How I Won the OPA Gold Medal:

The Exact Process Behind My Most Recognized Painting

WHAT YOU'll LEARN:

In this free training, you’ll see the exact thinking and decision-making process behind my Oil Painters of America Gold Medal-winning painting, including:

How master-level paintings are built on a small number of intentional decisions—and why most advanced painters stall by focusing on the wrong ones

How to diagnose what’s actually holding your work back (drawing, value, color, edges, or composition) instead of endlessly “working harder”

How to push past a stylistic plateau by developing taste and clarity, not by copying more references or chasing looseness

How to practice in a way that compounds—so each painting moves you closer to your personal voice instead of starting over every time

Hey, I'm Chelsea

I used to have a desk job and paint on the side, chasing the idea of becoming a full-time artist.

But what I really wanted wasn’t just more time to paint—I wanted my work to matter. To feel alive and personal.

I couldn’t see how artists crossed the gap between solid technique and master-level expression—until I began studying painting through the lens of psychology: how taste develops, how decisions compound, and why so many artists stall at the same point.

Today, I’m a full-time painter, OPA Gold Medalist, Portrait Society faculty—and I help committed painters break through stylistic plateaus and build work that finally reflects their ambition.