• 2026
  • DEC
  • 1 & 2
  • 9:30-12:30
Workshop Title and Teacher Name Workshop Title and Teacher Name Workshop Title and Teacher Name

Beginning Oil Painting

Anne Winthrop Cordin

So you want to paint in oils — but between the brushes, mediums, solvents, and that intimidating blank canvas, it’s hard to know where to begin. This class is designed to answer exactly the questions every new oil painter has, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed and start enjoying the process.
Over the course of this workshop, instructor Anne Winthrop Cordin will walk you through the essentials in a clear, supportive, no-pressure way:
  • Setting up your palette — what order to lay out your colors and why it matters
  • Color mixing — how to get the hue you actually want (and stop fighting with mud)
  • Choosing your brushes — which shapes and sizes do what, so you’re not guessing
  • Picking your surface — canvas, panel, or paper, and what’s right for a beginner
  • Studio safety and setup — how to organize your supplies and work with solvents and mediums safely and confidently
 
Once you’ve got the fundamentals in hand, you’ll put them into practice through simple, fun still life exercises designed to build real confidence — not perfection. Each session is about learning by doing, in a relaxed studio environment where questions are welcome and mistakes are just part of the process.
Whether you’ve never picked up a brush or have a few false starts behind you, this class will give you the foundation — and the confidence — to keep painting long after class ends.
 
No experience necessary. All skill levels welcome.  Materials list available upon registration.
  • LOCATION: Portsmouth Arts Guild
  • MEMBER TUITON: $125
  • NON MEMBER: $155
Anne Winthrop Cordin, PAG Paint Off, 6.23.26

Anne Winthrop Cordin

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am interested in altering the usual way of looking at ordinary things and paint allows this expression in a direct and satisfying way.

My art is about possibility and paradox, memories and emotion. I am excited about color and shape, by irony and mystery and by all of the questions that arise from the conception to completion of a painting. I am in love with the painting process.

My work is a timeline, storytelling where I’ve been and where I am now, connecting me with the collective art spirit of the past and of tomorrow. Art enriches all aspects of my life and my life fills me with gratitude and joy.

View Anne’s work and learn more about her on her website, Anne Winthrop Cordin.

Follow Anne on instagram at @anne_winthrop_cordin.

Registration

This workshop runs on Monday and Tuesday, DEC 1 AND 2ND,, from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

PAG Members use discount code PAGMEM to receive the $30 member discount. Enter the code on the 2nd screen. Remember to click the APPLY button on the right.

Please note: we don’t accept checks as payment for workshops and classes.
Questions? Contact workshops@portsmoutharts.org.