Let’s reinvent the classical artist’s studio-apprenticeship together
An online painting apprentice program designed to challenge you as an artist, help you to create the paintings you desire, experience greater fulfillment from your work, and spend more time with other artists.
Dear Fellow Artist,
Almost everything I’ve learned about painting, I learned by studying with professional artists: working with them in their studios, watching them paint, having the opportunity to ask them questions, and applying what I learned in realtime to my own artwork.
Immersing myself in these environments created a positive feedback loop of watching, learning, discussing, applying what I learned, seeing the result, comparing it to my teachers work balanced with my own personal artistic goals... and repeating the process.
With this brand new online painting program I want to recreate that experience for you. My goal is to provide a learning environment in which you have someone who is there for you on a regular basis to:
- Offer an over-the-shoulder view into my painting process. This is exactly what I experienced with my mentors, and what allowed me to progress as an artist as quickly as I have.
- Teach valuable painting techniques and principles learned through over 20 years of study and practice.
- Give you specific exercises to do to hone your skills, improve your ability to see accurately, and represent what you are seeing the way that you desire.
- Support you in prioritizing your creative life and making it a source of confidence, inner peace, and fulfillment.
- Bring together a growing group of artists that are learning together, growing together, sharing ideas and encouragement, and having fun in the process.
With that said, I’d like to invite you on a new journey with me. One in which we’ll be continuing to develop a program that meets you wherever you are on your artistic journey, and helps get you where you want to be.
Whether that means having the support of a friendly community to encourage you to keep going, improve your artwork, and have more fun with your paintings... Or whether it means having a mentor that can help you to make your artwork what you’ve always dreamed it to be, I think this program is for you.
If you have any questions as you read through the details of the program below, feel free to reach out to me via email: [email protected]
"It is in that simple awestruck moment, when great art enters you and changes you, that spirit shines in this world just a little more brightly than it did the moment before.
Ken Wilber
The Eye of Spirit: 134–136
Here’s what you're getting when you join the
Dustin Neece Studio Apprentice Program.
This is a brand new program! Part of the excitement of this journey is that we are in it together. We are growing together and learning together, and we are developing this program to meet your needs. That means that although there is already a ton of great lessons, demonstrations, and momentum behind this mastermind community, you'll be adding your energy, bringing your questions, and telling us how to make it even better: ...more of exactly what you need to make your paintings what you've always dreamed for them to be.
Structurally speaking this program consists of three main elements.
Primarily:
- bi-monthly live zoom calls (alternating between teaching/demonstration calls and critique nights)
In Addition:
- foundational library of pre-recorded instructional videos and exercises
- access to our painting community.
Bi-Monthly Live Zoom Calls
Every other week on Tuesday night at 6:30 pm Eastern Time we come together as a group for a stimulating Q&A dialogue, critique nights, and a look at what I've been working on in my studio. During these live zoom calls I show, in hi-resolution video, the process I am following to create my own work. I communicate the thought process behind each step, and open the conversation to questions and answers on anything and everything from materials, to techniques, to painting tips and lessons learned over the years.
These live zoom calls are the primary portion of the program where we really get to address your questions, and engage with each other in a fun and stimulating community experience. We are in this together, and through these community calls we can share our support, inspiration, challenges, and get the insights we need to get over those personal hurdles, understand the painting process in new ways, and bring new energy, momentum, and enthusiasm to the artwork we are creating.
Note: All live calls will also be recorded and added to the apprentice live call library so that you can revisit them or watch them if you aren't able to make a live call.
Pre-recorded Instructional Videos
As an apprentice you have immediate access to a library of instructional videos.
The library currently consists of four courses including:
- Painting Exercises - A set of powerful painting exercises designed to breakdown the painting process into its simplest forms. When we isolate specific aspects of the painting process, refine our abilities in these narrow dimensions, then bring them back together in our original artwork, that is when we really see consistent improvement in our work. These exercises come from my experience studying in the workshops of master artists and my studies at Rhode Island School of Design.
- Painting with Confidence & Clarity - One of the most common questions artists wrestle with is "How do I know when to stop painting? How do I know when the painting is done and not overwork it?" This course offers both internal practices and painting principles that will once and for all help you to understand when your paintings are finished and when they need more work.
- In The Studio: Methods & Materials - We all want to ask: "What paints do you use? What brushes do you use? What is the best medium to paint with? etc." In this course we do a deep dive into the materials, how to use them, why I've chosen them, and what principles to follow when selecting your own materials. Everything from a simple supply list, recommended limited palettes, to making your own paint, and finding the materials that are right for you will, be covered. This isn't just about doing everything like me... it's about cutting down your learning curve so you know how to choose exactly what is right for you.
- Work In Progress Demonstrations - When I was working in the studio with my teachers not every technique occurred during every painting session. Often times, special techniques and processes were used that helped to bring a painting to the next stage of development. If I didn't catch that moment, it could easily be missed. In this course, I capture those moments for you, illustrate exactly what I'm doing and why, and offer insights you can use to apply these techniques in your own artwork.
Note: You as an apprentice you have immediate access to these pre-recorded lessons and any new videos we create. This allows you to work through the lessons at your own pace. There is no time pressure or constraints... no class to 'keep up with.' Just a resource that is here to help you make the artwork that calls to you in your heart.
Online Paint From Life Community
As an apprentice, you have access to our online Paint From Life Community that is hosted on the platform ‘Circle.so’. This is where you will be able to connect in a private section with other apprentices as well as in the public space with other like-minded artists. It is a great space to share artwork, creative resources and ask questions or get feedback from others through posts and private messaging.
Bonus (Included Free When You Sign Up)
How To Prepare an Old Master Canvas
Included free with membership is my first full course giving detailed information on how to create the most beautiful canvas I have ever painted on. A technique that I learned from my mentor: Odd Nerdrum. This is a $29 course, included free with your membership.
"I want to paint the way a bird sings."
- Monet
Price of Apprentice Program
Consisting of:
- Bi-Monthly zoom calls for
- Q&A and discussion
- Teaching: An "over the shoulder" view of Dustin's works in progress
- Critique Nights
Also included:
- Library of recorded lessons and instructional videos
- Painting Exercises
- Painting with Confidence & Clarity Course
- In The Studio: Methods & Materials
- Additional Work in Progress Demonstrations
- Access to the Paint From Life Community and private Apprentice Spaces
- BONUS: How To Create an Old Master Canvas course included FREE with the program.
$99.00 / month
$67.00 / month
Price guarantee: We can only guarantee this price if you sign up now. When you sign up today, you are locking in this monthly rate for as long as you choose to remain an apprentice.
30 day money back guarantee: If you find that this program is not for you, and you cancel within the first 30 days, you will get a full refund automatically.
Cancellation: If you choose to leave the program at any point, you will no longer have access to any of the content within the program including all pre-recorded videos. This program is designed for those who are actively participating and seeking ongoing teaching from Dustin.
“Artist are the people who first articulate the unknown. They create windows into the transcendent, and we gaze at them in wonder.”
- Jordan B. Peterson
What People Are Saying
"Just want to let you know I have been through all the tutorial videos and found them really helpful. Thank you so much for these great videos! The grammar and techniques are so new to me. I have not started the practice yet but I am sure my practice of these rules will totally change my paintings as all this time I did not even know about these basic principles. I probably need lot of practice and I am ready to do so. I just cannot thank you enough for offering this course and helping like this. I am really grateful."
– Farah (Active Member)
"I did the Painting With Confidence and Clarity course. I found creating my vision board with my favorite artists/paintings to be very enlightening and beneficial. The board itself is a piece of artwork that I like looking at and find inspirational. I also am finding value in trying to paint like an artist I want to emulate (Dustin) and keeping an open mind to what he has to teach. I think what the exercises have in common is that they help get me in touch with who I am as a artist and give me a direction to go in."
– Christine (Active Member)
"Having an actual "live" membership with Dustin and an incredibly supportive community is what makes this program stand out above all others. Oil painting is very new to me and the help and encouragement I receive not only from Dustin but the other community members as well has been invaluable."
– Kathy (Active Member)
"When I look at my first plein air paintings a year ago, they were not as consistently good, and they were really only expressive sketches. Dustin has motivated me to return to the painting multiple times and continue working on a painting after the initial burst of inspiration has subsided, to work and craft a better painting, which I hadn’t done with plein air paintings yet. He looked at my work and helped with composition, seeing his critique of other students helps just as much. He is an organized, calm, thoughtful, talented, educated, knowledgeable teacher and is extremely calm and patient with us and seems to make sure everyone is happy and having fun and pulling it off graciously."
– Natalie (Active Member)
“Not only is Dustin a great artist, he is also a wonderful teacher. This class far exceeded my expectations. Overall, the class was invaluable to me and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in becoming a better painter. It was by far the best art class I have ever taken.”
– Sharon
"Mr. Neece I've just watched one of your lectures on YouTube and found it one of the most enlightening talks I've ever listened to. I've been painting for over 50 years but you showed me new ways to look and understand painting within my own mind thank you so much."
– Derek Broad
“Hey! I love the way you communicate so clearly and in detail. I relate to everything you're saying, and most of it I hadn't thought about or done! This is the kind of stuff that's not easy to find, at least in my search. I started painting one year, two months ago, and haven't stoped for one day since. One thing I liked in particular is that you mix the philosophy and psychology of painting, into the practical and actual material side. It's great and true, it makes it so relatable, because your not just speaking, your actually feeling the emotions that go along with it.”
– Ian Griswold
“I just want to say thanks for awakening and instilling my passion for painting. You are an awesome teacher, beyond what words can convey. With your encouraging ways, you help me believe that I will create the masterpiece that I’m striving for. You are like an open book welcoming students to learn anything and everything that you have attained in your years of painting. Your knowledge, positivity and enthusiasm make your classes a pleasant and rewarding experience.”
– Diana
“Doing things together is just way more fun!”
- Kira
The Team
Dustin Neece
Painter & Teacher
Dustin Neece is a classically trained artist. After studying with Hopkinton based impressionist painter Jaime Alfonso and traveling to London to study with the renowned figurative painter Israel Zohar, Dustin went on to study the arts and graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design. Upon completing his university studies, he became an assistant to Odd Nerdrum and it was at Nerdrum’s homes in Norway, Iceland, and France that Dustin refined his craft. Today Dustin works as a full time professional artist and in February of 2021, Dustin decided to launch the Dustin Neece Studio Painting Apprentice Program in order to support other growing artists by sharing what he has learned and continues to learn as a professional painter. You can view his artwork here: www.dustinneece.com
Kira Cline
Business Manager
Kira is a woman of many talents. She studied fine art with a specialization in photography at Cazenovia College and received her BFA in 2012. Over the last several years, she has worked for several small art businesses and as a creative entrepreneur while also exploring a variety of art forms.
In addition to being Dustin’s partner in life, she decided to join forces with Dustin to help him create and run the Dustin Neece Studio Painting Apprentice Program. Kira is the wizard behind the scenes who keeps things organized and running smoothly. She is also primarily in charge of communications and customer support.