ONLINE COMPOSITION COMPREHENSIVE
with Jerry McLaughlin
FEB 25 | MAR 4, 11, 18, 25 | APR 1, 8, 15, 22
2026
4pm to 6pm ET (NYC)
ONLINE
$599
‘This class is AWESOME! Jerry is a very experienced and sympathetic teacher, very clear and knowledgeable.’
- Jane Davies (about the online workshop)
Lines indicating aspects of tension and balance.
ABOUT JERRY’S ONLINE
COMPOSITION COMPREHENSIVE
THIS IS JERRY’S MOST INTERACTIVE ONLINE COURSE!
Ready to truly understand composition? This 9-week course gives you both the foundations and plenty of hands-on practice. Each week you’ll work through focused assignments, then review them together with detailed feedback and time for questions. We’ll wrap up by bringing everything together in a final session where you’ll analyze a variety of compositions on your own—so you leave confident and ready to apply these skills to your work.
All live sessions are recorded, and students can re-watch
for up to 30 days after the last day of the course.
*THIS CLASS IS NOT SPECIFIC TO COLD WAX MEDIUM.
IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR ALL TYPES OF PAINTING AND COLLAGE MEDIA.
Implied lines that also indicate tension and compositional energy relative to visual weight.
A Mondrian painting where the format of the work creates deliberate tension with the structure of the composition. Edges are really important in this piece.
‘It was a great class, and Jerry is a wonderful instructor!’
- Pamela Done (about the online workshop)
‘I am so happy I found this class! Jerry is incredible!’
- Marcia Molnar (about the online workshop)
COURSE SCHEDULE
Jerry discusses and demonstrates the various topics over 9 consecutive Wednesdays. Students have ‘homework’ assignments to help develop and guide their learning. During the following session we will review this homework in detail. This structure gives participants plenty of time to study, work with the concepts, and ask any questions that come up.
FEB 25 | MAR 4, 11, 18, 25 | APR 1, 8, 15, 22
2026
SESSIONS RUN FOR 2 HOURS EACH 4:00 TO 6:00pm ET (NYC)
*minimum 12 students
TOPICS INCLUDE:
Compositional structure
Visual weight and hierarchy
Symmetry and asymmetry
Balance and tension
Implied lines
Character, contrast, variety, and unity
Scale, proportion, placement, distribution
Importance of edges
Visual elements and composition
When and how things go wrong in composition
And MORE!
Supply List
You do not need any specific supplies for this workshop, but because we will be looking at a LOT of paintings, watching on a computer, rather than a phone or tablet, will offer better viewing.
Your assignments will require you to look at a lot of paintings and identify things like visual weight, tension, and implied lines. If you have access to a printer, or if you know how to use basic software that lets you draw lines or arrows on an image, that will be helpful. Actually circling areas of weight, drawing lines that indicate pull and tension or indicate implied lines is helpful. However, it is entirely possible to do this mentally as well.
Thinking of taking the workshop? Make it happen, no matter the inconvenience, cost, or timing!
- Judy V
It was well thought out and more giving of experience and talent than any other workshop I have taken.
- Dana G
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Jerry McLaughlin, MD, initially trained as a pediatric critical care physician. He began his artistic career as a fine art photographer, but realizing he had always wanted to be a painter, he abandoned photography and started painting. Although encaustic was his initial medium, once he discovered cold wax and oils, he quickly transitioned and has never gone back. His work has been collected across the US and internationally and has appeared in many publications. He works with HG Contemporary Gallery in New York, DZINE Gallery in San Francisco.
In 2017, Jerry, with co-author Rebecca Crowell, published the internationally award-winning Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations. It is the first ever comprehensive book exploring the myriad techniques and ways artists are using cold wax medium. In 2020, Rebeca and Jerry started COLD WAX ACADEMY, the only online learning portal devoted exclusively to artists interested in cold wax.
Jerry is passionate about teaching, and he holds a certificate in adult education from the University of Washington. His strength lies in identifying and addressing the individual needs of his students and helping them analyze and develop solutions to the difficulties they are encountering. Jerry maintains an active artist mentoring and coaching practice, working with artists around the world
Jerry went for the first time to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 2018. Three weeks later he and his husband, Mike, bought a home. They left Oakland and now live in San Miguel with their dog, Bert.
