Patience is a virtue.

I think it is very easy to misinterpret the process and the length of time it takes to create a gallery ready painting, especially if you are learning to paint in an online workshop. My workshop videos are unscripted, but the content is edited so that repeat processes are not shown. It is not unusual to repeat steps in a painting over and over to arrive at a suitable finish.

Take my biggest workshop, “Expressionism, Vol 2”. That online workshop contains over 6 hours of footage and demonstrates the process of 4 abstract paintings. The workshop itself took about 2 weeks to film! So once the workshop is packaged, the most important 6 hours of film are what you will see in the class.

There is an exciting time for me while painting. It’s not the initial coverage on the canvas, it’s not the color mixing…it’s not the finished stage….the most exciting time for me while painting, is when something is not right and I enter the “trouble shooting mode”. I almost WANT paintings to go “wrong” so I can fix them! Any variety of problems can come up while I am working on a painting. Problems like an off balance composition, a hideous color palette, and uneven coverage. My experience with painting helps me identify what the problem is in 99% of cases. Learning how to correct each issue is what is exciting.

This might sound weird, but I don’t approach a new painting with the idea of having fun in mind.. I approach it more like a challenge or a puzzle…and being able to solve each puzzle is what is fun to me. Even more fun is the opportunity to help all of my students trouble shoot when they need it too!

Artist and author, Julie Prichard in her art studio.

I feel like the online workshops that I offer are like taking a class in school. In a class, you would raise your hand and interact with the instructor. The instructor would walk you through your lessons and encourage you to practice and study. I really feel connected to this process, probably because I enjoyed all the different art classes I took in high school and college. I LOVE being able to answer questions and to help people. That’s my customer service background shining through.

If you’re interested in learning with me..don’t feel like you are going to complete the class sample and walk out of class with your diploma in hand. These classes are more like that semester you took ceramics.. paint with me over and over and absorb everything- your process will thank you when you’re done.

To learn more about my online workshops, please click here to see the class lineup.

(The close-up image shown at the beginning of the post is from my new work, “Dream Vacation”. To see the entire planning, please click here.)