Early-Bird Registration

Artists that sign up early by “April 1, 2026” will receive a free copy of Mike’s recently published book, “Art Principles: Control Your Painting Process & Conquer Your Fear of Failure”. This 123 page book details the seven fundamental principles of painting and his painting process. It also includes his journey as an artist. This is a $25 value available on Amazon Books. For a complete description of the book go to this link: https://tinyurl.com/m7x53dee

Follow this link to download a 20 page sample of the book: https://tinyurl.com/3ftf2vu5

First Day Schedule

Mike will begin with a thorough introductory presentation explaining the painting principles and procedures necessary for successful painting. After a question and answer session, Mike will do a painting demo from start to finish.

After the demo Mike will help students set up their painting equipment and prepare for a Paint-Along which will begin by the end of the day one or the first of day two.

Teaching Approach

Mike’s students have had great success using Paint-Alongs to learn his pastel process. The more controlled step-by-step procedure of a paint-along is very encouraging to those who want to master the seemingly contradictory qualities of control and spontaneity. You will learn how to think in Aesthetic Categories which form the foundation of all forms of art.

Second Day Schedule

Mike will lead a Paint–Along session in which he will supply a landscape picture to each student to paint that is identical to the one he is using. Mike will demonstrate his step-by-step painting process, stopping at each step to allow students to reproduce what they have just seen him paint. He will answer questions and work with individual student during their painting time. Students have found this to be the fastest and most effective way to build confidence while learning his painting method.

Third Day Schedule

On the third day, Mike will briefly review the material he has taught and introduce specific instructions on measuring techniques, scene selection, and value studies. Students will begin work on scenes from their own photo references. Mike will work with each artist to determine how to choose the best photo reference and how to crop it.

Fourth Day Schedule

On the fourth day everyone will continue working on paintings done from their own source material and/or begin as second painting from their source photos. At the end of the 3rd day, there will be a comprehensive class critique of all the work produced during the workshop. Many artists consider this one of the most useful sessions of the workshop experience.

Throughout this process, students will learn several techniques including how to edit what you paint to the most essential elements for the most successful painting.

A Systematic Painting Process 

You will also be introduced to Mike’s “Aesthetic Categories” ©, a 7-step systematic approach to painting based on classical principles of art which are logical, learnable, and memorable. Also know as the Divine SETUP, this systematic process will free you to be more spontaneous, while still in control of your painting. You will learn the necessary steps and the order in which they must be used to accomplish a good painting.

Video Instruction & Review

Mike’s demonstration paintings and paint-alongs will be videoed and made available to workshop participants. These videos will be your way of reliving and reviewing the learning experience you receive at this workshop for years to come.

Your success is Mike’s goal!
“Success is where preparation meets opportunity.”
Pastel painting is a pleasurable experience. However, it has unique challenges that can be overcome by proper preparation!