Jenny Berry Art

Each student has different needs and different goals. Some are very loose and expressive and others very true to the reference. From day one I begin trying to figure out how I can best help each person be their best painter.

We paint from photographs in this class and I provide the photos and all materials but after the first painting many students start to shoot their own reference and bring in their own materials as to their preference. We are very flexible in here.

I have a Bachelor's degree in figure drawing/graphic design and I've taken workshops, done mentorships and continue to study every year with some of the most respected representational and abstract painters working today. I believe we should never stop learning new ways of looking at painting. Every time I come home from a workshop I attack my painting with new energy. 

All pricing details are on my website.

Both of my parents are teachers so I've been around it my whole life. Listening to them talk at the dinner table growing up. It just seems so natural, how to explain things.

I remember when I was learning to paint, pre-YouTube, before the days of the internet. There was only one book that I could find called "How To Paint Like The Masters" and it was utterly useless practically speaking. It was about 30 pages long but it was all I had.

I couldn't find a teacher that knew anything. I remember how badly I wanted to learn. I think feeling that way, that terrible frustration, was one of the biggest drivers that got me into teaching.

And the bad info I see out there now is one of the things that keeps me teaching! I want people to get the right info from the start. I did a lot wrong at first because I was self taught in the beginning. Once I learned the right way it was so much easier. We talk a lot about basic studio practices in class too.

I have worked with people that have never picked up a brush before. In fact if you look at pics on my website more than one of the pics you'll see there are from people doing their first painting. I've worked with very advanced oil painters who want to improve their techniques, especially in portraiture, one of my favorite things to do is model flesh and work with skintones and mix color. 

I can talk about color and color theory and color mixing for hours. I've worked with students just on that. 

I have worked with students who realized that acrylics are wonderful for some things but they're not the best for representational painting, oils are better because they blend, they stay open, they neutralize easier and much more.

I use both pretty much daily and both have their place but for representational painting (unless a painter has a unique style that relies on properties of acrylic paint of course!) generally oil is going to give you what you want. I've worked with many people making the switch. I work with an oil paint company that is completely non-toxic so even if they made the decision for health reasons they can now oil paint safely. I have a completely toxin free oil painting studio. 

If you want to paint with acrylics in this class it's okay. I provide oils for free. Like I said, we're flexible.