Intermediate Painting with Paul Pietsch

Intermediate Painting with Paul Pietsch

Class | Registration opens 11/19/2025 12:00 AM EST

Intermediate
1/16/2026-3/20/2026
2:00 PM-5:00 PM EST on Fri
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$525.00

Intermediate Painting with Paul Pietsch

Class | Registration opens 11/19/2025 12:00 AM EST

Based on the foundation of concepts and skills explored in the Washington Studio School’s three Introductory Painting courses (A,B,C), Intermediate Painting is designed to further students’ mastery of mixing color, developing form, and creating painterly space. The course’s goal is to help students develop the confidence to move beyond painting as mimesis to painting as expression, preparing them for the school’s Advanced Painting course or for working on their own. Though students will paint representationally (from observation-working from still lifes and the figure)—the course will focus on how to build the underlying structure of a painting, and how this critical step determines the painting's compositional strategies. This will give students an understanding of simplifying the picture plane and suggesting rhythmic movement, as well as channeling subjectivity in color choices and mark-making. To further encourage individual interpretation, the course also will explore tactics for introducing personal narrative and other content in painting.

  • Classes will be held on Federal Holidays unless otherwise communicated by your instructor. 

  • Painting Surfaces

    • 6 painting surfaces—stretched canvases, wood boards or watercolor paper, all prepared with primer and gesso or just gesso—each 9" x 12" or larger 


    Palette 

    • One flat palette 11”x14” or larger in size. Students may use a wood, paper, or glass palette. (Do not buy a plastic palette or a palette segmented into multiple smaller palettes.) 


    Brushes 

    • Students may use a range of hog-hair and/or nylon brushes, but should at minimum have the following brushes:

     • 1 bright brush, size #8, #10 or #12 

    • 1 flat brush, size #8, #10 or #12 

    • 1 round brush, size #8 or #10 

    • 1 filbert brush, size #8 or #10 


    Paint 

    Students should have at least one tube (37ml or larger) of each of the following colors, but may bring additional colors as they wish: 

    Whites 

    • Titanium White

    • Zinc White

    Yellows 

    • 1 “warm” yellow (e.g., Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Yellow Deep) 

    • 1 “cool” yellow (e.g., Cadmium Lemon, Hansa Yellow Light, Cadmium Yellow Light, or Bismuth Yellow Light)

    Reds

    • 1 “warm” Red (e.g., Cadmium Red Light, Naphthol Red, Perylene Red, Pyrrole Red or Winsor Red) 

    • 1 “cool” Red (e.g., Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Red, or Cadmium Red Deep) 

    Blues 

    • French Ultramarine Blue

    • Thalo Blue Green Shade (also sold as “phthalo blue” and “Winsor Blue” green shade.) 

    Other 

    • Viridian 

    • Sap Green 

    • Yellow Ochre 


    Solvent 

    • Gamblin's Gamsol Oderless Mineral Spirits (no turpentine or other mineral spirits allowed due to hazardous fumes) 

    • Two shatter-proof jars (16oz or larger) with a secure lid for the Gamsol. 

    Other Necessary Supplies 

    • 1 palette knife (trowel shape, 2.5” or longer) 

    • Bar soap or dish detergent for washing brushes

    • A bag or other container for transporting supplies

    •  1 roll of paper towels

    •  1 pencil (HB or #2) 


    Optional Supplies

  •  

    • Apron or smock

    •  Nitrile, latex or vinyl gloves 

    • Notebook (any size)

    • Gojo hand cleaner (great for removing oil paint)

Paul Pietsch