I’ve been both a student and a self-learner, so I speak from experience. Painting instruction provides structure, feedback, and foundational knowledge that self-teaching lacks.
Painting is made up of design elements like value, color, composition, edges, and brushwork. Instruction helps you learn how these elements work together.
Without guidance, we can spend years reinventing the wheel. A good teacher—and the emphasis has to be on ‘good’—helps you skip those detours and make real progress faster. You’re no longer guessing, you’re working with a purpose.
A good teacher can point out technical problems or compositional issues you wouldn’t notice on your own. Learning technique from an expert gives you tools to express your ideas more clearly and with confidence.
More than anything, painting is about learning to see—not just to recognize objects, but to observe light, shadow, shape, proportion, and color relationships. A good teacher trains your eye to notice what really matters.
I have three different paths to learning painting available now. Isn’t it time to choose one and get started?
Option 1: Workshops
Sea and Sky at Acadia National Park
This is my longest running workshop, in America’s first national park. This is a student favorite and personal favorite. Enjoy all-inclusive accommodation or join us as a commuter. August 3-8, 2025.
Find Your Authentic Voice in Plein Air, Berkshires, MA
The Berkshires are easily accessible from NYC and Boston, and a perfect blend of natural, historic, and agricultural beauty. August 11-15, 2025.
Immersive In-Person Fall Workshop, Rockport, ME
Spend a week of deep art engagement in Rockport, Maine, with fellow artists. This five-day session will open a new chapter in your journey as an artist. October 6-10, 2025
Option 2: Zoom classes starting in mid-August
Don’t be confused because the names of these classes are similar; they’re two different approaches to the same question. The Monday night class is for those who need more guidance on the nuts-and-bolts business of painting. The Tuesday night class is for those who need critique and overall direction. If you have questions about which class to take, email me and we’ll chat.
What I Did on My Summer Vacation: For Intermediate Painters Mondays, 8/18 – 9/29 6-9 PM, EST
This class is perfect for anyone in an early or intermediate phase, or returning after time away. No pressure, no jargon—just encouragement and direction.
This relaxed, supportive class is designed for artists who want to build confidence and paint in a community setting. Bring any work you’ve done (even if it’s just sketches or photos!) and I’ll help you take the next steps.
You’ll learn:
- How to strengthen your summer paintings
- Foundations of good composition and color
- Tips for setting up and painting from life or photos
- How to give and receive useful critique
What I Did on My Summer Vacation: For Advanced Painters Tuesdays, 8/19 – 9/30 6-9 PM, EST
This critique-driven class is for artists who are ready to refine their work and push it further. Bring in pieces for serious, constructive feedback—finished or in-progress—and use weekly exercises to rework, reframe, or respond to your summer output.
Each week offers:
- In-depth group critique
- Guided prompts to explore composition, editing, and intention
- Focused painting time with optional instructor feedback
Option 3: Work at your own pace, from your own studio
Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters
If you’re looking for more consistent, beautiful results in your painting, you need a repeatable protocol. In this online course, discover a system that will reliably improve your oil paintings. New for 2023, I’m offering a 7-part online course. Each class includes video content, quizzes, and exercises to do in your own studio at your own pace.
Having been a (mostly) self-taught painter, I can’t tell you the value I received from Carol’s instruction.
Thank you so much, my friend. I always enjoy having you in my classes.
I have taken several of Carol’s classes over the past three years: an in-person workshop that got me started on my recent watercolor journey and about five or six 6-week Zoom classes since. Recently, another amazing artist with whom I have interacted in a couple weekend workshops and more recently at watercolor shows told me how amazed he was at my progress over the past couple years. I attribute much of that progress to having Carol (and the dozen or so other students in the classes) keeping me accountable for my painting, giving me valuable critiques of my work, and providing instruction on many of the foundational concepts I needed to know at the times I needed to know them. Even with the hundreds of hours of YouTube videos I have devoured, the instruction I was getting in Carol’s classes helped me curate my watch list from the gazillion videos available.
That’s very kind, Mike. Of course, you never would have made such progress had you not put in lots of time working on painting.