Course curriculum

    1. Hello and welcome

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. About me

    3. The power of scaling up

    4. Surface matters

    5. Health & safety

    1. Colour blending

    2. Colour harmony

    3. Colour scales

    4. Studio tip - Transparent tints

    5. Finalising your palette

    1. The initial layers of colour

    2. Composition essentials 1

    1. Reworking a dry surface

    2. Creating form and structure

    3. Evolving shape and structure

    4. Studio tip - using pigment sticks to add paint to your surface

    1. Developing rich surfaces

    2. Midway check-in

    3. All that glimmers

    4. Building texture

    5. Studio tip - using marble dust to conceal imperfections

    6. Composition essentials 2

    7. Applying metallic leaf and bronze powders

    1. Getting started

    2. Refining: the sky

    3. Refining: the horizon

    4. Refining: the land

    5. Strengthening the sky

    6. Strengthening visual depth

    7. Composition essentials 3

About this course

  • £150.00
  • 41 lessons
  • 5.5 hours of video content

Step inside the studio

This immersive course offers a rare opportunity to witness painting as it truly happens — intuitive, responsive, and evolving in real time. Rather than following a fixed plan or formula, you’ll see how each work grows through layering, scraping, lifting, reworking, and refinement.

Enroll today

What this course offers

  • Full start-to-finish demonstrations of two large-scale landscape paintings

  • An over-the-shoulder view of real-time studio practice in oils and cold wax

  • Insight into intuitive decision-making and compositional problem-solving

  • Techniques for layering, scraping, lifting, and developing surface depth

  • Approaches to atmosphere, scale, and maintaining energy across a large panel

  • Honest moments of reconsideration — and how they shape the final work

5 star rating

Wow! This is an amazing course!

Isabelle Faulkner

Paula shares things like how to choose paint colour and how to sign your work and EVERYTHING in between. And for so much detailed information, this course is a great price. Seeing Paula paint 2 monster size pieces from start to finish was incredi...

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Paula shares things like how to choose paint colour and how to sign your work and EVERYTHING in between. And for so much detailed information, this course is a great price. Seeing Paula paint 2 monster size pieces from start to finish was incredible. I particularly enjoyed the lessons on bronze powders and resolving mistakes. The camera angles are spot on and you feel like you’re in the studio with her! With this course and Paula’s detailed book (which I refer to all the time) I feel inspired and more confident in my practice. Isabelle from Canada

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Painting in the moment

My process is guided by presence and intuition. I respond to the surface, the marks, and the shifting composition as the painting unfolds. Decisions are made in the moment. Adjustments are embraced. Challenges become part of the journey. You’ll see not just what changes — but why.

  • Beyond step-by-step

    This isn’t a step-by-step tutorial. It’s an honest view of real studio practice — where decisions shift, compositions evolve, and the work changes in response to the surface.

  • Intuitive painting

    Watch large landscapes develop through layering, editing, and instinct rather than rigid structure. Risk, revision, and discovery shape the outcome.

  • Trust the process

    Gain insight into handling scale, strengthening composition, and sustaining energy — learning to trust your judgement as the painting unfolds.

Is this course right for you?

This course may not be the best fit if you:

  • Are new to oils and cold wax — try starting with Atmospheric Landscapes first

  • Prefer highly structured, step-by-step lessons with clearly defined outcomes

  • Are looking for advanced theory, formal critique, or highly technical instruction

  • Are already an experienced intuitive painter and aren’t interested in observing another artist’s process

  • Prefer a quick, shortcut approach rather than a full, immersive start-to-finish studio experience

Paula Dunn

Artist, teacher, author

Paula Dunn is a landscape painter who lives and works in Yorkshire, England. Taking her inspiration from walking the land, the climate and weather play a significant part in her work. She predominantly works with oils and her painting over the years has shifted from a representational image of a landscape to the more abstracted. Paula’s paintings can be found in private collections across the world and she is a contributing artist to the award winning “Waymaking – an anthology of prose, poetry and artwork by women who are inspired by the landscape” Vertebrae publishing. In 2025 her book Atmospheric Landscapes using oils and cold wax was published by Crowood Press.

Frequently asked questions

  • Do I have the experience?

    This course is a full studio demonstration, not a beginner step-by-step tutorial. Its focus is on insight, inspiration, and the lived experience of painting expansively. If you are just starting out with oils and cold wax it is recommended you take the Atmospheric Landscapes course first.

  • What materials and tools do I need?

    A full list of the tools and materials used and where to purchase is available at the end of the course.

  • When does this course start?

    You can start the course as soon as you sign up. Registration gives you immediate access to all course content, so there’s no waiting period. From the moment you enrol, your 12-month access period begins, allowing you to start learning straight away.

  • How long can I access the course for?

    Your access to the course lasts for 12 months from the date of registration. During this time, you can work through the lessons at your own pace and return to the material as often as you wish. Once the 12 months have ended, access to the course content will expire.

  • Is there tutor support during the course?

    This self-paced course is designed to be studied independently, and should contain all the information you need.

  • System requirements

    Broadband internet connection with a minimum speed of 5Mbps is recommended. The Thinkific platform is fully mobile responsive so you will be able to access the course from any phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer!

  • Supported browsers

    In order to make sure the course runs well, please access the course via your desktop using one of the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge. If you are accessing via a mobile the following browsers are supported: iOS Safari, Chrome or Samsung Internet. Internet Explorer is not supported and if attempting to access Thinkific on Internet Explorer, you will see an error message.

  • Can I download and share the course?

    You cannot download the content due to copyright, but once you register you will have a year's access to the content and can return to it at any time. Please do not share your login and course access with others.

  • Do you offer refunds?

    Refunds are not offered for self-paced courses as the course descriptions provide full details of the content. In the unlikely event you have booked a course that is not right for you, please let me know before you start accessing the content. Please read my terms and conditions for full details.

New to oils & cold wax?