Oil Painting for the Very First Time
Winter Class | Available
This is a painting class for absolute beginners who want to try oil paint for the very first time. We start in black and white, so you can learn to see light and dark before adding color. No drawing experience is needed. Each exercise gets you painting right away. Color comes in during the final weeks, once the foundation is in place.
*Students have the option to pay a $25 materials fee directly to the instructor on the first day of class to access oil painting supplies throughout the course while in the classroom. (This is a great way to try out some high-quality art supplies to see how they feel before making in investment in your own painting kit.)
- - All students bring an apron or old clothes and gloves (nitrile, latex, or gardening gloves)
- The instructor provides shared paint rags, brush-cleaning supplies, and still-life setups.
- You don't need to purchase supplies if you pay a $25 materials fee directly to the instructor on the first day of class. (This fee is not collected during registration). You will have access to everything you need to get started while in the classroom.
- OR if you prefer not to pay the materials fee, please bring your own painting supplies listed below.
Painting Supplies
Traditional oils or water-soluble oils both work. If you use water-soluble oils, you do not need Gamsol.
Paint
- Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour: Titanium White, 37 ml
- Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour: Ivory Black, 37 ml
Brushes
Brush sizes vary from brand to brand, so go by width instead of number. Long-handled brushes are best.
- Hogs bristle filbert, about the width of your pinky fingernail
- Hogs bristle flat, about the width of your index fingernail
- Synthetic sable flat or bright, about 1/4"" (6 mm) wide
- Painting knife, small spade (Blick #44)
Surfaces
- Palette paper pad, 12"" x 16""
- Canvas pad, 9"" x 12""
Solvent
- Gamsol odorless mineral spirits, 8 oz
- Mason jar with a tight-fitting lid
Kate Mundie
KateKernMundie | Explore Art & Inspire Action
Kate Kern Mundie (b. 1974) is a mid-career artist rooted firmly in the rich tradition of American realism. Her work reflects both urban streets and rural landscapes, capturing moments of beauty in the environment. She considers her work part of the environmental realism movement. Through her paintings, she skillfully portrays the impact of climate change and human influence on the evolving landscape.
Kate Kern Mundie’s artwork is in the collection of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and numerous private collections. Kate is a two-time winner of the Fred & Naomi Hazell Faculty Fellowship from the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial. She has also been a recipient of an artist residency at the Elizabeth Bishop House in Nova Scotia, and the Thrive Together Network Virtual Artist Residency. Additionally, her work has been featured on film and book covers.
A proud alumna of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she studied printmaking and painting, Kate also holds a BFA. from the University of Pennsylvania. She resides in Philadelphia with her husband and fellow artist, James Mundie, and their children, while also being part of the artist community on Deer Isle in Maine. Kate’s work offers a profound exploration of the American landscape and the societal forces that shape it.