California Color Crush I

Dates: June 20-21, 2025

Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Tuition: $595

Lodging Booked Separately: Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds

Level: Beginner - Advanced

Have you always dreamed of taking a color workshop on the Monterey peninsula? Are you looking for a color workshop that goes beyond the basics of color theory?

Join me in Pacific Grove, California and leave your assumptions about color behind! During California Crush I, we'll dive into the relationships between colors, how they interact, and how they can be used to create specific effects.

Surrounded by the pristine beauty of Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds, go deeper in your understanding of color than you thought was possible. Designed for artists, designers, and anyone who works with color, this 2-day workshop is crucial for your success.

We're going beyond the basics of color theory.

There is so much more to learn than the basic concepts of hue, value and chroma. Through engaging demonstrations and time-tested exercises, expand the way you approach painting - no matter your level of experience. If you are ready to simplify and enrich your painting practice and permanently open your eyes to being able to see and mix color, then this is the color workshop for you. Let's dive deeper to the world of color!  

Topics Include:

• Origins of modern color theory

• Mixing exercises to put that theory into practice

• Three attributes of color and how to isolate and manipulate them

• Additive versus subtractive color color perception

• Relativity (primary, secondary, and tertiary colors)

• Complementary colors

• Muted hues

• Chromatic versus achromatic grays

• ...and much more!

Expect To:

• Master the fundamentals of color

• Quit getting "mud"

• Understand color relationships

• Learn to mix harmonious colors

• Broaden your essential color vocabulary

What People Are Saying:

"...helping me grow by leaps and bounds!" -Jan M.

"...a springboard for me to create more complex and nuanced artwork." - Heather D.

"Helen is an excellent teacher!" - Mikey B.

"I learned so much in Helen's color course!" - Ingrid A.

"...right up there with college classes." - Pam H.

"...answering questions I never knew how to ask!" - Suzanne D.

“...surprised and humbled by how much I didn’t know and how much there is to know about color!" - Karen N. F.

Expect Your Painting Practice to Blossom

Since my first color theory course as an undergraduate art student over 30 years ago, I've had a deep appreciation for the difference color theory can make with your painting practice. I find that artists often hit a roadblock with their work, get stymied by color and just don’t know how to resolve it. It's exciting to see the lightbulb go off as artists do the color mixing exercises and realize all the subtleties they can achieve with various palettes. I love watching them dive in and create beyond what they thought was possible, to be surprised by how much further they can push their work. Once they understand how to achieve harmonious color palettes and combine color to achieve the look they are after, their painting practice just blossoms.

Join me at Asilomar Retreat Center - Monterey Peninsula’s “Refuge-by-the-sea” - in Pacific Grove, California and indulge your senses during this deep dive into color!

-Helen