“Thanks a million, Dave. As a former professor, I mean what I say regarding your extraordinary teaching ability and slide-shows (which require different, but overlapping skills). You make a lot of difficult concepts accessible”
—David Marsh
“Dave, Your Online Art Lessons are the best I have ever had. Priceless. My artwork has improved dramatically after only one month of studying with you.”
—Greg Baker
“I highly recommend Dave Santillanes as a teacher, I find him very patient and easy to be with. I was very impressed with his ability to show us as students what he is thinking by breaking down what he sees and giving us easy steps to follow. I feel I came away with insights about how to make distance in landscapes, he helped us understand values and achieve atmosphere in our own work. I have always shied away from painting landscapes, but he has inspired me to practice them because of his easy to follow approach.”
—Susan Lyon
“Dave is a master of atmosphere and depth in his beautiful landscapes, and I was so happy to find that he’s also an amazing teacher. He prepared a very informative digital presentation which I got so much out of, and he’s generous and articulate while doing a demo, or critiquing our work. I can honestly say I got so much information to apply to my own work after working with him for three days, and of course lots of laughter and fun!”
—Kathy Anderson, OPAM
“Just wanted to say how lucky I am to have stumbled upon you on Instagram. You are a great painter, and even more so, a great teacher. I don’t think I have ever learned so much in such a short time in an art workshop! Thanks Again… I’m sure I ll take another workshop again in the future.”
—David Dentremont
“Dave Santillanes is adept at teaching to various experience levels at once. Whether just starting out, or a seasoned professional, you’ll learn plenty in one of his classes. I found his insights into creating atmosphere, mixing harmonious greys, and edge work particularly helpful. Dave is charismatic and knowledgeable…you can’t go wrong studying with him.”
—Jane Hunt, OPA, AIS
“Wow! Your workshop was just awesome… certainly one of the most powerful for me! Now whether I’m painting landscapes in the studio, plein air or even a still life, I feel like I have a lot of new tools in my arsenal to improve. Specifically, I gained a whole new understanding of how to simplify the subject matter, how to create a focal point, how and where to soften edges, and how to create depth in my paintings. Hearing your reasons and strategy for each layer and then watching you demonstrate it was a real eye-opener. I understand now how disciplined you need to be to make sure your color relationships are just right. Value, temperature and Chroma!!! Yes! When I got home I looked at many of my paintings and instantly saw what I could do to improve them! Thanks for making it all so valuable and fun!”
—Gary Hoover