Landscape Painting: All About Color (Online Course) Fall 2026 w/ Tim Tait

September 5 to October 3 (Saturdays), 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM, Eastern Time

**All sessions are live and will be recorded; students do not have to be present. All recordings will be available to students for 3 months after the final session; after 3 months, the recording will be deleted.

Please check your email spam/junk folder for your Zoom invite. Our business hours are 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM. All course information and email correspondence will be sent during business hours. If students purchase a course, workshop, demo, or recording outside business hours or during the weekend, the course information or recording will be sent the following business day.

DEMO: https://youtu.be/NWaHkwSN6rs

Course Description

This class will be focused on color and color relationships in painting, specifically landscape painting. However, what we learn can be applied to any category of painting. The first two sessions will include discussions on color relationships and looking at examples of artists using an intentional, limited color palette. We will do several small studies to explore how colors influence one another in proximity and according to their scale and arrangement.

The remaining three sessions will include further discussions of ways to work with color, including light and shadow, color as mood, and the symbolism of color. Each of these sessions will include a demonstration painting and discussion.

In terms of materials, we will be working in acrylics, and as with my previous classes, we’ll learn ways to make acrylic paint behave more like oil paint.

Course Outline

Week 1 - Introduction and Initial Color Studies

I will give a brief overview of the course, discussing my experience with “Color” as both a painter and as a designer. We’ll discuss the use of an intentionally “limited color palette” in painting. I will show and discuss a few relevant paintings by artists such as Anni & Josef Albers, Piet Mondrian, Jordan Casteel, Lois Dodd, Giorgio Morandi, Georgia O’Keeffe, and a few others, followed by a 5 minute Q&A.

After a brief talk about materials and set up, I will start on the 1st set of quick color exercises using acrylic on paper. These studies will focus on selecting a limited color range or palette and using these colors in ways to create harmony and tension, followed by a 10 minute Q&A.

Homework: do your first set of color studies on paper based on this demonstration.

Week 2 - Refining Color Studies

We will review and discuss your studies from the previous assignment which you’ve posted on our class Padlet page.

I will demonstrate refining the use of color by intentionally controlling value and proportion. I will do several quick studies on paper to show ways to build and refine a composition based on color relationships,

followed by a 10-15 minute Q&A.

Homework: do your second set of color studies on paper based on this demonstration.

Week 3 - Light and Shadow

We will review and discuss your studies from the previous assignment which you’ve posted on our class Padlet page.

We will discuss using light and shadow as opportunities for intriguing color relationships and a sense of depth and dimension. I will do a demonstration painting on canvas for this session — followed by a 10-15 minute Q&A.

Homework: do one or more paintings based on this session’s demonstration.

Week 4 - Color as Mood

We will review and discuss your painting(s) from the previous assignment which you’ve posted on our class Padlet page.

We will discuss the idea and practice of creating “mood” through color choices and application. I will do a demonstration painting on canvas for this session — followed by a 10-15 minute Q&A.

Homework: do one or more paintings based on this session’s demonstration.

Week 5 - Symbolism in Color

We will review and discuss your painting(s) from the previous assignment which you’ve posted on our class Padlet page.

We will discuss the practice of using color to symbolize or convey meaning. We will discuss how colors in different cultures and traditions have communicated meaning and value. I will do a demonstration painting on canvas for this session — followed by a 10-15 minute Q&A.

Homework: do one or more paintings based on this session’s demonstration.

Course Materials

• A pad of heavy watercolor or acrylic paper (i.e. Strathmore, Canson, Blick, etc.; 9 x 12”, 11 x 14” or similar)

• 3 small pre-primed stretched canvases or canvas boards (i.e. 11 x 14”, 12” x 16”, 14” x 18” or similar)

• acrylic paints ( I use Golden Artists heavy body, but you can use whatever brand you like or have)

• acrylic retarder (additive that extends the drying time) – important

• brushes (variety of sizes)

• water (for mixing and cleanup)

• palette (can be anything from an acrylic sheet, store-bought palette, old plastic container lid, etc.)

• your reference photos (can be printouts or photos on a laptop, tablet, smartphone screen, whatever works for you)