A NEW WAY TO LEARN...

You’re here because you want to grow and evolve as an artist. For years, my real-world workshops helped students like you develop new skills, but more importantly, new ways to see. Now I offer the same instruction online, designed to boost your confidence as you paint! – TJK

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2020 AUGUST ONLINE WORKSHOPS...

Mixing Greens for the Landscape Painter

Aug. 12th, 2020
9:00 am to 12:00 pm PT

Everyone says greens are the bane of the landscape painter and some folks are even terrified of them. Painters, gallery owners, and collectors struggle with accepting them. But why? Greens aren't that hard to bring under control. So join me and learn how you can tame the green monster in your own work, be it the Viridian, Pthalo, or Hooker’s green lurking in your paintbox.

We will discuss how and when to neutralize local Chroma of a green. We will also discuss how light and atmosphere impact how we perceive green. And we will definitely cover how you can make your audience accept green in your work. Without having your collector to buy a new couch. (ha!)

I will demonstrate all these basic principles, and more, and paint a landscape at the same time. What you will learn from these three hours can be immediately applied to your own work.

3 hour Demo and Talk

Level: Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

$150 US

Around the Bend_Palm Canyon - 12x16_smal

Painting Rocks

Aug. 19th, 2020
9:00 am to 12:00 pm PT

Painting rocks isn’t hard (pun intended). But there are things helpful to know if you want to get good at painting them. In truth rocks are just three-dimension shapes with tops, sides, and bottoms, and being able to fully express their mass and weight isn’t that complicated once you understand what to look for. Rocks consist of surface planes. They have textures, cracks, and edges (often soft and hard), and sometimes they seem randomly jumbled about, glacially rolling down a slope or strewn across the flat ground, or sitting shoulder-to-shoulder clumped against each together. Things grow on rocks, and between rocks, and over eons natural forces keep grinding away at their solidity. Sometimes rocks are huge, like a cliff, and sometimes they are small like a stone you might skip, but usually they are a little of both in between.

All rocks, no matter the size and kind, share certain characteristics. So much so it is best to not paint them as a bunch of isolated shapes, but as singular masses or groups. You can learn to exploit their similarities to reinforce the design your painting. And if you carefully pick and choose you can create a sense of scale, pattern, and rhythm to carry your audience’s eye to a pleasing focal point. And since rocks often provide the most neutral colors in your painting they reveal the quality of light that illuminates your scene, creating harmony.

Lowly rocks. Let’s look at them more closely…

3 hour Demo and Talk
Intro/Intermediate
$150 US

Painting Falling Water

Aug. 20th, 2020
9:00 am to 12:00 pm PT

••• Back by Popular Demand! •••

The classic Zen Koan says you can never step in the same river twice, and that profound thought explains why trying to paint water in motion can perplex even the most experienced landscape artist. Water is ephemeral. The shapes you see are gone before you see them, never to fully repeat. Even when you think it repeats, it doesn’t. Even when water is silent and still, it isn’t, for it is still flowing underneath. The optical qualities of water can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. More aggravatingly, water can exist as all three at the same time. And all the reflections, refractions, and flickering specular highlights can dazzle and confuse your eye.

I can’t think of subject that is more difficult to capture in a convincing way than falling water, which may be why it remains such a challenge for the budding plein air painter. I will demo how you can create the illusion of movement caused by gravity, using color and strokes, and share ways you can suggest the flow without freezing it like a camera. And I will discuss how taking careful artistic license with your subject will make your water look even more real.

So join me as we get into the flow…

3 hour Demo and Talk
intro/intermediate/advanced
$150 US

August workshops are now finished and I will be taking the rest of the month off. September classes will be announced August 29th. Come back soon!

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A BRIEF FAQ...

Teaching philosophy: My approach to teaching is simple. Start with where you are and move you in the direction you want to go. I make your experience as custom as possible after evaluating your existing skills and abilities.

The Classroom: My online classes are small in size and designed to be an intimate and informative experience. I present your instruction live and in real-time, just as I would in my own studio or out in the field. You can watch me talk, draw, and paint, and ask questions as I work, and I can answer them on the fly – which makes our time together an interactive show and tell.

What kind of online workshops do I offer? I offer three types, with each one varying in content, delivery method, and instructional scope. Some are structured as 3-hour Paint 'n' Talks, where I demonstrate bite-sized topics important to all painters. Other workshops are White Board Lectures. They focus on a singular topic which is critical to know. And finally, there are my Multi-Session Workshops, which can be two, three, or four day experiences spread out over one or two weeks. They give you time to practice and execute the concepts we cover at your own speed in your own studio. The multi-session workshops include group and peer critiques, with the positive emphasized over the negative. Based upon over 30 years of teaching, I've learned these methods offer a powerful way to make you a better painter.

Pricing & Schedule: Currently, class times are offered Wednesday and Thursday mornings, from 9 to 12 am PDT. Costs vary according to the complexity and length of the workshop. Please refer to the class list below for specifics...

questions? contact Thomas...

WHAT YOU LEARN INDOORS ALSO WORKS OUTDOORS...

HOW TO REGISTER FOR A CLASS...

1. Review the class you wish to take. Click the link for that class and you will be taken to the registration page.

2. Pay for the class with a credit card or PayPal account. A PayPal account is not required for payment.

4. A confirmation email will be sent to the email you used to register. This email will contain information about your class, including its date, time, and a special link you will use to log in. If you do not find this email check your spam folder. If you still do not find it contact me directly.

If you are having trouble registering for a class please click here for step-by-step instructions...

4. If necessary, download and install the free Zoom software at www.zoom.us. Confirm everything is working properly before the class begins. I cannot assist you with setting up your account.

5. Log in 5 minutes before the class begins by clicking the link in your confirmation email. If nothing happens, copy and paste the link into your browser. Hit return and you will be taken to my online waiting room. If you are more than 10 minutes late you may have to wait before I can let you in.

6. Please verify your camera and microphone are turned on.

7. Finally, please read the Expectations and Guidelines (below) before you register.

If you have additional questions I can be reached by using the contact form below.

EXPECTATIONS AND GUIDELINES

First and Foremost: We will all follow the Golden Rule.

1. Please arrive in your workshop waiting room on time – or better yet, five minutes early.

2. Interaction with the group and myself is encouraged but allow time and space for others to interact as well.

3. I may ask you to hold a question if I am preoccupied by a difficult passage, or if I plan to offer a more complete answer later.

Workshop Content & Length

4. Your class will stay on topic. You may expect a workshop or talk to run 3 hours in length unless otherwise specified in the schedule.

5. If you disconnect from the classroom you might not be able to return. Of course you are free to step away as needed, but please leave your computer connected. Be sure it has adequate power for the entire class. Having to re-admit you will disrupt the instruction.

How to Reserve a Workshop & Method of Payment

You reserve a workshop by purchasing it online. The number of students for a workshop is limited to keep the group small and classes are offered on a first-come, first-reserve basis. Some classes will repeat more often than others depending upon demand.

Digital Requirements for Workshops and Lectures

Zoom Meeting can stream to a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smart phone. But you will need to install their free software to do so. It is easy to install and you can find it free here: www.zoom.us

IMPORTANT: Always install (or update) the latest version of Zoom's software. Again, test it before your workshop begins. I will not be able to help you troubleshoot an issue on my side.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

We all know things happen, so if you wish you may cancel your reservation up to 24 hours before a class starts and receive a full refund, minus 20% for administrative purposes. Refunds will be made to the same card or PayPal account used to reserve the class. Requests for refunds after the 24 hour period may (or may not) be approved on the basis of repeated cancellations or a personal emergency.

If I must cancel a class for any reason you will receive a full refund within three days and it is likely I will reschedule the same class for the same time later in the month. You will need to re-register for that class if you want to take it.

Reselling a Reservation

You may not share, offer for free, or resell your reservation without first notifying me of your intent to do so or your reservation runs the risk of not being honored. I will have a student roster for each class and use it to verify students as they enter the classroom.

A NEW WAY TO LEARN...

2020 AUGUST ONLINE WORKSHOPS...

A BRIEF FAQ...

WHAT YOU LEARN INDOORS ALSO WORKS OUTDOORS...

QUESTIONS? CONTACT ME...