Back in the August/September 2022 issue, I wrote an article called “Art School Today,” and discussed various art schools and avenues to learn, both in-person and online. As this important topic is always changing, we felt it was important to help you discover a few new exciting art classes with top notch instructors.

Everyone is at a different stage with their work, and with their career. Beginners may desire classical training instruction, or they may simply want to take a trip to a beautiful place and try a fun new art class. Intermediate painters usually have a particular frustration they want to fix in their work and will seek out an instructor who can help them get to the next level. Did you know that advanced artists also take classes? Even some of the most talented artists I know occasionally get online and take a class to improve their work or to push themselves to brush up on their figure drawing skills, or discover a new color theory or painting method. Top artists also get together and learn from one another.! So we are all always art students of art, it seems.

Artists painting on location in Europe with Workshops in France.

 

There are solutions for every need out there. With so many great options both online and in person, you will no doubt find your niche. These days with so many expanded options for online learning there is little need to step out of your home or studio. Online can also be less expensive and offer some scheduling flexibility. Some people prefer to work online and not have the pressure of painting or creating next to others. This can be great for concentration and you can often pause the recording, or even interact, when you want, with the class on a Zoom session. There are some great online classes that meet once a week, just like some college students these days who take some of their classes online only.

Others crave or simply enjoy the camaraderie of an in-person workshop. These can take place in classical art ateliers all over the world, or as travel workshops with well-known artists. Some even take place in a castle in Europe! In-person has so many hidden benefits. An artist’s life is often a solitary job, so it can be quite valuable and affirming to meet and paint with other like-minded individuals.

Whichever your persuasion, here are a few that have popped up on my radar as of late that are worth the share.

A group of art students at Aristides Atelier.

 

In my last article, I had mentioned the amazing online hub called Patreon where various top fine artists teach online classes at very reasonable rates. Everything is filmed in advance so there is absolutely no pressure from others.

For more colorful plein air landscape workshops online or on location, I would suggest either award-winning artists Scott L. Christensen or Ray Roberts. Christensen has an excellent comprehensive online art class system called “Adventure of Painting.”

Another online recommendation for figure drawing fundamentals, using a very structural method, is Foundation Art School with Brian Knox. I have personally taken these classes, and I so enjoy this type of building the figure. It’s very handy to know this method when you need to invent the figure without a model, and very helpful if you have one as well. Classes are uploaded by the teacher once a week and you have all week to complete it. You can even fall behind and catch up as well. It’s at your pace. To this day, I take one of these classes, ongoing, whenever I have time.

For a very fun, light and more expressionist/impressionist approach there is the amazing Peggi Kroll Roberts who offers a colorful set of classes live on Zoom. Her classes have become quite famous and encourage camaraderie and the freedom to create with many mediums. “I gave myself permission a long time ago to avoid the beaten path!” says Roberts.

Vanessa Rothe’s art teaching materials in the studio.

 

Art organizations are also a great resource. Don’t forget you can often turn to the art organizations—such as the American Impressionist Society or Oil Painters of America—online for lists of their “artists workshops.” Often, you don’t have to be a member to take most of these classes; they are simply helping their members by listing their classes on their workshops page. It’s a great resource.

Carmel Visual Arts is a smaller workshop-based art school along the coast of California and has a great roster of in-person and travel workshops in the United States. It boasts the famous Carmel and Big Sur coastline as a setting and offers workshops in all sorts of mediums from watercolor to oil to pastel and even gouache. Although geared more toward intermediate landscape artists, they sometimes offer beginner workshops as well.

For more classical figure drawing, Juliette Aristides, an award-winning fine artist in classical realism, runs Aristides Atelier and offers structured online art classes.

“After running the Aristides Atelier in Seattle, Washington, for over two decades, training some of today’s top realist painters, I moved my program online and now offer intense training within an online Atelier community—leading students through a curriculum steeped in the time-honored techniques and principles of classical art…Students get personalized feedback in a supportive online community that ensures that distance is not a barrier to an excellent education. This is more than just an educational experience; it’s a journey of self-discovery and artistic fulfillment, designed for those who thought such rigorous study was beyond their reach,” according to Aristides. She has also published a variety of fine art books on these subjects, which can be found on her website, as well as in-person workshops in beautiful European locations.

Speaking of painting in incredible locations, I highly recommend the various travel retreats and celebrated artist workshops with Workshops in France. From Provence to Scotland to Italy and more, one can study with their favorite artist or take their beginning plein air workshop amidst the poppy fields. As this is a forward-thinking workshop company, new classes are being offered that also include how to run your art business. They will be hosting my new workshop called “Making the Leap!” which will help many aspiring or professional artists properly set up their business, write strong biographies and artist statements, advertise and market their artwork.

Remember, if you are not sure whether you are better suited for in-person or online learning, give them both a try and see where you thrive and learn best. And don’t be afraid to try new mediums, subjects and teachers. —