Demo night
A free 90-minute evening demonstration: one portrait study painted from start to finish, with every decision narrated. Come meet the teacher before committing to anything.
Workshops
Two days at the easel, taught the old way.
Classical portrait painting for anyone willing to slow down: drawing first, value before color, a limited palette, and honest feedback at your easel.
The arc of the weekend
Day one
Drawing and value. The comparative method, the big look, and a monochrome study that settles structure before color is allowed in the room.
Day two
The limited palette. Flesh notes, halftones, and edges: one finished portrait study in oil, yours to take home wet.
A day in the atelier
The rhythm of the room.
Painting is patient work. The day is arranged around it, not the other way around.
- 9:00
Coffee and easel setup
The room quiets, the light is checked, brushes laid out.
- 9:30
Demonstration
The teacher works on the model in front of the class, narrating every decision.
- 10:30
Painting at your easel
Small studies, feedback delivered quietly at your shoulder.
- 12:30
Break, together
Bring lunch or walk to a nearby place. The room does not empty out.
- 1:30
Longer study
Extended work on the day's problem, with individual coaching every twenty minutes.
- 4:30
Group crit
Ten minutes at each easel. Kind, direct, useful.
The plain facts
Straight answers.
- When
- Fall 2026; exact dates announced to Studio Notes first
- Where
- Lansing area; venue confirmed with the dates
- Room
- 8 to 12 painters, all levels welcome
- Seat
- $275 for the two days; the demo night is free
- Bring
- A materials list is sent on registration; easels provided
Reserve interest
Save a seat by writing to the studio.
Seats are offered in order of interest, and the demo night comes first.
Other ways to study
Two more doors.
Not everyone arrives through a weekend workshop. Some rooms invite the teacher in, and some painters want a longer runway.
For guilds and organizations
Bring a demo night to your group.
A 90-minute portrait demonstration for art guilds, leagues, art centers, and clubs: one study painted start to finish, every decision narrated, questions welcome throughout. Your room, your members, your calendar. Travel within reach of Lansing is simple; farther afield is worth a conversation.
Tell me your group, your usual meeting night, and roughly how many chairs you fill, and I will send terms and what the room needs.
Ask about a demo nightFor the committed painter
Ongoing study, one easel at a time.
A weekend starts something; it does not finish it. For painters who want to keep going, the studio takes a small number of continuing students for private sessions and periodic critique, working the same method further: drawing, value, the limited palette, and the head from life.
Places are limited and taken on fit rather than first come. Write with where you are in your painting and what you want to fix.
Enquire about ongoing studyThe teacher paints for a living. His commissioned work, including the Highfields Inc installation funded by the Granger Foundation, is at clintsmithart.com.
Or write directly: clintatelier@gmail.com