Introduction to Oil Painting

This is a still life study similar to one done in my introductory oil painting class at the Visual Arts Centre in Montreal.  In the accompanying video I focus on simplifying the subject first into basic relationships of light and shadow and then go on to explain how I finish the painting. The goal is to help inexperienced painters understand the thinking process that goes into the making of a painting. 

Here is the video:





Since I am never completely satisfied with the way colour gets translated into the video during production, I  thought it might be useful to see some of the slides from the process:

Field Study

oil/canvas, 11x14 inches

This is a quick study done with my Impressionist class last week.  The aim of the exercise was to create a tonal gradation in the sky with varying tones of blue and to get the sense of trees and fields with differing tones and hues of green. 

Impressionist Painting Tutorial

Painting is a dynamic relationship between the mind, hand and materials. Words are not a natural part of this process.  As a studio instructor, I am always searching for ways to make painting more accessible to people.  This is a short video explaining the painting process used to make the painting Mes Deux Macs.  I have added a speech to text audio voice (not mine) to briefly explain the different steps.  Which do you prefer, a video of this sort or static images with written explanations?