Adventure of Painting (AOP) is your home base for artistic development, rich learning, and joy in the lifelong adventure of painting.
Fuel your artistic growth and painter’s mind with Adventure of Painting landscape painting courses by Scott L. Christensen.
Welcome to your own Adventure of Painting
If painting is your way of making sense of the world, of enjoying nature’s beauty, of sharing your perspective, you’re in the right place.
Adventure of Painting (AOP) is a hub of education, inspiration, and community to fuel your artistic growth.
Whether you’re an established painter or exploring your own creative path, the adventure is all about learning to find your ideas, break apart what you see, put it back together with intention and more skill, and grow as an artist in your unique style.
Curiosity, good practice, and time spent immersed in the work are your best companions along the way.
The AOP Signature Course, Refining Your Process, Painting the Last 10%, and the Continuing Education Membership are here to help shape how you see, think, and create as an artist.
New to AOP? Start with the AOP Signature Course!
From there, continue your adventure in Refining Your Process and the Continuing Education Membership.
While Painting the Last 10% is offered as a standalone course, you’ll get the most out of it if you already have an understanding of the concepts and language I use in AOP.
Ready to sign up for one (or all) of the AOP courses?
The Adventure of Painting process is rooted in:
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Everything is an investigation. There’s always something new to notice. Finding your idea, finding what you want to say, and then finding your way through is at the heart of painting. You develop your painter’s eye and painter’s mind through curiosity.
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Finishing a painting is a moving target, and the study it takes to get to that place is what it’s all about. You have to get something down to find out where you want to go. Through practice, you can break things apart—an idea, a composition, a plein air scene—explore each piece, and put them back together again.
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Knowledge precedes execution. You can’t paint better than you know how. And the most important magic ingredient is time. 10-20 minutes of study each day will help you find your way and lead to growth that you can barely believe. Putting that time in is everything. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, but it has to be diligent.
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An artist doesn’t look for a finish line where they’ve “made it”—they follow their learning all the way through. Become a student of the game, and stay in it. Revel in instruction and experimentation, and find joy in getting out there to practice.
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We all have fears when we’re trying to work through a block, something new, or an idea we can’t figure out how to break apart. Make this search an adventure, and a part of your process. Try and experiment until the inhibitions roll away. Use your paint and embrace the “doing” part every step of the way.
The adventure begins with the AOP Signature Course
Welcome to landscape painting lessons done differently.
Transform your painter’s eye and your painter’s mind within the Signature Course, the comprehensive landscape painting course beloved by thousands of artists worldwide.
Across four online, self-paced series of video modules, I guide you through the landscape painting foundations that are crucial to growing your skill and artistic vision.
You’ll:
Get unstuck in your creative process
Understand essential landscape concepts such as idea finding, composition, and experimenting with light & value
Learn what it takes to think and solve problems like an artist
Clarify your own artistic intention, approach, and direction
Feel focused and confident in your ideas and painting process
Experience the satisfaction of making art that you love
The adventure continues in AOP: Refining Your Process
Extend your learning even further in Adventure Series 4-8.
Go deeper into AOP concepts and continue developing your painter’s mind.
If you’ve already completed the AOP Signature Course, if you’re returning to your work with more questions, or if you’d like to dive deeper into AOP concepts, Refining Your Process is a great next step to help you refine your process through continued practice.
Refining Your Process features:
5 additional Adventure Series that further build on AOP concepts like composition, massing, edges, and more
Over 16 hours of additional instruction across 70+ videos, available for you to revisit at any time throughout your painting adventure
Guided, intentional assignments with each video to advance your learning, develop your painter’s mind, and put theory into practice
Infinite inspiration to fuel your love of painting
Lifetime* access to all course content, so you can return to particular topics as needed no matter what you’re working on (*Lifetime in our case refers to the lifetime of the course, or as long as the course is available.)
Join me at the easel in Painting the Last 10%
Finishing a painting isn’t about one final step. It’s a way of thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving.
In this course, I finish a series of paintings in real time, talking through each decision, obstacle, and adjustment along the way.
I filmed these 15 videos to give you insight into that elusive final stage of painting, helping you see that there is no one best way.
Here’s what’s included:
Over 4 1/2 hours of content across 15 videos, focused entirely on the finishing process
Real-time footage of me working at the easel
Honest breakdowns of how I assess, adjust, and complete a piece
Practical insights into orchestration, massing, edges, and cohesion
Can be taken independently, though Signature Course alumni will recognize recurring concepts
Lifetime access to all content (“Lifetime” refers to the lifetime of the course, or as long as the course is available.)
The course is perfect for artists ready to explore how to finish their work with more clarity and purpose.
From the field to your studio, refine your landscape and plein air painting techniques with ongoing support in the AOP Continuing Education Membership
Artistic growth compounds in community.
This is where curious minds come together, sharing insights, challenges, and breakthroughs.
The Continuing Education Membership is a place where your growth is amplified by the collective wisdom and experience of fellow AOP artists. A space where you can bounce ideas off of peers who understand your journey, get feedback on your work, and share inspiration.
Inside the membership, you’ll:
Connect with fellow artists inside the private online AOP Community for discussion, questions, and accountability
Join monthly live Zoom sessions to explore curated Topic Studies, enjoy occasional guest interviews and speakers, and get inspired
Explore bi-monthly Topic Studies—deep dives into AOP concepts and beyond—along with corresponding assignments to further your learning and growth
Enjoy bonus material like Wildcard Artist Chats where I interview other artists, and Beyond the Easel recordings
Get exclusive access to register for in-person and online workshops and mentorship calls
I’m Scott Christensen, fine artist, educator, and your instructor and guide.
Because the adventure of painting is lifelong.
Ready to join the adventure?
Sign up for the Adventure of Painting newsletter and unlock a free video lesson from the AOP Signature Course!