Cohorts: Monthly Member Roundtables for Serious Painters
Join live, focused discussions where Painting Best Practices topics are examined in practical terms—what works in the studio, what fails, and how to make better material and technique decisions.
Cohorts is included with Artisan and Enthusiast memberships.
Next Cohort Meeting
Modern Materials for Old Master Glazing
Date/Time:
May 30, 2026
11:00 AM (Pacific Time)
Description:
Building on the “Glazing Like the Old Masters” Technical Studio Session, this Cohorts meeting moves from theory into your studio. Many of the transparent pigments the Old Masters relied on — verdigris, madder lake, lead-tin yellow, genuine ultramarine from lapis — are unavailable, prohibitively expensive, or unstable in modern formulations. We’ll work through which contemporary pigments deliver comparable optical behavior, why transparency matters chemically and visually, and how to build glaze layers that hold up over time.
Bring your current pigment list. We’ll review concrete substitutions: quinacridones for madder lake, phthalocyanines for traditional copper greens, transparent iron oxides for natural earth glazes, and where modern ultramarine succeeds and where it falls short. We’ll also look at which “transparent” labels on tube paints actually mean transparent in a glaze application, and which are marketing.
This is a working session, not a lecture. Come with questions about your own glazing problems, share what’s working in your practice, and leave with a short list of pigment swaps you can test this week.
Bring your questions, examples, and studio problems.
This session is part of the ongoing Cohorts discussions for members of Painting Best Practices.
What Cohorts Is
Cohorts is a monthly roundtable discussion for members of Painting Best Practices.
Articles and Technical Studio Sessions introduce and explain technical ideas. Cohorts are where those ideas are tested against real studio practice.
These are not lectures. They are structured conversations focused on applying technical knowledge, examining where common advice fails, and clarifying decisions that affect long-term stability.
Why Members Join Cohorts
Translate theory into practice
Move from understanding concepts to making better studio decisions.
Examine real problems
Discuss issues that arise in actual paintings—not idealized examples.
Challenge assumptions
Test widely repeated advice against material behavior.
Learn from other serious painters
Compare approaches and constraints.
Stay engaged over time
Follow ongoing topics and deepen your understanding.
How Cohorts Differs from Technical Studio Sessions
Technical Studio Sessions
- Structured presentations
- Focused instruction
- Demonstration and explanation
Cohorts
- Member roundtable discussions
- Focus on application and interpretation
- Driven by real questions and studio experience
Technical Studio Sessions explain the subject.
Join Cohorts with Either Membership Options
Enthusiast
- Access to live monthly Cohorts discussions
- Participate in focused member conversations
- Stay connected to ongoing topics
Artisan
- Includes all Cohorts access
- Includes Technical Studio Sessions
- Includes replay access and deeper resources
Past Cohorts Meetings
Past Cohorts Meetings
Cohorts Meeting Recordings
Impasto Without Regrets
A focused conversation on building texture without creating future conservation problems. We looked at how paint thickness, pigment choice, oil content, and drying behavior affect cracking, wrinkling, and long-term stability in impasto painting.
Varnishing Beyond the Surface
A practical discussion on what varnish actually does in oil painting—optically, structurally, and over time. This Cohort expanded on the Technical Studio Session by examining color saturation, gloss control, oxygen permeability, and the myths surrounding “breathing” paintings and removable varnishes.
Artisan Archive
Login to your account to watch the recordings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cohorts?
A monthly discussion focused on applying technical painting knowledge.
Who can attend?
Artisan and Enthusiast members.
Do I need to register?
Yes, to receive the Zoom link.
Are recordings available?
Artisan members have access to past recordings of Cohorts meetings.
How is this different from Technical Studio Sessions?
Sessions teach; Cohorts discuss the application.
Can I ask questions at the Cohorts meetings?
Yes, you can ask questions, and in fact, questions and open discussions are encouraged.
Join the Discussion
Cohorts is where technical ideas are tested, questioned, and applied.
If you want to make more informed decisions about materials and technique, this is where those conversations happen.