Built for Possibility

A main goal of this workshop is to help you find your own artistic voice, so your paintings become more recognizable, memorable, and uniquely yours. We will do this by looking at artists from art history and discussing practical ways you can put your own personal stamp on your botanical paintings.

We will be working from photo references during the workshop. Please bring 1–3 high-resolution images to paint from, as well as an iPad or tablet so you can easily view your reference. If you don’t have a tablet, please print your image as large as possible so you can clearly see the smaller details. You may choose anything that inspires you visually: your favorite garden, a luscious tropical landscape, flowers, trees, or any botanical imagery that ignites your inspiration. You are also welcome to bring photos of birds, small animals, or insects you would like to include in your composition. Detailed instructions will be sent to you by email. A wonderful place to gather reference photos is the Botanical Garden. Please use a tablet or printout for your reference image — phones won’t be used for this part of the workshop.

Ilona will demo different painting stages from start to finish, enabling you to learn how to create thin layers and transparencies. You will learn about what brushes to use and when, discussing the usage of solvents and their drying times.

 You will learn how to mix vibrant and luminous hues with Ilona’s classic color palette as well as best practices for brushes and brushwork.

 There will be two break-out sessions (end of day 1 and day 2) where we will focus on studio practices, art equipment and art business related topics. The art business sessions will focus on themes related to finding and developing your own personal artistic voice.

 A few weeks after the workshop, we will schedule a one-on-one private Zoom meeting to review and discuss your finished work as well as your path to finding your own artistic voice.

Day One

Meet and greet with coffee and snacks, introductions on setting up your workstation. Followed by slide demo/presentation and how to transfer your drawings to canvas. Luch break, then discussion of color usage and color mixing demo. Next you will be setting yourself up for indirect painting success with a demo of blocking in color. Rest of the day will be spent on individual painting with one-on-one help as needed. (*Special late afternoon session on working with galleries and art business discussion.)

Day Two

Continue with subsequent layers of painting. After lunch, painting demo, discussion focused on building paint layers and paint application. Which brushes are used to get different effects. One-on-one session with each student discussing personal strengths and goals that they want to reach with this exercise. Rest of the day painting. (*Special late afternoon session on setting up your own website and art business discussion)

Day Three

Artists continue to progress to new layers of their painting. Afternoon session spent discussing varnishes, solvents and mediums and how they effect the drying rates of oil colors. At the end of the day, we will have a group discussion on finalized work or work that still needs finalizing.

1-2 weeks after Workshop is over

Followed by a private on-one-one Zoom meeting to discuss finalized work and next steps in finding your voice.

If you notify us four weeks or more before the workshop start date, you may transfer 100% of your tuition toward another workshop or private mentoring sessions. Credits must be used within one year of the original payment date.

If you cancel within four weeks of the workshop and the session is sold out with a waitlist, allowing another artist to take your place, you will receive a 75% refund.

If Ilona cancels the workshop—for reasons such as low enrollment, illness, or an apocalyptic glitter storm—you will receive a full refund. Please note, we are not responsible for any costs related to airfare or hotel reservations. We recommend purchasing trip insurance for flights and booking hotels with flexible cancellation policies for added peace of mind.

Overseas and out of State artists: need help with hotels or transportation? Contact me anytime—I’m happy to offer suggestions.

This is a general overview of the materials you’ll need to bring with you. The list below is simply intended to give you a general sense of what will be required. Once you register for the class, you’ll receive my personalized art shopping list, featuring my favorite oil painting materials chosen to help you achieve the very best results. The full list will include recommended brands, favorite brushes, and direct links to each item for quick and easy online purchasing. Please make sure you allow ample time to order all the supplies needed for this workshop.

Oil paints colors:

You’re welcome to use your favorite high-quality oil paints. Please avoid very inexpensive brands, as they tend to make the painting process more difficult.

Titanium white

Lemon yellow

Cadmium Yellow

Ochre

Cadmium Red

Alizarin Crimson

Violet

Rubine Lake

Cobalt Blue

Prussian Blue

Ultramarine Blue (optional)

Burnt Umber

Raw Umber (optional)

Viridian Green

Intense Turquoise

Acrylic colors (for underpaint):

Titanium white

Burnt umber

Yellow Ochre

Oil color mediums:

Oil color Liquin Fine Detail

Gamsol odorless mineral spirit

Gamlin refined linseed oil

Oil paint brushes

My preferred brushes for working in thin layers are sable brushes. Once you sign up for the class, you’ll receive the full list of my recommended brushes.

Additional materials needed:

1 Ampersand Gessoboard 11 x 14

1 high quality Canvas 20 x 24

1 sketchbook 11 x 14 inches

2-3 pencils 3B and 4B, eraser

1 box of willow charcoal. Medium, 12 sticks.

1 leather rag

Matte Fixative spray can for charcoal.

Your favorite color mixing palette (I will share my home-made method for making your own color palette once you sign up)

Cotton rags for cleaning

We warmly welcome out-of-state and international art students. Upon registration, you’ll receive a list of recommended hotels and accommodations. Since paints and mediums cannot be transported by air, we’re happy to provide paints and mediums from Ilona’s personal art supplies for an additional fee. Please feel free to email us for details, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about transportation, accommodations, or art materials.