Painting Classes for Adults in Studios or at Art Academies: Intensive Seminars at Renowned Art Academies

Painting Class “Neon – In the Mood for Sound?” – Abstract Painting with Acrylic Paint and Pigments

4-day course at the AdbK Kolbermoor

Monday, Oct. 5 – Friday, Oct. 8, 2026

Workshop Content: An invitation to a riot of color on large canvases! It’s just plain fun to use bold, bright colors—they’re an expression of pure joy! In this workshop, we’ll learn how to use neon paint skillfully without giving anyone “eye cancer.” Sometimes it peeks through only in the background; other times, it takes center stage in a bold display. It all depends on what we want to allow and what appeals to us. In any case, our goal is to create large-format, expansive, and cohesive abstract paintings.

I’ll show you how to create large swaths of color and apply acrylic paints and pigments using various techniques. We’ll create glazes, use palette knives, sponges, and, of course, brushes. Sometimes we’ll work with a thick, impasto-like texture, other times with a fluid application, or apply paint dry.
We’ll explore the functions of lines and how to use them skillfully to connect areas. Wax crayons, charcoal, glue, pigments, graphite pencils, and brush extensions provide us with fresh inspiration and are used however we please. With these, we’ll take a series of small steps toward a new painting and new ways of seeing that lead us out of our cozy comfort zone.

In addition, there is a lecture on composition rules, which we supplement with small daily drawing exercises. This sharpens our eye and helps us in our own process of finding images.

Registration for the course is handled exclusively by the Kolbermoor Academy of Fine Arts

Painting Class: “Layers—with Rust, Pigments, Paper, and Lots of Wax”

4-day course at the Kunstfabrik Wien

Thursday, November 26 – Sunday, November 29, 2026

Seminar Content: We work on small Casani wooden blocks or MDF panels and enthusiastically apply primary rock powder to the wood, layer pigments on top, add rusted areas, coat with dyed Chinese paper, draw generously over it with charcoal or oil pastels, apply a generous layer of hot liquid wax, and scratch through this waxy layer, then fill the scratched areas with oil paint! Mixed media at its best!

We’ll be creating a series of small works on wood, all of which will have a great deal of depth, regardless of whether they turn out to be more minimalist or more densely detailed. The course will be supplemented with many small drawing exercises on fine Chinese paper—sometimes using charcoal, sometimes acrylic paint, ink, or wax crayons—which we can then use as collage material for our wooden forms.

A short presentation on image composition rounds out the seminar.

Registration for the course is handled exclusively through Kunstfabrik Wien

Painting Class: “Square, Abstract, Acrylic”

4-Day Course at AdbK Kolbermoor
Course Dates: Monday, March 1 – Thursday, March 4, 2027

Seminar Content: A course for anyone who would like to focus specifically on composing images in a square format, since a square format requires a different approach to composition than a portrait- or landscape-oriented painting.
We’ll be painting on large square canvases ranging in size from 80×80 cm to a maximum of 120×120 cm. In the process, we’ll learn how to apply paint generously to large areas and use various techniques with acrylic paints. We’ll apply glazes, use sponges, palette knives, and, of course, brushes. We’ll work with impasto at times, apply opaque layers at others, or apply paint dry. We’ll explore the full range of tonal values in acrylic paints and discover the wonderful hues that emerge when we mix individual tones together. Neon and other “impossible” colors will challenge our preconceptions. We’ll learn about the functions of lines and how to use them skillfully to connect areas. Wax crayons, charcoal, graphite pencils, brush extensions, and various types of paper will provide us with fresh inspiration and can be used however we please. With these tools, we’ll take a series of small steps toward a new painting and new ways of seeing that lead us out of our cozy comfort zone.

In addition, there is an introduction to compositional rules, which we’ll supplement with short exercises designed specifically for the square format. This sharpens our eye and helps us in our own process of finding the right image.

All further course information can be found on the AdbK Kolbermoor website.
Registration for the course is also exclusively through the academy.

Painting Class: “The Scent of Summer—Sunny, Light Acrylic Painting”

4-Day Course at the Römerstein Academy of Fine Arts
Course dates: Thu, May 13 – Sun, May 16, 2027

Seminar Content: Paintings in fresh, summery colors—with plenty of yellow, pink, and turquoise—get you in the mood for summer, feel fresh, and lift your spirits. But how do you paint a picture that looks light and airy? One that’s bright but not washed-out? That feels light yet still has a lot of power?

I’ll show you how to create light, summery paintings while demonstrating how to apply acrylic paint opaquely, impasto-style, or dry onto the canvas. We’ll complement our initial paint results with color pours to unify areas, or paint with a glazing technique. Layer by layer. We’ll use sponges, palette knives, and, of course, a variety of brushes—from wide to thin. We’ll explore the full range of tones available in acrylic paints and discover the wonderful color values that emerge when we mix the individual hues together. Neon and other “impossible” colors will challenge our resistance. We’ll learn about the functions of lines and how to use them skillfully to connect areas. Charcoal, brush extensions, and various types of paper provide fresh inspiration and are used however we please. With these tools, we take a series of small steps toward a new, summery, fresh painting and toward new ways of seeing that lead us out of our cozy comfort zone.

Composition exercises, combined with a lecture on the basic rules of visual composition, will sharpen our visual perception and help us in the process of finding the right image.

All additional course information is available on the Freie Akademie Römerstein website:
Registration for the course must also be done exclusively through the academy.

Painting Class: Shades of Blue & Rust – Five Days of Informal Painting Inspired by the Sea

5-Day Course at AdbK Kolbermoor

Course Dates: Monday, July 26 – Friday, July 30, 2026

Course Content: Do you love it when deep ultramarine blue transitions into sparkling turquoise? Can’t get enough of rusted metal at the harbor, and immediately sense that a cool blue needs exactly this warm rust-orange as its counterpart? Then this course is perfect for you.
For five days, we’ll devote ourselves entirely to the blue color family—from deep ultramarine to vibrant phthalocyanine blue and luminous turquoise, all the way to clear emerald green. To create a complementary contrast, we’ll work together to produce rust and deliberately mix it with our shades of blue, resulting in a dynamic interplay of cool and warm tones.
You’ll learn how to work with pure pigments, incorporate marble dust, ash, and rock powders, and apply paint generously or in a impasto style. Using charcoal and black pigments, we’ll create gestural, free-form drawings on the canvas—as a counterbalance to the expansive, material-rich applications of paint. Layer by layer, this process results in dense, informal paintings full of tension and movement.
A lecture on compositional possibilities rounds out the seminar.

5 days of free-form work with materials. Mixed media at its best!

All the information about the seminar is available on the Adbk Kolbermoor website. Registration is handled exclusively through the Academy.

Painting Class: “Neon—In the Mood for Color?”—Abstract Painting with Acrylic Paint and Pigments

5-Day Seminar at the Eigenart Academy in Bad Heilbrunn

Wednesday, September 22 – Sunday, September 26, 2027

Workshop Content: An invitation to a riot of color on large canvases! It’s just plain fun to use bold, bright colors—they’re an expression of pure joy! In this workshop, we’ll learn how to use neon paint skillfully without giving anyone “eye cancer.” Sometimes it peeks through only in the background; other times, it takes center stage in a bold display. It all depends on what we want to allow and what appeals to us. In any case, our goal is to create large-format, expansive, and cohesive abstract paintings.

I’ll show you how to create large swaths of color and apply acrylic paints and pigments using various techniques. We’ll create glazes, use palette knives, sponges, and, of course, brushes. Sometimes we’ll work with a thick, impasto-like texture, other times with a fluid application, or apply paint dry.
We’ll explore the functions of lines and how to use them skillfully to connect areas. Wax crayons, charcoal, glue, pigments, graphite pencils, and brush extensions provide us with fresh inspiration and are used however we please. With these, we’ll take a series of small steps toward a new painting and new ways of seeing that lead us out of our cozy comfort zone.

In addition, there is a lecture on composition rules, which we supplement with small daily drawing exercises. This sharpens our eye and helps us in our own process of finding images.

Registration for the course is handled exclusively through the Eigenart Academy. You can add your name to the waiting list for the course; it has not yet been posted online by the academy.