2026
Online Recordings: “Technique Takeaway” Mini-Workshops
Winslow Art Center offers weekly online mini-workshops called “Technique Takeaways.” I’ve given six of these. $40 gives you access for two months. See all Technique Takeaways.
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Landscape Composition Boot Camp: Exploring the Four Aspects of Variation
IN-PERSON: Saturday–Sunday, May 2–3, 2026 at Pacific Northwest Art School
Mitchell is a patient instructor whose dedication is apparent. He is very clear with critique … and does not lose sight of the magical quality that painting has and balances this well with technical knowledge to create an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. – participant, The Contemporary Impressionist Landscape, 2024
Landscape Composition Boot Camp: Exploring the Four Aspects of Variation
IN-PERSON: Sat–Sun, May 2–3, 2026 at Pacific Northwest Art School in Coupeville, Wash. | 395. | Registration info
For many painters, composition remains the most elusive area of their practice. This is because its energies are often abstract or hidden beneath the narrative story of the painting. The goal of this workshop is to uncover those hidden forces—so you can take greater control of your compositions.
Working from photographs, with practical exercises, critiques, and analyses of master compositions, we’ll explore the four aspects of variation — the essential qualities that keep a composition alive and engaging. We take a real-world approach to composition: no obscure theories or academic formulas, just tangible principles that can be directly observed in your subjects.Our goal isn’t necessarily to produce a beautiful painting by the end of the workshop, but to awaken you to the aspects ofvariation that that underlie all paintings, so that you will have greater fluency with composition as you go forward.
Level: This is not a workshop for first-time painters (those who have never painted or mixed color at all), but ideally suited for intermediate to advanced painters who want to deepen their understanding of composition.
Medium: Open to painters in all mediums. The aspects of composition we cover are universal and not medium-specific. (For acrylic painters, the expectation is that you know how to manage acrylic’s rapid drying time and know how to use a “Sta-Wet” palette.)
Mitchell Albala will help you take your painting where you want it to go. He is attentive, insightful and constructive and will stick with you as you find and follow your unique artistic path. – Kris Ekstrand