Tag: learn to paint

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What does it mean to paint with your own artistic voice?

Lauren Hammond painting this lovely landscape at last year’s Berkshire workshop.

What does it mean to paint with your own artistic voice? For many of us, that question remains even after years of making art. We learn technique, we study the masters. But deep down, we want to know what makes our work uniquely ours.

Voice vs. style

Your artistic voice is different from your style. Your voice is your personal, authentic point of view—what you want to say through your work. It reflects your values, interests, emotional tone, and subject matter choices. Your voice comes from who you are, not what you do.

Your style, on the other hand, is the visual language you use to express your voice. Style includes recognizable elements like brushwork, color palette, composition, and technique.

While style is what viewers notice first, it’s not fixed; it evolves and changes. Your artistic voice is much more important. It’s what you’re saying and why.

Cassie Sano’s painting of Undermountain Farm’s Victorian barn from the Berkshire workshop.

Teasing out your artistic voice

That’s the heart of Find Your Authentic Voice in Plein Air, a five-day immersive plein air painting workshop the second week of August. It will be held in the pastoral beauty of the western Massachusetts Berkshires, a place I really love.

Finding a style is illusory; it’s a moving target and nothing you should concentrate on. This plein air painting workshop invites you to leave behind mimicry and perfectionism. Instead, step confidently into your own creative point of view. I’ve designed it not just to improve your technique, but to reconnect you with the why of painting—to discover what moves you, and to translate that honestly onto the canvas.

The Berkshires provide a perfect setting for this kind of deep creative work. Rolling hills, shaded glens, historic farms, orchards and vibrant meadows offer subjects that are varied but never overwhelming. We’ll work outdoors each day, with each different location designed to capture different moods and light.

The Berkshires are calm and contemplative, although they have their dramatic moments. But I assure you that no two days are the same, and no two paintings will come out alike.

We’ll start with quick value studies, gesture sketches and color notes. From there, we’ll move into longer painting sessions. While these are to some degree self-directed, I’ll be making rounds, offering personalized feedback and encouragement.

Topics range, but we’re always addressing the core question: What are you really trying to say with this painting? Of course, I don’t really want you to answer that with words, but with visual imagery.

If a subject speaks to you, paint it. If a painting starts to veer in an unexpected direction, follow it. This plein air painting workshop encourages risk, revision, and rethinking, all in the service of finding something true.

The Berkshires landscape ranges from the pastoral beauty of Shaker communities to wilderness.

By the fourth day of every workshop, common patterns begin to emerge. You might notice you’re interested in the patterns of dark and light, or you may love quiet compositions. These patterns are signposts pointing toward your authentic voice.

I’ve been teaching plein air painting workshops for a long time, and I’ve noticed that by the end of the week, students are painting better and more confidently. They know what elements call to them, and they have the tools to answer that call with clarity and presence.

Find Your Authentic Voice in Plein Air is more than a plein air painting workshop; it’s a creative reset. It’s for painters who are ready to go beyond technique and into expression. It’s for those who want to see the landscape—and themselves—with new eyes. And it’s for anyone who’s ever asked, “What do I have to say as an artist?”

On a completely different note

Disco Fever
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 5-7 PM
19 Elm Street, Camden

Tomorrow is our disco night for Camden’s Third Thursday Art Walk. We’ll be at Lone Pine Real Estate, at 19 Elm St., Camden from 5-7 PM. My buddy Nate Quinn will be the DJ, and we’re featuring paintings by Rachel Houlihan (who has been giving me the gimlet eye about this disco idea all month), Stephen Florimbi and me.

In that we’re shooting for a Studio 54 vibe, I’m bringing champagne along with soft drinks and wine.

For all of you who’ve asked, here are my Betsey Johnson sequinned platform sneakers. I’ll only be wearing these if I’m NOT painting.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Why don’t I teach shorter painting workshops?

Camden Harbor from Curtis Island, oil on canvas, $2782 unframed includes shipping and handling in continental United States.

I’m teaching an advanced painting workshop this week. Today is the third day, and when my students departed yesterday, they all looked a little tired. OK, a lot tired. It’s a lot to work from 9 to 4 in open air, while trying to integrate new concepts.

A fellow teacher once told me that she had been asked to compress a four-week beginner course into two days. “I think it’s a disservice,” she said. “That’s a lot of information to compress into a much shorter time. So, either it’s a very shallow dive or there’s so much information compressed so tightly that half of it gets lost.”

I’m terrible at taking pictures while teaching, but one of my students set up in the shade of an old schooner, and I thought her easel looked darn cute there.

I am often asked about shorter painting workshops as well. They fit neatly into a weekend and the cost is lower, so they’re easier to sell. If they’re subject-based, like ‘painting sunsets,’ they can work because these painting workshops are inherently shallow. They work best for people who already know the rudiments of painting; otherwise, they’re a bit too much like sip-and-paints.

But two or three days are insufficient when it’s a question of really developing style, color fluency, composition and form. And if you understand these concepts, you don’t need a special painting workshop on sunsets or water; you have the tools to paint anything you want.

Downtown Rockport, 14X18, oil on archival canvasboard, framed, $1594 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

What can go wrong? A lot.

Basic protocols for watercolor and oils run to about seven discrete steps, depending on how you break them down. Here are, roughly, the steps for oil painting:

  1. Set up your palette with all colors out, organized in a useful manner.
  2. Do a value drawing.
  3. Crop your drawing and identify and strengthen big shapes and movements.
  4. Transfer the drawing to canvas with paint as a monochromatic grisaille.
  5. Underpaint big shapes making sure value, chroma and hue are correct.
  6. Divide big shapes and develop details.
  7. Add highlights, detail and impasto as desired.

Let’s just consider #2. It’s almost useless for me to just tell you to do a sketch. In fact, if I did that, you’d have to wonder why you didn’t just draw on the canvas instead. You need insight into what you’re looking for, what makes a good composition, and different ways to do that preparatory composition.

Maynard Dixon Clouds, 11X14, oil on archival canvas board, $869 includes shipping in continental US.

I can (and sometimes do) rattle off a lecture on these points, but that is the just the start of the process of discovery. Unfortunately, in a two-day painting workshop, that’s about all the time we’d have for the step many artists consider most crucial to the development of a good painting. You, the student, then go home and consult your notes. They become a slavish list of dos-and-don’ts, rather than a framework for a deeper understanding.

It’s far better that I start with an exercise that allows you to build understanding of composition on your own. That, in a nutshell, is the difference between a book and interactive teaching. It’s why people take painting workshops in the first place.

That kind of teaching takes time.

Arthur Wesley Dow, the popularizer of Notan, had his students work for weeks on line before they eventually graduated to masses and then finally to greyscale and color. His students included Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Sheeler, Charles Burchfield, and other 20th century art luminaries, so he was definitely onto something. Learning to paint properly takes time.

This is a revision of a post from 2022.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Monday Morning Art School: maximize your painting workshop

Main Street, Owl’s Head, oil on archival canvasboard, $1623 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

The hardest thing for a teacher is the student who says, “yes, but…” to everything one tells them. I should know; I tend to be one of those myself. I know what it means to stubbornly protect what I already know, to rely on my own skills instead of opening my mind to new concepts.

The Vineyard, oil on linen, 30X40, $5072 framed, includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Come prepared

Study the supply list, but don’t just run right out and buy everything on it. Every teacher has a reason for asking for specific materials. In my case, it’s that I teach a system of paired primaries. You can’t understand color theory without the right paints. Another teacher might emphasize beautiful mark-making. If you don’t buy the brushes he suggests, how are you going to understand his technique?

A tube of cadmium green that I once bought for a workshop and never opened still rankles. I never want to do that to my students. When you study with me, I want you to read my supply lists. If something confuses you, or you think you already have a similar item, email and ask.

(If you find yourself buying something for one of my classes or workshops and not using it, would you let me know? It means I’m missing something.)

Bring the right clothes. I send my students a packing list for clothes and personal belongings. But modify it for the weather you’re expecting. Don’t ignore the insect repellant and sunscreen.

The Surf is Cranking Up, 8X16, oil on linenboard, $903 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Know what you’re getting into.

“How can you stand this? It’s all so green!” an urban painter once said to me after a week in the Adirondacks.

There are no Starbucks in Acadia National Park or on the clear, still waters of Penobscot Bay. If you’re dependent on your latte macchiato, you may be uncomfortable at first. But the beauty of America’s wild places more than makes up for it. (And somehow, there’s always coffee, even where there’s no cell phone reception.)

Take notes

There’s a sketchbook on my supply list; plan on writing as much as you draw. If you write down key points, you’ll remember them far better than if you just read my handouts.

Listen for new ideas and ask questions. If I can’t stop and answer them mid-stream, save them for after the demo. Participate in discussions and know that your voice is valued; I’ve learned more from my students than from anyone else.

Home Farm, 20X24, oil on canvas, $2898 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Be prepared to get down and dirty.

I’m not talking about the outdoors here, I’m talking about change and growth. I am highly competitive myself, so it’s difficult for me to feel like I’m struggling. However, it’s in challenge that we make progress. Use your teacher’s method while you’re at the workshop, even if you feel like you’ve stepped back ten years in your development. That’s a temporary problem.

You can disregard what you learn when you go home, or incorporate only small pieces into your technique, but you signed up for the workshop to grow and change. You can’t do that if you cling to your own technique.

Connect with your classmates

There’s power in those relationships. Exchange email addresses. Keep in contact. Follow them on Instagram or Twitter. You’ll learn as much from each other as you will from me.

This was originally posted in March, 2023, but since I’m teaching a workshop starting today, I thought it was worth repeating.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Monday Morning Art School: where do I start?

Downtown Rockport, 14X18, oil on archival canvasboard, framed, $1594 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

“I want to learn to paint but have no idea where to start,” a reader wrote. That’s a common problem, one that can express itself with questions about cost or not knowing what medium to pick.

First, the pernicious lie of talent

I’ve written extensively about talent, but I’ll just note that in art, as in everything, success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.

How to choose a medium

There is no one ‘best’ medium. I’ve had students work in oils, acrylics, watercolor, gouache, pastel and even egg-tempera. Every painting medium has the potential to be highly-detailed or highly-expressive.

Home Port, 18X24,, $2318 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

I usually ask students what painters and paintings they like, and work back from there. A person who is gaga over Edgar Degas’ pastels should probably consider pastels; a person who loves the luminosity of Wolf Kahn’s oil paintings need look no farther than oil paint.

There is no one ‘safer’ medium, because the hazards of artists’ paints lie in the pigments. The same pigments are used across all mediums, and the risk has declined considerably. Industry has brought us many safe analogues for older, more toxic pigments.

Oil painters once used turpentine as solvent, but that has been replaced by odorless mineral spirits. Acrylic polymers have low toxicity, but we dump the residue into our sewers and their environmental impact is an area of ongoing research. Watercolors and gouache use tap water as well, but they aren’t plastics; their health and environmental impact is nil. Pastels are often sold in sets without the individual pigments identified. For that reason, they shouldn’t be used without gloves or a skin barrier. Where there’s pastel dust, a good HEPA filter is imperative. All of these risks are manageable, but they do require consideration.

There’s no one medium that’s cheaper over the long haul. Whereas oil painters go through more paint, watercolor brushes are more expensive. In my experience (and I’ve used them all) the costs average out over time.

Camden Harbor from Curtis Island, oil on canvas, $2782 unframed includes shipping and handling in continental United States.

Where do I start?

I’m happy to share my supply lists, which you can find in this blog post. However, what you need depends on what you’re trying to do. For example, studio painting uses the same pigments and brushes as plein air, but the easel requirements are very different.

Starting to learn to paint can feel overwhelming. There’s fear of doing it wrong, of wasting time or materials or of making something that doesn’t match the vision in our heads. Don’t let that last one scare you; I’ve been painting for almost sixty years and have never quite matched the vision in my head.

One of the rookie errors of learning to paint is to try to buy your way to success. Art supply companies make their millions on impulse buyers. That can take the form of paints and brushes you don’t need, or it can take the form of cheap materials that will never do what you want them to do.

Forsythia at Three Chimneys, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed includes shipping and handling in continental United States.

I believe you will save money and time by taking classes first. Above all, don’t agonize. I’ve made a million dumb mistakes, but they’re part of the learning process.

I used to have a student who started every painting by telling me, “I’m going to give this to ___ for ___.” It wiped her out, every single time. We should always start with the process, not the result. Every painting we do is practice for the next one that comes along.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Finding your artistic voice in the age of social media

Best Buds, 11X14, oil on canvasboard, $1087 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

On Wednesday, I wrote about the influence of social media on art. That leads to an inevitable question: how do we find and maintain our authentic artistic voices while navigating a world driven by visibility, algorithms, and market pressures?

Artists have always struggled to find a balance between creative freedom and commerce. That’s especially true for those artists with unique viewpoints. Vincent van Gogh is a prime example of an artist who couldn’t sell his work but profoundly influenced art history. There are others who’ve waited lifetimes to be recognized, but who stayed true to their inner vision.

Then there’s the question of purpose, which I addressed here. Whether you think your art should sooth, heal, provoke or simply entertain, understanding why you make art helps you in finding your artistic voice.

In Control (Grace and her Unicorn), 24X30, $3,478 framed, oil on canvas, includes shipping in continental United States.

The arts and craftsmanship

Craftsmanship is so contrary to our digital culture that it can be a form of resistance. Finding your artistic voice may be as simple as slowing down and focusing on technique and observation. That’s especially important as we see AI eking out more territory in the visual world. What AI can’t do, right now, is copy the individuality of human creations, that gap between our inner vision and what comes off our paintbrushes.

Lean into your own story

I’ve been working on narrative painting for the last six months. Even though that’s not what’s easy for me to sell, I still think it’s the right move for me. In the age of mass-produced, digital artwork, the personal trumps the analgesic quality of much mainstream art. What we know and live is grounded, honest, and impossible for computers or copyists to imitate.

Tilt-A-Whirl, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Be selective in using social media

I’ve spent several months trying to embrace Bluesky, despite thinking that my blue-haired church lady self isn’t a great fit there. Now Bluesky is flatlining. I can hustle to try to find the next new thing, but that’s like a dog chasing its tail. Yes, we should embrace social media platforms, but not to the point where they take over our lives.

My goal is to accept the social media game but on my own terms. Doing that successfully is a constant battle, both against my own lack of engagement and the inscrutability of what’s trending.

Ice Cream Stand, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Experiment

I have a student who has been experimenting with combining watercolor with gouache. You might think that sounds simple, but it requires planning to merge passages of opacity and transparency in the same work. I’ve been delighted by her finished work. Breaking from what she knew seemed to help her sidestep the compositional and brushwork habits she’d learned in watercolor. To some degree, the medium is the message, as Marshall McLuhan famously said.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Monday Morning Art School: what medium should I choose?

Apple Blossom Time, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

I’m often asked about the best medium for the beginning artist. That’s like assuming that there’s a one-size-fits-all catsuit.

No medium is inherently easier or more difficult than another. They all have their challenges and rewards. Similarly, no medium is inherently more toxic than another; the toxicity of paint lies in the pigments, not the binder. You can avoid toxic pigments in any medium. And, perhaps most importantly, once you get past the entry-level supplies, they all hit an expense plateau, so you might as well choose what you like.

But don’t be surprised if you end up working in more than one medium. I use them all, and my great regret is that I don’t have more time to experiment.

A tiny painting done with Golden Open Acrylics.

Acrylics are fast-drying and versatile. You can layer and finish paintings quickly. They clean up well with soap and water, and inexpensive acrylic paints are available at most department stores at a low price (although you get what you pay for).

That same quick-drying characteristic is a minus when it comes to working slowly or en plein air, which is why most manufacturers now offer retarders. Retarders help, but never give you the open time of oils. Acrylics can also darken as they dry, and their final feel is more plasticky and less buttery than oils.

You can work acrylics leanly, but adding too much water breaks down the bonds. If your goal is transparency, you need to use an acrylic medium designed for glazing.

Rachel’s Garden, ~24×35, watercolor on Yupo, museum-grade plexiglass, $3985 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Watercolors are the most portable medium. With a travel kit, a brush and a sketchbook, you can paint anywhere.

Watercolors have a luminous quality that comes from the paper reflecting back through the pigment. They’re fast and spontaneous, and you needn’t worry overmuch if you screw something up; just paint something else. Cleanup is, of course, absurdly simple. Just rinse your brushes, wipe off your palette, and head home.

Of course, that’s all true until you set out to create something brilliant. The downside of watercolor is that errors are hard to fix. Once pigment sets, it’s often there to stay. That means you need to plan ahead. And getting consistent results takes practice and patience.

And good watercolor paper ain’t cheap, as my friend Becky constantly reminds me.

Oils offer the richest, most vibrant colors. Since they dry very slowly, you have tons of time to work, blend, tweak, and perfect your transitions, if that’s your thing. Oils have a centuries-long track record for durability without fading, and you can go from thin glazes to thick impasto with the same material.

Oils can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to dry to the touch, but don’t be fooled; that painting is still wet inside, which is why it can’t be varnished immediately. You will need odorless mineral spirits and a good brush soap to clean your brushes. The cleanup is a bit finickier than with other mediums, but it needn’t ruin your life.

Gouache is just opaque watercolor. It dries to a matte finish, and can cover underlying layers. It’s reworkable and fast-drying. It’s an excellent learning medium and is often used by illustrators because it’s quick.

Once dry, the paint layer can be easily scuffed or reactivated by moisture, so varnishing can tricky. Colors don’t always dry accurately, and gouache doesn’t blend well.

You need to work on a stiff board or paper, because gouache will crack if laid down too thickly or not on a proper support.

Shenandoah Valley, long time ago and far, far away… in pastel.

Pastels are expressive and tactile and support a wide range of styles.

There’s no need to learn brushwork with pastels, since there aren’t any brushes. Blending is simple and intuitive, as is layering and creating texture. Pastels, like oil paints, have a good record of longevity.

Finished pastel paintings are fragile, and need to be framed or fixed (which may change the colors.) Pastel dust is also potentially hazardous; more so, in fact, than any paint-bound medium. So pastelists should work in well-ventilated areas and wear some kind of gloves, since pigments can be absorbed through the skin.

My Tuesday class is sold out, but there’s still room in the Monday evening class:

Zoom Class: Advance your painting skills

Mondays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 28 to June 9

Advance your skills in oils, watercolor, gouache, acrylics and pastels with guided exercises in design, composition and execution.

This Zoom class not only has tailored instruction, it provides a supportive community where students share work and get positive feedback in an encouraging and collaborative space. 

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Spring flowers

Forsythia at Three Chimneys, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed includes shipping and handling in continental United States.

I was chuffed to get home from Malta to find hyacinths blooming along my driveway. The pieris japonica along my patio is singing its heart out, and the forsythia is starting to color up. Long delayed, the first signs of spring are finally here in midcoast Maine.

“What will you be teaching in the first class of Advance your Painting Skills?” a student asked. “I want to know what we’re painting!”

As I’ve mentioned, this is a bespoke class, based on students’ needs, but there are certain things every painting class should stress. Color is critical, and what better place to start than early spring flowers?

Lilacs, 12X12, private collection,

Learning how to paint, for the midlevel painter

We have six three-hour classes, which isn’t a lot of time to get things done. But here are the fundamental concepts that I will be stressing in this class:

Project workflow

That’s a fancy way of saying the artist has a process in place from idea to finish. That includes preparatory sketches and an order of operations appropriate for your specific media. For watercolors, that usually means light to dark. For oils and other solid media, that means dark to light and fat over lean. For everyone, it means big shapes to small shapes.

While there are exceptions to these rules, they should be locked down before you start puttering.

Bridalwreath spirea, private collection. They’re just starting to bud out now.

Color theory

That’s where we’ll be starting Monday night. Color theory is more than just the color wheel (important as that is). It includes warm vs. cool colors and color harmonies.

Mixing paint

Using the right color from the start is the secret to not flailing around. It’s a question of method.

Composition and design

If there’s one thing I natter on about, it’s composition. That includes balance, rhythm, movement, value, and focal points.

Brushwork

Brushwork, like handwriting, is highly individual; we don’t need the equivalent of the Palmer method. However, grip, angle and bristle type have a big effect on the results.

Miss Rumphius’ garden, private collection.

Working from life

Working from life is the best way to become adept at painting. While we can’t always avoid reference, we’ll learn how to simplify and strengthen our designs based on the real world. And we’ll explore the difference between working from life and working from photos.

The ability to critique our own work

I like to think of this as developing executive function in painting—to see how things are going wrong before they’re a disaster and to fix the problems in midstream.

An art vocabulary

Learning how to paint should include developing an art vocabulary and a familiarity with the canons of art. Seeing how master artists executed important concepts helps us understand how to apply those same ideas in our work. In every class, I try to show students great works of art that illustrate key concepts in every class.

My Tuesday class is sold out, but there’s still room in the Monday evening class:

Zoom Class: Advance your painting skills

Mondays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 28 to June 9

Advance your skills in oils, watercolor, gouache, acrylics and pastels with guided exercises in design, composition and execution.

This Zoom class not only has tailored instruction, it provides a supportive community where students share work and get positive feedback in an encouraging and collaborative space. 

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Monday Morning Art School: basics of painting

Happy Dyngus Day! This marks the first real day of spring in my home city of Buffalo, where “everyone is Polish on Dyngus Day.”

Dawn Wind, Twin Lights, 9X12, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 includes shipping and handling in the continental US.

There are some fundamental principles that every painter should know. Even if you’re an experienced painter, you might benefit from reviewing these basics of painting:

Materials:

  • Understand the basic differences between oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, oil and chalk pastels, and tempera. Know which can be used in multimedia applications such as printmaking or collage, and which will cause chemical reactions that lead to decay. Understand how your specific media works in terms of open time, opacity and blending. (And, yes, I realize I’ve never written about this, so I’ll get right on it.)
  • Know how to read a paint tube and understand the difference between popular names and the pigments actually in the tube. Know the difference between what you want and what you need.
  • Know what kind of brushes are appropriate for your media, and your method of painting. There is a vast range of bristle material out there, and they are suitable for specific mediums and specific methods of painting.
  • Know what surfaces (supports) are suitable for your media, and what kind of sealant you need if you use an incompatible support.
  • Understand the difference between medium and solvent, where each are appropriate, and how they affect viscosity, opacity and drying time.
Seafoam, 9X12, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed.

Drawing fundamentals

Value

Peaceful tidal pool, 9X12, $869,

Color Theory

Fundamentals of composition

Nocturne on Clam Cove, 9X12, oil on archival canvasboard, $869.00 framed includes shipping in continental US.

Observation and reference

Maintenance

  • If painting in oils or acrylics, clean your brushes properly after each use. If painting in watercolor, rinse your brushes thoroughly after each use, especially if painting with salt water.
  • Store your materials someplace other than the back of your car (which is one of my worst habits).

If this is all review, congratulations! If not, you might consider taking one of my classes below this spring:

This spring’s painting classes

Zoom Class: Advance your painting skills

Mondays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 28 to June 9

Advance your skills in oils, watercolor, gouache, acrylics and pastels with guided exercises in design, composition and execution.

This Zoom class not only has tailored instruction, it provides a supportive community where students share work and get positive feedback in an encouraging and collaborative space. 

Zoom class: Signature series

Tuesdays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 29-June 10

This is a combination painting/critique class where students will take deep dives into finding their unique voices as artists, in an encouraging and collaborative space. The goal is to develop a nucleus of work as a springboard for further development.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Bespoke: the advantages of online learning

Breaking Storm, oil on linen, 30X48, $5579 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

“What will you be teaching in your Zoom class, Advance your painting skills,” asked a prospective student. Unlike most of my classes, I haven’t laid out the curriculum in the online class offering. That’s because it’s, as our British cousins say, going to be a bespoke class. That means it will be tailored to you—your strengths, your weaknesses, your needs, your aspirations.

I’ve been teaching painting online since the world’s annus horribilis, when COVID shut us all up in our little nuclear cells. At first, I thought I’d hate teaching online, but I rapidly became a convert.

Skylarking, 24X36, oil on canvas, $3985 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

The advantages of online learning

In the old days, I’d tour my studio, quietly commenting on work, mentioning what was good and what needed improvement. If Beth overheard what I said to Lynda, that was a bonus, but most people remained in their own little working bubble. Occasionally, if I saw an essential truth that needed mentioning, I’d raise my voice, but that is tiresome for everyone.

That doesn’t happen in Zoom classes. If I tell Lynda, “You should restate the darks,” everyone in the class hears it and consciously or subconsciously checks their pattern of darks.

Students in my classes have come from the United States, Canada and Great Britain—in fact, anywhere there isn’t a language or time barrier. They’ve developed an esprit de corps that would be impossible in the old world of physical classes.

My students have access to recordings of the class, which means that if they must miss one, they can make it up at their leisure. Or, they can review it the class when they need to. That ability to access the content at any time going forward is invaluable. Students can just rewatch the videos until it clicks.

Skylarking II, 18×24, oil on linen, $1855, includes shipping in the continental US.

From the teacher’s standpoint, it’s helpful to see students working in their own environment, on their own easels. I have many times caught ergonomic issues in students’ setups that were hampering their ability to paint and draw.

And, of course, people can attend in their pajama pants—and dogs and cats are always welcome.

The internet sometimes gets terrible press… and I get it. There are problems with social media, but the availability of online art classes is a great boon. I started writing this post in Manchester, England, finished it in Reykjavik, Iceland, and you are reading it wherever you are on the globe. Isn’t that cool?

Dinghy Dock, 8X10 on archival canvasboard, $522 unframed includes shipping and handling in the continental US.

Why am I offering Advance your painting skills?

I’ve had a core group of students with me since I started teaching online in 2020. Many of them are now selling their work, making them professionals. I think it’s a feather in my cap to have helped so many students get to that level, but I need to make room for the next generation of great painters.

That’s why I’ve broken my offerings this spring into two sections. Signature series is intended for those advanced students to develop specific themes in their work. Advance your painting skills is intended to get the next group of painters to that level. You can start as a good emerging artist or a hesitant beginner; there’s a place for you here. Wherever you’re starting, in whatever medium, it’s an opportunity to take a step forward into better technique.

This spring’s painting classes

Zoom Class: Advance your painting skills

Mondays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 28 to June 9

Advance your skills in oils, watercolor, gouache, acrylics and pastels with guided exercises in design, composition and execution.

This Zoom class not only has tailored instruction, it provides a supportive community where students share work and get positive feedback in an encouraging and collaborative space. 

Zoom class: Signature series

Tuesdays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 29-June 10

This is a combination painting/critique class where students will take deep dives into finding their unique voices as artists, in an encouraging and collaborative space. The goal is to develop a nucleus of work as a springboard for further development.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025:

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Monday Morning Art School: how to choose the right art supplies

The Late Bus, oil on archival canvasboard, 6X8, $435.00 framed, includes shipping and handling in continental US.

L is the leader of a small rebellion among my students. They don’t like the constraints of single-pigment paints. Their motto is, “In the absence of a good idea, let’s buy art supplies.” Our last paint conversation went like this:

“That green cannot be mixed with the colors on your supply list.” L then pulled out a tube of permanent green recently purchased at the art supply store.

“Okay, what are the pigments in that tube?” (On reputable paints, there are tiny alphanumeric codes that starts with the letter P. These are more important than the poetical names on the tubes.)

“PG7+PY3…”

“And what are they when they’re at home?” I asked.

“Chlorinated copper phthalocyanine and arylide yellow.”

“Which are…” I lead.

“Phthalo green and Hansa yellow.”

“So why would you buy a mix of two pigments when you already have Hansa yellow on your palette?” I ask. And then demonstrated that the painting in question was mixed with phthalo blue and Hansa yellow in the first place.

The Logging Truck, oil on archival canvasboard, 16X20, $2029.00 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

The more experienced you are, you less stuff you buy

Buying excess art supplies can be fun, or it can be a form of flailing around. It can be a search for something that will elevate your art. It can also be displacement behavior; it’s simply easier than buckling down, especially when what’s on your easel isn’t going well. I speak from experience here. I have a large studio, and way too much of it is filled with stuff I never use.

How to choose the right art supplies

Start by knowing what it is you want to do. While this seems obvious, I have lots of art supplies in various media I’ll never pick up again. To a point, experimentation is good, but it can also be expensive.

Lonely Cabin, 8X10, oil on archival canvasboard, $652 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

How much are you willing to spend?

Art supplies range widely in price. While quality materials are expensive, it’s not true that the best materials cost the most. For example, while I paint with Gamblin’s artists oil range, I’m happy recommending their 1980 range as well. Likewise, I think Princeton Snap and Neptune line brushes are excellent and do not cost a fortune. And nobody who’s just learning needs a top-end archival oil-painting board.

Less is more

Three good brushes are worth more than a dozen very cheap ones. Likewise, you can get away with six colors in watercolor and seven in oil paint (those paired primaries plus white), if they’re decent quality paints. A set of 18 cheap paints is a very bad bargain.

Tilt-A-Whirl, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Research and Compare

I’m happy to share my supply lists with interested painters. (Here they are for oils, watercolors, pastels, and acrylics.) These are a moving target; my students give me feedback and I adjust them over time. Likewise, you should read reviews and ask for recommendations from other artists.  Look for online resources and tutorials that can help you learn about different materials. And never feel pressured to buy everything at once.

This spring’s painting classes

Zoom Class: Advance your painting skills (whoops, the link was wrong in last week’s posts)

Mondays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 28 to June 9

Advance your skills in oils, watercolor, gouache, acrylics and pastels with guided exercises in design, composition and execution.

This Zoom class not only has tailored instruction, it provides a supportive community where students share work and get positive feedback in an encouraging and collaborative space. 

Zoom class: Signature series

Tuesdays, 6 PM – 9 PM EST
April 29-June 10

This is a combination painting/critique class where students will take deep dives into finding their unique voices as artists, in an encouraging and collaborative space. The goal is to develop a nucleus of work as a springboard for further development.

If you’re ready to start painting, I’ve just released Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters. You’ll learn seven essential protocols that every successful oil painter needs to follow. Each course focuses on one protocol, and you can take them in any order that suits you.

Reserve your spot ASAP for a workshop in 2025: