Artists Classroom @ Home with Kathleen Dunphy
Brushing Up: The Principles of Painting
A solid understanding of the principles of good painting will give you the freedom to do whatever you want to as an artist.
During this 4-week oil painting series, you will join nationally-recognized artist and popular workshop instructor,Kathleen Dunphy, as she guides you through the foundational principles of painting: from creating compelling compositions to mixing accurate colors and creating interesting surface textures, this comprehensive course will help you to better understand how to improve your work. In the final week, Kathleen will discuss her ideas for continuing to grow and learn through your art journey and provide tips on critiquing your own work.
Live online classes will take place every Tuesday of November from 1:00 to 3:00 pm ET.
Recordings of these sessions will be available on demand until 30 days after the last workshop in the series.
Meet Kathleen Dunphy
Masterfully capturing the beauty of nature, nationally-acclaimed artist Kathleen Dunphy paints with a passion that radiates her reverence for the natural world.
Nearly two decades after American Artist Magazine recognized her as one of its Top Ten Emerging Artists, Kathleen's star continues rising through her devotion to her career, participation in distinguished national exhibitions, and sharing of her abilities as a popular instructor to students of all levels.
Her awards include Best of Show from the American Impressionist Society; Award of Excellence from Oil Painters of America; accolades at the Federal Duck Stamp Competition; Grand Prize at the Acadia Invitational Exhibition in Bar Harbor, Maine; and honorary participation in multiple juried shows such as Birds in Art, Arts for the Parks, Western Visions, and the California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibitions, where she received an Honorable Mention award in 2026. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum purchased two of her works for inclusion in their permanent collection – her painting “The Flotilla” and her charcoal drawing “Covey”.
Her work continues to receive coverage in respected publications such as Plein Air Magazine, The Artist Magazine, The American Society of Marine Artists News and Journal, Art of the West, Southwest Art, Western Art & Architecture, and Western Art Collector. A popular and respected teacher, Kathleen conductsmany online and in-person workshops.
The Workshops
Workshops in this series will take place live online from 1p - 3p ET every Tuesday of November.
Video recordings of the workshops are available on demand until 30 days after the last workshop in the series.
Please Note: The paintings & images shown for each class are just an example of the type of painting/subjects that will be discussed and demonstrated. The final paintings will not be be replicas of images shown in descriptions.
NOVEMBER 3 l POWERFUL DESIGN
The Backbone of All Good Paintings
A good design is what grabs the viewer from afar and draws them into your painting. This week, Kathleen will discuss how to choose a subject and make the best use of source material. Through cropping and rearranging elements of the scene, we will discover how to create dynamic and interesting compositions that make your work stand out from the crowd.
NOVEMBER 10 l LIMITED PALETTE
...Unlimited Possibilities
You don’t need dozens of tubes of paint to make beautiful paintings! Kathleen will show you how she uses just 5 colors plus white to create her paintings, regardless of the subject matter. We will practice color mixing and get the opportunity to see just how unlimited the possibilities are even with a limited selection of paint.
NOVEMBER 17 l LAYING IT ON THICK
Paint Application & Surface Texture
Brushwork and surface texture add an added level of interest to a painting. Kathleen will show various techniques and some unconventional options for applying paint using several different tools. She will also walk you through an exercise that encourages the use of thicker paint and texture.
NOVEMBER 24 l LIFELONG LEARNING
Becoming Your Own Instructor
Classes are important, but what do you do when the workshop is over? Kathleen will tell you her ideas for becoming your own instructor to help you continue to learn and grow as you paint outside of a classroom setting. She will also discuss ways to successfully self-critique your work and demonstrate reworking a painting for better results.
Gallery of Kathleen's Work
What Our Past Students Are Saying
- Series 2 Artists Classroom Student
- Series 1 Artists Classroom Student
- Series 2 Artists Classroom Student
- Series 1 Artists Classroom Student
