The Adventure Art Academy began in 2021 as a series of painting classes filmed outside and shared here, and there are now more than 40 Adventure Painting classes! It has also grown to include an amazing community and a constellation of other content and classes from mini lessons to multi-part classes like the Ink Sketching Course. I am so grateful I get to teach and connect with folks here. Whether you are a current student or thinking about learning with me, thank you for being here!
To learn more about the categories listed below, click the image or scroll down. Current students can use many of the links to navigate to class content and login.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out! - [email protected] -
With so much content, there is no specific order that you need to do the classes in! The main Adventure Lessons are designed to be done in any order, as each class has sections on techniques, color mixing, and composition.
If you are looking for some free content to get started, click the link above or head to my YouTube and blog!
EVERY PAINTING IS AN ADVENTURE
These classes are the heart of the Adventure Art Academy. Each is an immersive painting class filmed outside at a beautiful location, and it is my hope that you might feel like you are painting right there with me (minus the mosquitos and rain!).
You can explore these lessons in any order and they feature a wide range of complexity and scenery. I also work in many sizes - from small pocket paintings to huge half sheets of paper. You are, of course, always welcome to paint at whatever size you want!
In addition to the main lesson filmed outside, each class also has a:
- Intro video sharing the hike and place with you
- Color mixing section
- Techniques practice section
- Composition notes and a detailed downloadable reference document
To see photos of the classes, click the images below.
Here are just a few of the places we will paint together in the Adventure Lessons:
- A glacier-carved valley explored from a kayak
- An Icefield accessed by a tiny plane deep in the mountains of the Yukon
- In desert canyons and overlooking sandstone arches and bridges
- Beside glowing larch trees illuminated by morning sunlight on the last backpacking trip of the season
- Hidden waterfalls 30 minutes from a major city and from the side of a ski run!
Each year, I teach a handful of free online classes. Each one is around an hour long and focuses on a specific technique or skillset.
If you are a current Adventure Art Academy student go to the Mini Classes Page.
For everyone else, to be notified about future free classes please sign up via the form below.
- Whenever I schedule a new free class you will be automatically registered get an email from me with the class access info.
- I will also send you an email with the link to my YouTube channel where you can explore a selection of prior free classes.
- The free classes are ONLY on YouTube, not this website (the "login" buttons on this site are for the Adventure Art Academy)
Sign up for access to my free classes list (you will also be added to my newsletter - I send one email each month).
Studio Courses are the longer multi-part classes that I lead online from my studio. Unlike the Adventure Lessons, these classes are filmed indoors from my studio which allows me to demonstrate techniques really clearly.
Each of these courses can be purchased as a standalone class OR for free as part of the Adventure Art Academy membership!
Ink Sketching Course: The live version of this popular course starts up again January 23rd, 2025! Everything is recorded if you can't attend the live session times.
Alpenglow Course: three part series where I share all of my favorite techniques, tips, and strategies for painting alpenglow. Recording available.
In addition to the longer studio courses and the main Adventure Lessons, I also teach a handful of standalone workshops. These include monochromatic paintings of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Shuksan, how to paint alpenglow on Mt. Baker, and a Story Sketches class.
These class recordings are only available as part of the Adventure Art Academy. Current students, go here and login to see these lessons.
Here's a little overview of each class:
- Monochromatic Watercolor - there are two workshops that focus on exploring the magic of painting with a single dark color. These two mountain scenes also explore techniques for trees, ice, rock, and skies.
- Story Sketches - in this unique class I share my go-to techniques and strategies for creating "story sketches" that combine watercolor and ink paintings with pencil drawings, words, and color swatches.
- Sunrise Alpenglow - a favorite standalone class that walks you through how to paint this beautiful scene with step-by-step instruction. Many students now complete this class after the Alpenglow course, as a way to put those skills into practice in a bigger painting.
Each month I host a Live Demo & Community Gathering on Zoom for any current Adventure Art Academy students who would like to attend. I always enjoy these sessions because it is a chance to say hello to folks, answer questions, and just have fun chatting about art with the wonderful community from around the world. I also record each session, so if anyone can't attend live they can still follow along.
Since my students are spread all over the globe, many also connect via our online community space on Discord (a free non-social media app). Joining this super engaged community is one of the Adventure Art Academy benefits (and, you can stay part of the group even if your subscription ends, as alumni are welcome!)
Current students, clicking on the images below will bring you to the recordings.
Some of our past demo and conversation topics include:
- Advice for how to apply to art residencies
- In-depth discussions of why one of my paintings works or doesn't, with awesome input and ideas from the group
- How I approach the design and commissioned painting process
- And so many different techniques shown in the off-the-cuff demos!
This is an area that I will be expanding this spring with a new beginner series.
For now, most folks who are newer to watercolor start with the "Outdoor Watercolor Intro Series." (this is part of the Adventure Art Academy).
I can't believe that I made this video four years ago! Teaching these classes and starting this online art school has been one of the best projects of my life, and I am so honored that I get to paint with so many amazing folks!
In addition, there are also paintings on the Adventure Lessons category that are less complex, and some students who want more practice often do many of the "Techniques Practice" sections before diving into a full lesson.
