He's a quirky sort of guy - but I learned some things. Thanks Skye Taylor.

Saturday May 25 at Westmount Branch Library in London, you can paint step by step through this beautiful painting "Birches" by Canadian artist Tom Thomson. Bring a bag lunch or plan to go to a nearby restaurant for the lunch hour. Also bring your own paint and a canvas or watercolour paper 16" x 20". This one day art event is like a mini painting retreat - fun and educational. For complete details and how to register, click here: Art Courses with Cheryl O

I found this really fascinating. Sometimes they open the box after the process and ... nothing. Sometimes - a diamond!

Here's a tip for oil painters. Buy lots of brushes in your favourite sizes so that you can wait till the end of your painting session to clean out your brushes. It takes a lot of time and energy to properly clean oil paint from a brush. Better to set it aside on a paper towel, and grab a fresh brush when you change colour. That means the you can keep with the flow of the painting and leave clean up till later. Otherwise, you run the risk of not completely removing the colour as you continue on. Even a small amount of a complimentary colour left in the brush, can muddy your paint. Keep it fresh!