Jenny

5 (4 reviews)

Rate $25
Response 1h
Students
Number of students Jenny has accompanied since arriving at Superprof
8
Number of students Jenny has accompanied since arriving at Superprof

5 (4 reviews)

$25/hr

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Painting
Oil painting

Experienced tutor in Painting in Sarasota, Jenny offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Painting
Oil painting

Lesson location

- online

About Jenny

For more info on teaching visit my website: jennyberry.com

Jenny Berry is an award-winning visual artist who has sold over 4,000 original paintings to collectors worldwide. Her art has been featured in magazines, TV shows, commercials, and movies.

After obtaining her BFA in figure drawing and graphic design from Eastern Michigan University, Jenny worked as an art director/copywriter in advertising before becoming a full-time painter in 2004.

She has exhibited in galleries and participated in shows around the US and teaches private oil painting lessons in her studio in Sarasota, Florida.

Jenny is a proud member of Portrait Society of America, American Impressionist Society, National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society, and Oil Painters of America.

Both of my parents are teachers so I've been around it my whole life. Listening to them talk at the dinner table growing up. It just seems so natural, how to explain things.

I remember when I was learning to paint, pre-YouTube, before the days of the internet. There was only one book that I could find called "How To Paint Like The Masters" and it was utterly useless practically speaking. It was about 30 pages long but it was all I had.

I couldn't find a teacher that knew anything. I remember how badly I wanted to learn. I think feeling that way, that terrible frustration, was one of the biggest drivers that got me into teaching.

And the bad info I see out there now is one of the things that keeps me teaching! I want people to get the right info from the start. I did a lot wrong at first because I was self taught in the beginning. Once I learned the right way it was so much easier. We talk a lot about basic studio practices in class too.

I have a Bachelor's degree in figure drawing/graphic design and I've taken workshops, done mentorships and continue to study every year with some of the most respected representational and abstract painters working today. I believe we should never stop learning new ways of looking at painting. Every time I come home from a workshop I attack my painting with new energy.

About the lesson

Each student has different needs and different goals. Some are very loose and expressive and others very true to the reference. From day one I begin trying to figure out how I can best help each person be their best painter.

We paint from photographs in this class and I provide the photos and all materials but after the first painting many students start to shoot their own reference and bring in their own materials as to their preference. We are very flexible in here.

I have worked with people that have never picked up a brush before. In fact if you look at pics on my website more than one of the pics you'll see there are from people doing their first painting. I've worked with very advanced oil painters who want to improve their techniques, especially in portraiture, one of my favorite things to do is model flesh and work with skintones and mix color.

I can talk about color and color theory and color mixing for hours. I've worked with students just on that.

I have worked with students who realized that acrylics are wonderful for some things but they're not the best for representational painting, oils are better because they blend, they stay open, they neutralize easier and much more.

I use both pretty much daily and both have their place but for representational painting (unless a painter has a unique style that relies on properties of acrylic paint of course!) generally oil is going to give you what you want. I've worked with many people making the switch. I work with an oil paint company that is completely non-toxic so even if they made the decision for health reasons they can now oil paint safely. I have a completely toxin free oil painting studio.

If you want to paint with acrylics in this class it's okay. I provide oils for free. Like I said, we're flexible.

If you know that you want to learn what we call representational painting or painting stuff that looks like stuff, then I'd suggest not to waste your time like I've seen so many unfortunately people do.

I've gotten more students than not who have come to me with horror stories of teachers who didn't know how to paint well themselves trying to teach people how to paint.

It's pretty simple. Look closely with a critical eye at a teachers work and if your gut tells you something just looks a little wonky, look for another teacher. Because if their paintings look wonky, yours will too.

Even when you look at "loose" painting. You can tell when the drawing is broken. Where the leg isn't going into the hip socket or the ear isn't connected to the jawbone for example, move on. The artist is using a "loose" flashy style to cover underlying weaknesses and they'll teach you to do the same thing.

Recommendations

Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher

Janet

Jenny is a fabulous teacher very incouraging, speaks in language we can understand , works well with the group and individually, well prepared
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J
Janet
Jenny is a fabulous teacher very incouraging, speaks in language we can understand , works well with the group and individually, well prepared
Suzanne

Jenny’s class was positively absolutely the best. Instructions clear & concise plus wonderful encouragement. You will make new friends and create beautiful art. She is a very gifted instructor.
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S
Suzanne
Jenny’s class was positively absolutely the best. Instructions clear & concise plus wonderful encouragement. You will make new friends and create beautiful art. She is a very gifted instructor.
Diane

Very personalized individual instructions. Jenny teaches with enthusiasm. You know that she loves to share her knowledge and experiences. Her students of all levels walk away with works to be proud of. Oh, and p.s., the class is a lot of fun!
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D
Diane
Very personalized individual instructions. Jenny teaches with enthusiasm. You know that she loves to share her knowledge and experiences. Her students of all levels walk away with works to be proud of. Oh, and p.s., the class is a lot of fun!
Helen

Great teacher, lots of great experience and great patience with painters of all levels, from beginners to advanced.
Read more

H
Helen
Great teacher, lots of great experience and great patience with painters of all levels, from beginners to advanced.
View more recommendations

Experienced tutor in Painting in Sarasota, Jenny offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Lesson location

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About Jenny

About the lesson

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Jenny's Video

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Experienced tutor in Painting in Sarasota, Jenny offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Lesson location

Recommended

About Jenny

About the lesson

Recommendations

Rates

Rate

Pack prices

online

Details

Jenny's Video

Similar Painting tutors in Sarasota

Minji

Cemil

Nika

Chotan Krishna

Jaspreet

Amandeep

Jennifer

Jack

Roz

Natasha

Layton

Penelope

Tadeo

Laura

Louis

Shanie

Tep Khemarin

Courtney

Maleehah

Ladan

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