Philip Frey

Philip has a following of devoted students and is celebrated for his clear, engaged and positive teaching style. He is adept at assessing a student’s abilities and helping you move to the next level through a foundational and progressive approach, designed to build your confidence and skills. He has taught in many venues including, Winslow Art Center, Schoodic Institute, Cove Street Arts, and ArtWaves, among others.

“My four week private mentorship with Philip went beyond my expectations. Philip’s style of teaching and one-on-one zoom sessions were efficient and extremely helpful. The exercises and lessons were thought provoking and challenging, and his feedback was clear and constructive, offering tools and resources I could immediately put to use. New to online learning, I found it delightful - I could immediately integrate it into my daily practice in my own studio. His friendly demeanor made for an absolutely wonderful experience. I look forward to more workshops with Philip in the future.”

— Sally Dean, Marshfield MA

“I want to say a word about Phil as an educator. He is top notch! I have taken his wonderful workshops and prospered from them. For my birthday this year, my family purchased a six week MENTORSHIP with Phil. It is fantastic! First, he assigns a project, which is usually a string of projects that build on each other. He estimates 5-6 hours of weekly student time to complete the projects. Then, the projects are sent to him as attachments for a Zoom critique. The critique is especially valuable, because through a program, Phil is able to demonstrate alternative routes to your work . ‘If you were to darken this area, see what it does to the rest of your painting.’ It is pretty amazing. This is a case where Zoom really heightens the learning process. I hope others will have a chance to experience a mentorship with Phil. It is really a special experience. Thank you, Phil!”

— Jean Deighan, Bangor, ME

“When I first started taking classes I was frightened to death of putting myself out there with other, much better painters and a teacher whom I admired but did not know. The first day Phil’s demeanor helped to relax my fears, he helped me to organize myself, my materials and my goals. We were given opportunity to work independently with check in visits from Phil. It seemed like he knew intuitively when I was headed down the wrong path and immediately offered me an exercise to refocus. The group meetings at the end of the day have been very helpful because I not only learn from my own work but also from everyone else. Over the years of classes Phil has added more to each class experience and I am confident that when I take a class with him I will be challenged, supported and encouraged to be myself. Thank you Phil for many wonderful painting opportunities, I have gained skill and knowledge with each encounter.”

— Carol Michaud, Bangor, ME

“I was nervous about plein air painting, since I had little experience doing it. I primarily worked from my own photographs. Philip took us to very interesting and challenging places to paint. I would be overwhelmed with the “world” but he explained how to focus on smaller areas, concentrating on shapes and values as well as composition. He began each day with a demo, which I enjoyed. He came to each painter during the painting session and made suggestions, gearing his comments to the individual painter’s ability and experience. The critique at the end of the workshop was invaluable. Not only did Philip comment on our paintings but he encouraged comments from the other participants. It was very helpful to hear what others said, and to see other paintings. I would definitely recommend Philip’s workshops to anyone. I now feel more confident about painting en plein air.”

— Barbara Shelley, NYC and Trenton, ME

“I have taken several of your workshops and initially thought that they would be redundant but I was wrong. Your different approaches to plein air, figure drawing and still life kept each fresh and challenging. I enjoyed each one and learned new concepts as well as reviewing old ones. One aspect of your workshops that I thoroughly enjoy is your calmness and patience with students. That feeling of calmness transcends the group and creates a very nice sense of camaraderie. I remember you stopped once during a lesson to demonstrate how to set up a French easel. The student was unprepared and having a very difficult time. You explained and demonstrated it in such a way that she was not embarrassed or insulted by it . That sort exemplifies your teaching style. Concepts are explained in such a way that are constructive and not intimidating.”

— M. Beaulieu, Bernard, ME

"After taking a workshop with Philip in July, I immediately sensed my approach to color and painting had changed.What’s more, I got over much of my plein-air painting phobia. You often fear what you don’t know or have never done. At my Art school, they didn’t offer plein-air painting courses in the regular curriculum. Yet, for many artists this is part of their regular practice. To have a professional artist show how one works outdoors and out-of-studio, was pretty much an epiphany for me. What’s wonderful about Philip’s instruction is that he often commences a class or workshop with an opening demonstration. It isn’t just about instruction from the sidelines, he teaches from example. One of the most beneficial lessons I’ve had in all of my Art education was watching Philip develop a painting from its very beginnings to its very end: It educated me about the “Process” of painting. For me, that was priceless."

— M. Zamora, Freeport, ME

"After many years of dabbling in painting and drawing, I enrolled in a class with Phil with the objective of getting comfortable with the process of selecting asubject, sketching it out, and then going through the steps of creating the painting. Phil was instrumental in my becoming comfortable with developing this discipline and overcoming a beginner's fear of putting somethingon the canvas. As I am intuitive by nature, this discipline provided me with a more concrete means to achieve my goals. Over the years since I first started with Phil, I have regularly taken subsequent with him. He has helped me mature through this process. His teaching style is positive, reinforcing, instructional, and gifted."

— Andy Carpentier