Course Description

Immerse yourself in the bold, uncompromising world of Frida Kahlo in this transformative 4-lesson oil painting workshop. Discover how Frida’s revolutionary approach to self-expression can unlock your own authentic artistic voice through the rich, luminous medium she herself mastered.

Through guided explorations of Frida’s symbolic language and portrait techniques, you’ll learn to transform personal experience into powerful visual storytelling using oil painting methods. We’ll explore the elements that made Frida’s work so emotionally resonant while developing essential oil painting skills.

This workshop moves beyond technical instruction to embrace Frida’s true artistic legacy: the courage to paint from the heart, guts, and soul. You’ll create four connected oil paintings—an exploration of Frida’s visual symbolism, a Frida-inspired portrait in traditional Mexican ex-voto style, a portrait of Frida expanding your interpretation of her work, and finally the piece de resistance: a symbolic self-portrait incorporating elements of your own identity and experience.

Perfect for beginners seeking an introduction to oil painting through Frida’s accessible approach – and experienced artists looking to infuse their oil technique with deeper meaning.

Basic familiarity with painting is helpful but not required—just bring your willingness to see yourself and the world through Frida’s fearless eyes.

Discover how pain can transform into beauty, how cultural heritage can inform personal expression, and how honest self-portraiture in oils can become a revolutionary act of creative power.

From the first brush stroke to the final touches: come on this journey of blending artistic authenticity and emotional truth.

Techniques Taught

• Exploring Frida’s symbolic elements to develop your own metaphorical vocabulary
• Creating depth and emotion through oil techniques
• Developing facial features with Frida’s stylized yet emotionally authentic approach
• Incorporating personal and cultural symbols into portraiture
• Mixing vibrant, heritage-inspired colors and symbols for emotional impact
• Achieving Frida’s characteristic flattened yet powerful compositional style
• Creating narrative through symbolic objects
• Integrating text and visual elements in the ex-voto tradition
• Incorporating the direct, unflinching gaze that characterized Frida’s self-portraits
• Working with oil paint to achieve both translucency and rich opacity
• Transforming personal challenges into powerful visual metaphors
• Incorporating cultural heritage elements in respectful, personal ways
• Developing a cohesive personal visual language inspired by Frida’s example
• Balancing technical skill with authentic emotional expression