Painting Spring Blooms with Claudia Rilling

This class is designed to help you approach floral painting with more confidence and sensitivity. We’ll work from life or photo references to simplify complex forms, understand the structure of flowers, and create a clear, strong painting.

Starting with small exploratory studies of simple floral set-ups, we'll gradually move toward more complex flowers and dense arrangements.

Each week students will bring a small simple floral arrangement of their choice. This can be fresh or silk flowers.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

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Supply list:

Bring your own flowers each week: fresh or silk. Keep the flower arrangement very simple. Three buds are plenty in small simple vase.

Bring your preferred paints and surfaces. The instructor will be working in oil.

For Oil Painters: (these are just suggested, if your supplies are slightly different that is fine too)

• Paper Towels / rags

• Canvas Panels, stretched canvas, or gesso primed paper. Sizes: roughly 8x8, 8x10, to 16x20, 16x16.

WEEK 1: bring 1-2 small surfaces (8x10 or close to this size)

• Paint Brushes- It’s good to have a variety of brushes that range in both type and size. Rounds, Flats, and Filberts are all good. I use both synthetic and bristle.

• Paper Palette (or whatever you prefer) - at least 16 x 20. I use both paper and glass in my studio.

• Metal palette knife. A pointed end is best, not larger than 3 inches long.

• Some Basic Paints: (or use what you have)

Yellow Ochre or Transparent earth yellow— Ivory Black— Cadmium Red— Cadmium Yellow Light or Medium— Ultramarine Blue— Titanium White — Alizarin crimson — Quinacridone Rose- Sap green (or similar tube green)

• Any other colors that you like

• Feel free to experiment with any other tube pinks, greens and blues.

• The brand I prefer: Gamblin or Windsor Newton professional oil paint (avoid student grade)

• Liquin Original or linseed oil. Or any medium that you prefer.

• Odorless Turpenoid or Gamsol

• Jars or cups for medium and thinner. Make sure the lid seals tightly.

• View finder (you can make a homemade version with pieces of cardboard taped together). I use the "View Catcher" brand.

• Gesso (optional to prime surfaces): Professional Grade White Acrylic Gesso. “Golden” brand is good