Instructor: BJ Parker

16 Sessions ( August 31st - December 18th)

Explore the techniques and working methods of some of history’s most influential portrait and figure painters. In this hands-on oil painting course, students will study the paintings of Rembrandt, Titian, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, John Collier, and Rembrandt Peale to better understand how these artists approached composition, drawing, value, color, edges, and the illusion of form.

Through demonstrations, guided exercises, and individual instruction, students will examine how each master built a painting from the initial drawing and underpainting through the development of flesh, light, shadow, and surface detail. Particular attention will be given to the ways these artists used limited palettes, transparent and opaque layers, warm and cool color relationships, and carefully controlled edges to create convincing figures and portraits.

Students will apply these principles to their own paintings while learning to analyze masterworks not simply as finished images, but as examples of problem-solving and technique. The course is designed to encourage both technical skill and a deeper understanding of traditional oil painting methods.

All skill levels are welcome