How to Take Your Art to the Next Level

At the end of 2017, I found myself stuck with my art-making.I was painting regularly and my work had begun to sell, but it wasn’t fulfilling me.I knew I had so much more inside.Sometimes my paintings worked well, but I was never sure why. Often they went wrong, and I also didn’t know why. My studio became a place of frustration rather than joy.I wanted to be like the artists I admired on Instagram. The ones who seemed to have a clear purpose. The ones who talked intelligently about their work. The ones whose paintings seemed to sing with a depth and beauty I could only dream of.That’s when I found Nicholas Wilton, a Californian artist who offers free workshops once a year (as well as a more intensive paid online program called CVP).They say that, when the time is right, the teacher will appear and that was so true for me. Nick’s free videos rocked my world!I went from this:To this:… in a matter of days.Within a few months of applying Nick's teachings, my work had transitioned to this: (Disclaimer: I also took Nick's longer paid course, which did make a huge difference, but I gained an enormous amount of knowledge just from the free information).All along I had passion and a strong work ethic – what I lacked was the knowledge I needed to put those into practice.That’s what Nick gave me – and it didn’t cost a penny.In one week, he filled in the missing pieces. He showed me where I had been going wrong. And he clarified all that conflicting information that was swirling round my brain in a big muddled pool (you know the stuff - composition rules, the colour wheel, ideas about tonal contrasts).In just a few videos, he laid out an approach to art-making that allowed me to immediately strengthen existing paintings and gave me ideas for how I could move forward.15 months after watching Nick’s first video, I have just finished my first solo exhibition (something I couldn’t even dream of a year ago) and my paintings continue to grow and develop. My painting sales have increased significantly and I talk easily about my work. Finally, I teach online courses (another thing I could never have dreamed of).My instagram feed tells the story. Here it is in 2017.Here it is 15 months laterWhether or not my work appeals to you (and I won't be offended if it doesn't!), the change is obvious. My paintings are now bolder, stronger, and MUCH more me.I am writing this post because Nick is now launching his 2019 free workshop and I highly recommend signing up! It costs you nothing and it might just change your life.The free lessons begin on April 26th and if you join up on this page, you will also have access to a private Facebook group where I will be hanging out, answering questions and helping to accelerate your learning. I will be joined by my Art Juice co-host Alice Sheridan who is also working through the free workshop, so you get two for the price of one:)PS: If you have already registered for the workshop, you can still join us in the Facebook group by signing up again using my link.SIGN UP NOW(Note: I am a proud affiliate for Nick - if you click on the link, I will be credited for having referred him to you. Should you decide to spend money with him in the future, I would be compensated. But I get nothing for referring you to the free program - I just think you would really benefit and I want to share it with you).