So, yes, I’d definitely recommend this course. Wow, that Old Holland Sheveningen Purple Brown really blows your socks off! It might be expensive but it’s hard to beat the chroma and it lasts and lasts. One of the best bits for me was an introduction pigments I hadn’t used before. And, if you listen to the final chapter (11), Mike explains that growing as an artist is about selecting someone who you admire and copying their work until you develop your own style. It’s like doing a mastercopy with Mike holding your hand along the way. Mercury Bay Art Escape Artists Open Studios is your chance to visit 50+ artists in the coastal area of Eastern Coromandel Peninsula during the annual Open. I’m certainly not new to oil painting but it was good to cover old ground, take the time, listen to Mike’s commentary (which is simple, solid and unflowery) and also learn some new tricks.

Out of all the artists one inevitably comes to admire on Instagram (and, let’s face it, all in all, IG is a wonderful platform for artists), Mike’s work stands out to me and fits with my own style so I jumped at the opportunity to purchase this course.

Free download the artful escape