Essential Elements guides you to confidently get to the  next level of your painting. By the end of this course you will have

1. Nailed down the basics of art

2. Learned why values are key to a realistic painting and how to see them clearly

3. Learned to mix, bold, fresh color. No mud!

4. Developed your own painting process you can use each and every time you want to paint anything.
5. Become a more confident painter

How did I get here?

I took a watercolor class during my last semester in college that changed my life direction. It was the start of 30 years of intermittent art study that lead me to where I am today. For most of that time, I was a stay at home mom and hobby painter. It wasn’t until my oldest son left for college that I questioned the path in front of me. A speaker at my son’s college orientation asked, “What gift do you have inside you that you could share with the world?" Of course he was speaking to the students, but I thought: I like art. I like kids. I will become an art teacher and share what I know about art. Long story, short, I did just that. I realize now it was also a crucial step in making me a better painter too. While teaching the basics of art and art history to my elementary students, I was reinforcing those ideas in my own work. These days, I paint in my studio in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida called CHROMA. I continue to learn, inspired to be the best guide for my adult students, to nurture the spirit in those who also wish to learn.

Here are some comments from some amazing artists who took the course in December.

"Your process, if followed, will ensure success.  The Essential Elements course is outstanding, the examples reinforce the learning and painting demonstrations are incredible!"

“In all the classes I’ve taken, your process makes sense to me."

"You are BRILLIANT!!!!  Honestly, this information and the way it’s presented is amazing!!!  You’re such a good teacher and so easy to listen to.  The color segment was so helpful and will hopefully make a big difference for me.  I’m so happy!  THANK YOUUUUU!!! I’m going to spread the word to my friends for the next chance of signing up.”

“Kathleen, your patience, process, talent and teaching skills are the secret recipe.  Your online presence is the best and you have made such good use of your time to execute your vision.  I am very excited for you and those of us who follow you.”

What’s Inside Essential Elements?

It is a course built around the simple, yet powerful, tools I use in my painting process that are applicable to new or evolving artists: the elements of art.  

 THE ELEMENTS OF ART

• Line
• Shape
• Color
• Value
• Space
• Texture
• Form

There are 7 chapters, one for  each element.

In each chapter I show

• beautiful examples of each element
• highlight example paintings from the masters as well as modern masters.
• explain each in a way that’s not just a vocabulary , but in a way that you know exactly how line, shape, color, value, space, texture and form can directly impact your painting process and make you a better painter
• show you how I use the element in my painting process.

5 complete demonstrations

+ exercises leading up to the demos

a private Facebook group for Essential Elements students to post your progress and ask me questions.

How this course came about:

I taught, in-person, acrylic classes at CHROMA, my studio.  I found I had many repeating students.  Some students had painted a long time ago and were trying to get back into it.  For others, this was totally new experience, but they knew they wanted to do it.  They wanted to learn to paint.

I also taught oil painting workshops; my technique I use to create an oil painting.   I found that it worked best with students who were of the intermediate level.  With their prior experience, they caught on quickly.  I loved seeing their results with their newfound knowledge!  Yet, I had more and more requests from people who were new to painting and wanted to learn.

Both students in my oil and acrylic classes wanted more.  They needed more of the basics.  I needed to create a way to teach these students.

After almost 2 years of interviewing my former students and asking myself, “How did I become a better artist?”, “Essential Elements” was born.  It is a course built around the simple, yet powerful, tools I use in my painting process that are applicable to new or evolving artists.

I’m passionate about these principles and how they’ve help me become a better artist.