Download Your Free Guide: 9 Essential Tips On How To Start Painting Again
Are you a former painter wanting to return to your art after a long break but don’t know how to get started? Or a new painter at the beginning of this exciting path? Returning to or beginning your creative practice is not always easy. Here is a free guide with tips to help you reconnect with your creative side and either begin or reignite your painting journey.

New Mini Course
Dive Into Abstract Painting®:
Painting From Start To Finish
In this two part video program I will walk you through my own painting process, showing you how I start a painting, what I’m thinking when I start as well as my insights along the way, what types of tools I use and how I use them, how I embrace risk and experimentation during the process, how I work through the difficult and sometimes scary middle phase and how I know when I am reaching the finish line, as well as some of the criteria I use to evaluate knowing when my painting is done.
The program includes nearly an hour of video instruction plus two bonus handouts and membership in our private Facebook Community Art Smart. There you can share your thoughts and ideas and interact with artists just like you, gaining courage and inspiration.
Registration for the course is now available!
Dive Into Abstract Painting®: Exploring Fundamentals Online Workshop
This 6 week online course is perfect for beginners who feel lost, overwhelmed and fearful about starting or resuming their creative practice after a long absence or for painters with some experience but who feel stuck and want to shake things up with new ideas.
Together we will explore what basic materials to have on hand, setting up your studio, how to get and stay loose, finding your artistic voice, and certain of the elements of abstract painting including color value, mark making, and composition, as well as various ways to start and move through a painting to the end.
Our focus is on you learning to trust your creative intelligence, which will lead to you to approach your painting practice with confidence and joy.
Registration for the course is now available!
Dive Into Abstract Painting®: Exploring Contrast Online Workshop
This is a self-paced online course designed to be completed in 4 weeks depending upon the amount of time you have available. Delivered in a password protected virtual classroom, it is organized into different learning modules by subject.
Registration for the course is now available!
Dive Into Abstract Painting®: Exploring Mark Making Online Workshop
Registration for the course is now available!
Boldly Abstract Online Workshop
- What is means to paint boldly abstract
- How to approach your painting with a useful mindset to encourage growth in your process
- How to accept and develop your own unique voice and trust your own creative intelligence
- New materials and tools and setting up your studio space
- Ways of starting a painting to encourage boldness
- What your signature marks are and how you can increase their boldness
- The fundamentals of color and how you can use color to create harmonious paintings and reduce color chaos that detracts from your paintings
- And much more! We will give you an insider’s view of how we each go about creating a painting in start to finish video demonstrations in which we reveal our individual thought and decision making process as we go along.
About The Instructors
Julie Schumer is a self-taught artist. Her work is shown in galleries across the United States and is in many private collections. She lives and works in Santa Fe, NM and since 2014 has been teaching expressive painting workshops.
Cat Tesla is an award winning international artist with gallery representation in the U.S. and U.K. She provides a unique perspective to abstract painting in a supportive environment. Formerly a genetic counselor, she has been a professional artist for 22 years.
The Business of Art 4-Course Suite
NOW 4 COURSES!! TAKE ONE OR MORE! The Business of Art Course has been divided into 4 convenient courses:
- Deciding to Go Pro: Setting Up Your Art Business
- You & Your Work: Tracking Inventory, Branding, Pricing, and Your Website
- Social Media for Artists: An Introduction
- Establishing Multiple Income Streams for Your Art Business
These courses show artists how to eliminate the chaos and confusion of turning your art into a business and stop feeling like an impostor and more like a valid professional artist by systematically building not only the proper mindset but also a successful business around your art.
Led by Cat Tesla and Julie Schumer, you’ll be learning from two seasoned professional artists combining decades of experience into one course! If you’ve always wanted to be a professional artist, there’s no better time to invest in yourself than now.
About The Instructors
Julie Schumer is a self-taught artist. Her work is shown in galleries across the United States and is in many private collections. She lives and works in Santa Fe, NM and since 2014 has been teaching expressive painting workshops.
Cat Tesla is an award winning international artist with gallery representation in the U.S. and U.K. She provides a unique perspective to abstract painting in a supportive environment. Formerly a genetic counselor, she has been a professional artist for 22 years.
The Business of Art Membership Program
Do you want to improve your business and marketing skills and make more money from your art? Cat Tesla and I have created the Business of Art Membership program to arm you with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in your art business in today’s fast paced and ever-changing art world, as well as help you navigate successfully the inevitable problems and issues that arise that can throw you off track. The Membership provides weekly fresh content on a variety of topics designed to help you build your art business and stay the course. Receive invaluable one on one coaching. Participate in a vibrant and supportive community via the Membership Hub as well as through monthly Zoom goal setting sessions.
About The Instructors
Julie Schumer is a self-taught artist. Her work is shown in galleries across the United States and is in many private collections. She lives and works in Santa Fe, NM and since 2014 has been teaching expressive painting workshops.
Cat Tesla is an award winning international artist with gallery representation in the U.S. and U.K. She provides a unique perspective to abstract painting in a supportive environment. Formerly a genetic counselor, she has been a professional artist for 22 years.