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Well done Alex Long
It’s always nice when a graduate of the Virtual Art Academy has a major success. So our heartfelt congratulations to Alex Long for being accepted into the ROI Annual Exhibition, 2022.
Comments from Alex
“Just found out today that my painting Late Evening, West End, Witney has just got through the final round of selection for this years Royal Institute of Oil Painters annual exhibition being held in London 24th Nov – 10th Dec. I am quite shocked to say the least as there were apparently several thousand entries and only 130 non member paintings selected. https://theroi.co.uk/
This painting was quite a simple plein-air sketch I did in about an hour down in the fields near my house in Oxfordshire. I did almost zero planning for it, just happened to see this scene while out with my paints and quickly tried to capture the mood as best I could. I think I managed to follow quite a lot of principles either subconsciously or working it out as I went. So as Barry always says eventually all the lessons filter into your paintings.
I think it’s almost 3.5 years now since I started the VAA lessons as an almost complete beginner, which just shows you how good the info here is. I think I might well have given up painting by now in frustration if I had never found the VAA.
So thank you Barry!”
Alex Long
How Alex got there
The secret to Alex’s success is quite simple. He worked hard at acquiring key skills that are critical to great paintings. He worked systematically through the extensive learning assignments in the Apprentice Program to master the key principles of painting and built up his skills one-by-one.
One of of the problems with a lot of painting instruction is that it relies too much on watching videos, or reading. Those are useful, it is true, but you don’t actually learn much that way. Read this article I wrote on the fundamental problems with art video instruction to learn the underlying reasons why.
The secret to learning is in directed, and focussed, skill based assignments.
It’s not a quick path to success and it will take quite a bit of work―at least a couple of years. You will steadily improve bit by bit. But it will ultimately lead to success.
Other approaches might be fun, but your paintings won’t get much better and you will start to get frustrated with your progress―and you can waste a lot of money in the process by not having a structured approach to your learning.
There is no silver bullet to becoming a good painter, I’m sorry. But there is a way you can achieve success. Alex has proved that.
Well done Alex!
Barry
P.S. Here is Alex Long’s website and story
… and some of his wonderful art work
Invest in his work now before he gets too famous!
2023 News Update
“I’m thrilled to tell you I was selected to show my painting ‘Early Spring, Tuscany’ at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters annual exhibition 2023 in London.
This is an original oil painting of the Tuscany countryside, which I painted on location a short walk south of Florence. I wanted to capture the feeling of the start of spring in Tuscany. The olive trees had just been pruned and there was the smell of wild garlic in the air as I was painting! I loved the colour harmony between the fresh greens in the foreground and the blues of the hills receding into the distance.”
I started learning oil painting with VAA from scratch. Just one year later my paintings started to sell
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you find it useful. If you would like to get free painting tips by email, please sign up for my free tips newsletter.
If you are interested in a structured approach for learning how to paint, take a look at my online painting classes.
Happy painting!
Barry John Raybould
Virtual Art Academy
What The Students Are Saying
A great learning platform
I have been working my way through the Virtual Art Academy for almost a year now, and cannot recommend it highly enough. The Workshops are thorough, structured and substantive. There… Read more “A great learning platform”
It is wild to see how much I am learning in this course!
Five star rating from me for Virtual Art Academy (VAA)! I retired last year, and decided I wanted to spend my time in retirement learning how to oil paint. But… Read more “It is wild to see how much I am learning in this course!”
comprehensive art education
I wanted to get a comprehensive art education with the freedom to work at my own pace. I’m several years into the curriculum and I feel like my work has… Read more “comprehensive art education”
Only online learning program I have ever discovered using a training industry best practice
Before repurposing my vocation into avocation, I spent 20 years in the corporate world as an instructional designer and performance consultant creating training curricula for diverse clientele from NASA to… Read more “Only online learning program I have ever discovered using a training industry best practice”
The small steps are easy to do
I am extremely impressed with the process that Barry has developed for VAA. Learning to paint can be intimidating, but when broken into many small projects it is very do-able. … Read more “The small steps are easy to do”
An excellent foundation on so many aspects of painting
I never had formal training in painting and my style has always been very realistic, slow and not at all artistic, just a copy of a photograph. When I got… Read more “An excellent foundation on so many aspects of painting”
Barry gave me a fishing rod so I can catch my own fish
After weeks and even months of searching YouTube, “googling” and spending a fortune on art instructional books I finally came across the Virtual Art Academy®. When it comes to purchasing… Read more “Barry gave me a fishing rod so I can catch my own fish”
No need to buy expensive art books…. Just do the VAA 4 year course. I still refer to it
I finished the VAA course a few years ago, but always refer to the notes, rereading the course many times. This is not a course the day you are finished, you… Read more “No need to buy expensive art books…. Just do the VAA 4 year course. I still refer to it”
The equivalent of a 4 year art education at a fraction of the cost
This is a great course for anyone who is serious about improving their painting. I have been a student here for several years. When I am finished, I will have… Read more “The equivalent of a 4 year art education at a fraction of the cost”