Tag: Monday Morning Art School

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Monday Morning Art School: why choose non-toxic pigments?

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

One of my students in Sea & Sky at Acadia National Park last week is a PhD researcher in the health sciences. I was thrilled to hear her disparage cobalt blue, not for its rather muddy color, but for the health risks associated with metal pigments.

Many traditional artist pigments contain toxic metals. These include cadmium (cadmium red, cadmium yellow), cobalt (cobalt blue, cobalt green), lead (lead white, flake white), and chromium (chromium oxide, viridian). In powdered form, heated as encaustics, or when sanded, they can be inhaled or ingested. Their health effects can be very serious, including organ damage, neurological problems and cancer risk. (As a three-time cancer survivor, I take this seriously.) The problem is most serious with loose pigments (as in pastels) or when heated in encaustics. But even when bound in oil or acrylic binders, small chips, dust or contaminated hands still pose hazards.

Ravenous Wolves, oil on canvas, 24X30, $3,478.00 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

As real as these health hazards are, they pale in comparison to the risks to the people making these pigments. We’ve shipped our most egregious safety hazards to the developing world, where health and safety regulations are severely limited, and child labor isn’t unknown. Sadly, pigment manufacture is done almost entirely in those places. When you buy a tube of paint including heavy metal pigments, you’re contributing to that problem.

How do you know what pigments are in your paint?

All good manufacturers tell you what’s in their paints, either online or on the tube. The marketing name can be confusing, so I wrote this blog post to explain how to determine what’s in your paint.

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

Environmental toxicity
When you wash brushes in a sink or dispose of leftover paint, these same metals enter the wastewater stream. From there, they can accumulate in soil and waterways. Heavy metals don’t break down—they persist in the environment, harming wildlife and contaminating the food chain.

Safer alternatives now exist
Modern synthetic pigments generally surpass the brightness, permanence, and opacity of these ‘legacy’ heavy metal pigments, without the same toxicity profile. Painters should switch to these options for safety and ethical reasons.

However, heavy metal paints are still legal and still widely used. If you feel you must (and I hope you don’t), take the following safety precautions:

  • Work in a well-ventilated room (open windows, use fans to exhaust air outside). Keep children and pets out of your painting area.
  • Have a separate sink bucket for brush water—never dump pigment water into household drains. When the brush water has completely evaporated, dispose of solids as toxic solid-waste.
  • Dispose of painting rags as solid hazardous waste.
  • Wear nitrile gloves while handling paints.
  • Wear a particulate mask while sanding and do so in a well-ventilated area.
  • Use a palette knife to mix colors (you should be doing that anyway).
  • Wear dedicated painting clothes, and don’t track pigment dust into your home.
  • Wash your hands before leaving the studio or handling food or drink.
  • Work in a well-ventilated space.
  • Keep food and drinks out of the studio.
Best Buds, 11X14, oil on canvasboard, $1087 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Doesn’t that sound like a complete pain?

Instead, why not use non-toxic pigments? They’re generally higher-chroma and less prone to fading anyway.

Here is a chart of toxic pigments and modern, non-toxic pigments:

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

Can’t commit to a full workshop? Work online at your own pace:

Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters

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Monday Morning Art School: five ways to create focal points

By the time you read this, I’ll be embarking on my first day of two weeks of teaching—first at Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park, and then in the Berkshires. (Schoodic is now closed, but there’s still room in the Berkshires.) This morning I’m starting with composition and focal points.

Focal points are crucial in painting. They guide the viewer’s eye and create visual interest and impact. Not everything in a painting should compete for attention. Focal points help establish a clear visual order, telling the viewer where to look first. This hierarchy makes the painting more readable and engaging.

Understanding focal points is fundamental to intentionally designing your paintings. Focal points influence and interact with rhythm, value structure, color, edges, and detail—in short, the most critical elements of design.

For a more in-depth description of focal point, see here.

How to Create a Focal Point:

Here are five ways to create focal points in your paintings

Line—the human eye naturally follows lines.

Line is the boundary between two shapes. There are two fundamental kinds of line: actual lines, which are visible marks, and implied lines, which are suggested by a sequence of objects—like a row of trees or the gaze of the subject.

Line directs the eye, so you can use it to guide the viewer through the painting.

Value contrast—the eye sees shifts in value first.

This makes it the most important design element in visual art. Value contrast defines form and structure and creates the illusion of depth and volume. But most importantly, it controls the viewer’s eye.

Because of the physical construction of our eyes, we are drawn to areas of strong contrast. You can use value contrast to highlight focal points, draw the viewer through your composition and emphasize what’s important (and downplay what isn’t). That’s the theatrical power of chiaroscuro right there.

Chroma contrast—use high-chroma focal points in contrast to a neutral background.

Lobster pound, 14X18, oil on canvas, $1594 framed includes shipping and handling within the continental US.

First, some definitions. High chroma means intense, pure, vivid color. Low chroma means dull, neutral, or grayed-out color.

Passages of high chroma against low chroma draw attention and create focal points. Our eyes are drawn to areas of strong chroma contrast. For example, a splash of bright yellow in a painting full of muted tones instantly commands attention.

Varying chromatic intensity also adds emotional power, creates depth and space, and supports color harmony.

Warm vs. cool contrast—use warm tones against cool tones to create focal points.

Heavy Weather (Ketch Angelique), 24X36, oil on canvas, framed, $3985 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Contrasting warm and cool colors draw the eye. The viewer instinctively notices where temperatures shift, especially if warm and cool are placed side by side.

Warm vs. cool contrast is one of the most useful tools in a painter’s toolbox. It helps create spatial depth, especially when describing light and shadow. It adds emotional tone. Used properly, it creates color harmony.

Place focal points at strategic compositional points

Placing focal points at visually strategic points in a painting is essential. You would be unwise to place focal points on the edge of the canvas, for example. That looks unbalanced and will encourage the viewer’s eye to just leave the picture entirely.

Careful placement of focal points guides the viewer’s eye naturally. These have to be considered in relation to each other, and their placement is as important as the patterns of darks in your painting.

Strategic placement always takes into account the shape and orientation of the canvas. It’s about using the visual geometry of the space to strengthen the painting’s design.

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

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Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters

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Monday Morning Art School: the overwhelming landscape

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

Last summer, one of my students arrived at my workshop with a problem I see frequently. She could draw beautifully from photos, but when she set up outdoors, she froze. “The landscape is overwhelming,” she said. “There’s too much going on. I don’t even know where to start.”

That’s the problem of infinite options, and at times it can be a stumbling block for even the most experienced painters, especially in a new environment. There is a sense that the whole world is pressing in, demanding to be painted. If you succumb to that and don’t break the scene down, you end up fussing endlessly over detail. Or, by trying to include everything, you end up with a painting about nothing in particular.

On the first day, I gave this student one simple assignment: big shapes first. We stood on the edge of a blueberry barren, facing a stand of spruces set against the immensity of the ocean and the sky. “Squint,” I told her. “What are the three biggest shapes you see?” She hesitated, then answered: “The sea, the sky and the trees.”

Athabasca River Confluence, 9X12, $696 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

That became, in the end, both her composition and her focal points. Once she blocked these in on her sketch, she could move easily into a structured, sensible painting. She was no longer struggling to find a starting point in an immense landscape, and the mindless chatter of too much detail faded.

By the end of that day, she had a painting that was loose, fresh, and alive. More importantly, she had an epiphany. She realized she didn’t have to paint everything, only the essence of the scene. From that point onward, the workshop was a romp for her.

Every painter has hurdles like this—sometimes it’s drawing, sometimes color, sometimes just getting past his or her own nerves. The good news is: once you know the roadblock, you can break it down. That’s where good instruction and practice make all the difference.

Coal Seam, 6X8, oil on archival canvasboard, $348 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

But don’t take my word for it

Here are some of the comments I received after last year’s October immersive plein air workshop:

“The week started as an exercise in frustration, for all the varied reasons that make watercolor challenging. But Carol, with a sprinkling of her magic dust, managed to turn it into a high by Friday afternoon.” (Rebecca)

“It was a week of growth for me! Thank you, Carol, for a wonderful learning experience.” (Lynda)

“What a magnificent experience this has been to meet everyone, be a part of a week of learning, living, creating, with like-minded artists and a teacher with significant range… I loved our week together and would do it again in a heartbeat.  I learned so much from Carol, which was the icing.” (Jody)

“I had a wonderful week! I learned a lot and am left energized and motivated to put all my new-found methodology to work.” (Beth)

“Thank you for the abundant art wisdom, patience and willingness to give of yourself.” (Sandy)

“This is the first workshop I’ve attended without a 2–3-hour demo to start every day and it was WAY better!  The personal attention addressing my painting–where I’m at and where I’m trying to go–was so much more helpful than watching someone paint then trying to relate it to my work.  The demo at the end of the week solidified all that we had discussed all week. (Christine)

Eastern Manitoba River, 6X8, oil on archival canvasboard, $348 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed when standing in front of a landscape, don’t put off tackling it. My October immersive plein air workshopis your chance to face it head-on. With its sweeping views and ever-changing light, Beech Hill is one of the best classrooms you’ll ever step into.

But space is limited, and October will be here before you know it. Don’t wait—secure your spot today, and give yourself the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for.

Click here to reserve your place before it’s gone.

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Monday morning art school: loosen the grip of self-judgment

Above the Arctic Circle, 6X8, oil on archival canvasboard, $348 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Recently I’ve been writing about the crippling problem of self-judgment—here and here, for example. Here are some exercises you can try to loosen self-judgment’s death grip on your painting.

These exercises work because they focus on the process, not the product. Your goal is to build confidence through the act of painting. You do this by letting go of the idea that you can perfectly represent anything—either the vision in your mind’s eye or the scene in front of you. (I’ve never painted anything that matched my initial vision, and yet I’ve happily surprised myself many times.)

My goal is for you to focus on the joy and curiosity of painting. The happier you are with a brush in your hand, the better you’ll get at painting.

These exercises are not a replacement for good technique, and they don’t stand in for regular learning. They’re quick ‘practice swings’ that detach your idea of self-worth from your limitations.

Hare Bay, Newfoundland, 12X16, $1159 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Paint solely from your imagination

This means no reference and no trying to match your painting to anything in front of you. It’s a chance to swish paint around and just feel what your brushes can do.

Let your memory do the work

Draw from reference (real world or photos) and then paint solely from memory. After about twenty minutes, you’ve memorized the scene anyway. Do you like the results more than slavishly copying reality?

The 20-brushstroke painting

Read how to do it here. It’s a good way to stop yourself from overworking or overthinking.

The 20-minute painting

Set a timer. Paint. When time’s up, stop. No re-dos.

The goal, like the 20-brushstroke painting, is to break the habits of overworking or overthinking.

Athabasca River Confluence, 9X12, $696 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Copy a failed painting

Take a painting you hate and paint it a second time, without belaboring the fix.

What changed the second time around? (Note: this will work for bad paint application or drawing, but never for bad design.)

Paint in monochrome

Paint a scene using in only one color. Limiting color choices frees you up to focus on value, shape and brushwork. What do you lean on when you can’t rely on color?

Paint something with no planning

While I don’t recommend a steady diet of this, painting something without preparatory drawing can free you up to use raw and expressive brushwork. How much have you been perseverating on ‘getting it right’?

Paint with the intention of tearing it up when you’re done

Think of this as an Etch-a-Sketch experiment. Knowing something is temporary frees you from perfectionism. You might be surprised how strong your work gets when you stop being attached to the outcome.

Moonrise, 12X16, $1159 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

Can’t commit to a full workshop? Work online at your own pace:

Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters

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Monday Morning Art School: why is instruction important when learning to paint?

Beach erosion, 9X12, Carol L. Douglas, oil on canvas, private collection.

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?

Beach toys, 9X12, oil on canvasboard, Carol L. Douglas, private collection

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

Beach Saplings, Carol L. Douglas, 9X12, oil on canvas, $869 framed.

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
Fish Beach, Carol L. Douglas, 9X12, oil on archival canvasboard, private collection

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.

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Monday Morning Art School: choosing a plein air easel or pochade box

The Gloucester-style easel is great for park-n-paint but I really can’t carry mine very far.

I finished last week’s workshop with a plein air easel show-and-tell at my gallery, because a recurring question is, “what kind of easel is best for me?”

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, so before you start looking, ask yourself these questions:

  • What size paintings do you typically do outdoors? There are maximum sizes for each plein air easel, and they don’t perform well once you exceed that.
  • What medium do you use—oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache or pastel?
  • Do you prefer fast setup and light weight, or something more stable in high winds?
  • How do you usually travel to paint?
    • Park-n-paint, where you paint near or out of your car.
      Backpacking or hiking to painting sites.
      Flying to workshops.
  • How frequently will you paint outdoors? A daily painter needs a more stable plein air easel than a once-a-month painter.
  • How handy are you? Paint boxes are simple; a good craftsman can build or modify most designs. However, if you don’t know which end of the screwdriver means business, you’re better off buying one off the shelf.

Remember, all plein air easels and pochade boxes are compromises, which is why I’ve ended up with so darn many of them.

How not to treat your Mabef M-27 watercolor easel…

Watercolors vs. oil painting

Watercolor painters who work small may need no plein air easel at all; they can do just fine with a folding chair and their work on their lap. If you plan to work larger, a pivot head is important. There are a number of options for this, including the Mabef M-27 field easel (here at Dick Blick, here at Amazon).  It can hold a full sheet of watercolor paper on a Gatorboard support and the angle adjusts very quickly. It’s also usable for other mediums, but there are easier plein air easels for oils and acrylics. Also, balancing a palette on its arms is sometimes an exercise in frustration.

Pivot heads are not just for watercolor

There are several other pivot-head systems on the market, and I generally like them because they divorce the support from the often-heavy paint box. The Leder easel at $159 (not including the tripod) is reasonably priced for a solid, stable, painting system. It can hold a canvas up to 24″ tall, which is large enough for most plein air work. You must buy your own tripod and paint box, but that has some advantages. You’re not hauling around a heavy wooden box, because you can pair it with a Masterson Sta-Wet palette box, which is far lighter. It’s also a great system for pastels, because it allows you to use your existing pastel box. In fact, you can flip between media quickly. (Ed says that if you use the code Carol10, you’ll get a 10% discount.)

Terrie Perrine’s pastel box on her Leder easel. Building your own box is a great solution if you’re handy with tools.

Guerrilla Painter boxes are rock solid but too heavy for me (I just gave my last one to a friend). They do make a fabulous support, the No. 17 Flex Easel. It still requires a tripod with a pivot head and some kind of box, but En Plein Air Pro makes an excellent shelf that will hold your stuff.

Another option in this family is the Coulter Art Box, which has a pivot head and a box with a wraparound support that grabs the legs of your tripod.

This is where being handy is helpful; many artists have modified or built flat paint boxes at a fraction of the cost of an off-the-shelf version. I built mine.

Pochade boxes

There’s so much variety in pochade boxes that I can’t possibly mention every choice. For most fieldwork I use an Easy L box, which I have in three sizes, including an 8X10 that’s light enough to backpack. I bring an Easy L box when I’m flying.

The New Wave u.go pochade is a simple, elegant design, but even the largest is really only suitable for smaller work. Its mixing area is very shallow; that’s a problem if you use lots of paint. However, the palette does lift out so you can freeze it, and it’s lightweight.

Strada makes the only aluminum pochade boxes that I know of. That’s a pity, because aluminum is less prone to moisture damage than wood. It doesn’t result in much weight savings, however.

About your tripod

A good carbon-fiber tripod and a ball head with a quick-release plate may set you back more than your pochade box. The good news is that they’re lightweight, stable, and almost indestructible. I have only one; I swap it out every time I change pochade boxes.

My students from my plein air workshop last week. Front row: Phoenix Barra, Aurise Randall, David Griffin. Back row: Helena Van Hemmen, Jeanne-Marie Van Hemmen, Lori Galan, Yves Roblin, Marlene Van Aardt, Amy Sirianni, LuAnn Dunkinson, Tim Moran, and me. Missing: Rachel Houlihan. (Photo courtesy of Bill Marr.)

Gloucester-style easel

For years, I used a cheap knock-off of the Gloucester easel. Mine finally snapped in a high wind. The replacement was so warped that I returned it. If you want this style easel, you need the Take-It Easel.

The Gloucester-style easel is invaluable for large work or windy days, but it’s too heavy for me to carry very far. Weight is the big reason so many artists use the park-n-paint approach to plein air. It’s easy, but it’s limiting.

What not to buy

I’ve written about how Google drove me toward inexpensive and fatally-flawed Meeden pochade boxes. It’s always frustrating to watch students struggling with terrible equipment..

Many people have been given a French box easel by loving friends or relatives. If you have one, by all means use it, but don’t voluntarily inflict one on yourself. They’re heavy and difficult to set up. Pochade boxes are lighter and nimbler.

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

Can’t commit to a full workshop? Work online at your own pace:

Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters

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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.

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

Can’t commit to a full workshop? Work online at your own pace:

Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters

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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.

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

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Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters

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Monday Morning Art School: common art scams

Cottonwoods along the Rio Verde, 9X12, oil on archivally-prepared Baltic birch, $696 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Unfortunately, fine artists—especially those who’ve recently started selling their art—are inviting targets for scammers. Here are some of the current art scams:

An oldie-but-baddie, the overpayment scam

How it works: A buyer reaches out, eager to purchase artwork. They offer to send a check, usually more than the agreed amount, and ask the artist to refund the balance, supposedly to a shipping agent. The check bounces after the refund is sent. This scam, for the record, is mail fraud, but it’s so common I doubt the USPS has time to follow up every example.

Watch for these red flags: the contact will make vague references to your work, without requesting details of size, frame, or additional photos. They will offer to send an overpayment, with a request to refund the difference. These emails and messages always seem one step away from illiterate. They’re not exclusive to artists; a friend fell for one on a rental property deposit.

Brooding Skies, 8X10, oil on archival canvasboard, $522

Related: the third-party shipping company scam

How it works: A buyer says they will arrange for a third-party shipping company, but you’re asked to pay the shipping fees up front. Of course, the shipping company is fake.

Watch for this red flag: any time a buyer asks you to pay any third party, don’t. Get yourself a shipping account and do the shipping from your end.

The fake art dealer or pay-to-play gallery

How it works: you’re offered a spot in a show, magazine, or exhibition, but you have to pay a fee to participate. (This is different from entry fees to juried shows, which are legitimate.) These vanity galleries and publications have no real exposure or audience.

Watch for these red flags: you’re asked to pay to be featured, the websites are vague or poorly designed, and there are no verifiable credentials. I was recently ‘invited’ to a show with a major New York auction house. Very little research was necessary to show me that the curator had no connection with the real thing.

No Northern Lights Tonight, 6X8, oil on archival canvasboard, $348 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Phishing and identity theft                                                    

How it works: Scammers pose as buyers to get your personal information or gain access to your online accounts.

Watch for these red flags: Suspicious links or attachments in emails or requests for login details, banking info or your peer-to-peer payment apps. Apps like Venmo or PayPal are not covered by the same banking rules as your credit card or checking account, which means less protection against fraud.

Another oldie-but-baddie: the NFT scam

How it works: you’re approached about turning your art into NFTs—but asked to pay upfront minting fees. Or your art is stolen and minted as NFTs without your permission.

Watch for these red flags: I get several of these messages a week through Facebook. They are high-pressure, even after I say I have no interest in NFTs. These people can’t clearly explain the platform, the process or how you will make money. Often there are upfront costs for future earnings.

Île d’Orléans waterfront farm, 8X10, oil on archival canvasboard, $522 includes shipping and handling in continental US.

A rare but bad scam: gallery default

How it works: a gallery takes your work on consignment but doesn’t report sales or disappears with your pieces.

Red flags: no written contract, no inventory list or receipts, no communication. Sometimes these are signs of a disorganized gallerist, but you should be paid promptly (within 30 days) of a gallery sale.

How to protect yourself:

I only sell work through Square or, in rare instances, by check. Credit card services offer protection that is worth their high fees. But here are some guidelines to help you weed through suspicious offers:

  • Does the buyer reference a specific piece of your work and show a familiarity with your work, or is everything in generalities?
  • Does their email address match the gallery or name that the sender is using?
  • Can you verify their identity using LinkedIn, a gallery website or social media?
  • Are they pressuring you?
  • Are they offering to overpay or include shipping/refund instructions?
  • Do they ask you to send money to a third party?
  • Is the offer full of grammar and spelling errors?
  • Are you being asked for money?
  • Do you have a written contract for any gallery opportunity?

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

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Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters

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Monday Morning Art School: art in times of stress

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

This may come as a big surprise, readers, but we’re in a period of upheaval. We all react to stress differently, but for many of us, it’s very hard to concentrate during challenging times—we’re too busy worrying and doomscrolling to focus on anything positive.

While keeping your artistic practice alive through stressful times is challenging, it can also be healing.

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

First, let’s talk about working when you’re feeling paralyzed:

Lower the Bar Without Losing the Thread

I’ve just come through a long artistic drought. My way of coping was to do less, but to at least do something. For me, that meant drawing instead of painting, and I clung to teaching my weekly classes.

Doing something could mean watercolor sketches, tiny color studies, or even color-mixing charts. These are practice strokes against the day when you’re ready to start really painting again.

Make a tiny window of time just for art

When my house threatens to overwhelm me, I make a point of putting away ten things and then stopping. I insist on the stopping because if I don’t tell myself that, I’ll never start. It means cleaning isn’t an insurmountable burden.

A similar technique works with art practice. Make yourself a tiny ritual: sketching for ten minutes while you drink your coffee, for example. Humans find comfort in routine. And stop telling yourself that you have more pressing responsibilities. Anyone can afford ten or twenty minutes; I’ve wasted more time than that reading about the Kardashians.

The Wave, 9X12, oil on archival canvasboard, $869 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US.

Keep an idea journal

I can’t stress the importance of drawing your ideas, even if they’re just scribbles. Even chaotic things have creative value. I’ve recently stopped sharing my sketches, because they’ve suddenly gotten less-developed and more experimental. Not everything needs to be finished for public consumption.

Switch up your medium

When I’m flailing around in oils, I switch over to watercolors. They feel more relaxing, even though there are just as many ways to mess them up. It’s not that another medium is easier; it’s just that it applies pressure in different spots.

With a little help from your friends

Painters do art alone, but that doesn’t mean we need to isolate ourselves. I survived my art drought with the support of my students and my close friends. Even when you’re too paralyzed to make art, you can talk art, and that in itself can get you moving again.

Be patient with yourself

Okay, that’s easier said than done, especially for us impatient people. But your creative drought is also when you’ll gather new ideas and insights, think and even rest. It took me months to have the epiphany that got me moving again, and that was all built on the back of indirect work.

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

How does art reduce anxiety?

Let’s talk about why you should keep making art even if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now.

First, you’ll find that it helps reduce anxiety. When you make art, your brain shifts from a stress-driven state (the sympathetic nervous system) to a calmer state (the parasympathetic nervous system). Your heart rate slows, cortisol levels drop and breathing deepens.

Psychologically, making art puts you into a flow state. That has no past or future and therefore little space for worry. Art is, of course, all about making the intangible tangible, which helps you externalize feelings (even if what you’re making has nothing to do with emotion). That reduces the power of anxiety.

Art therapy has been proven to work for PTSD, depression, and chronic stress. Why not let it work for us, too?

Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:

Can’t commit to a full workshop? Work online at your own pace:

Seven Protocols for Successful Oil Painters