Objects” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9, and Wednesday, July 10, for teens and adults, as well as for beginners through advanced artists.

Parmelee draws joy not only from hunting for things — at estate sales, antique shops and the beach — but also from repurposing things that would otherwise be discarded, by turning those objects into a story, “an assemblage.”

Parmelee defines “assemblage” as a way to bring together things you’ve collected into a clean, cohesive artwork that’s all your own.

“I want creative people who might not feel proficient with painting or drawing, but who still want to express themselves through visual arts to see how accessible assemblage art can be,” Parmelee said. “Especially when starting a new project, the found objects themselves can lead you in a direction, with no blank canvas to intimidate. It can be a playful process, with unlimited possibilities.”

Parmelee emphasized that anyone can create assemblage artworks, and that assemblage can be a narrative art form, even though the approach is “so similar” to childhood collage-making.

“It's just a matter of curation, composition and connection,” Parmelee said. “Stories and emotions can be conveyed through the right combinations of objects, elevating it into fine art, if it’s done well.”

Parmelee’s own dive into assemblage began 13 years ago, when he stumbled across the book, “Secrets of Rusty Things,” by Michael DeMeng. DeMeng had taught classes at Fort Worden years earlier.

“I’d already been frequenting estate sales and collecting interesting old objects, and I suddenly found a purpose for my hunting and gathering of vintage items,” Parmelee said. “I read DeMeng's book, took a course of his, and have been passionate about this art form ever since.”

Parmelee hopes enrollees will emerge from his workshop feeling comfortable with the basic tools and strategies to approach any concept of assemblage, in addition to knowing what to look for, when selecting ingredients to collect and include, to put together their own sculptural assemblage.

Parmelee’s workshop is expected to include demonstrations, discussions and hands-on class projects, for which he promises to supply tools, fasteners and a variety of found objects, although participants are welcome to bring in their own collected things.

“I don’t want people to be intimidated,” said Parmelee, who guides students in the use of small hand tools and “cold connections,” so no welding or soldering is needed. “I’m ready for anybody.”

For more information, including registration details for these and other summer classes, visit northwindart.org.