Hi, I'm Irene Duma
I’m an artist and arts-lover who truly believes that art can change the world. In fact, that’s what art is for! Art is how we humans have communicated key ideas to each other for thousands of years.
I also believe wholeheartedly that an itty bitty creative practice can bring more joy, happiness and meaning to your life. In fact, science is proving it. Creating art is really good for us and has a lot of health benefits.
So that’s why I’m here: to encourage, inspire and cheer you on to give painting a try. And find out what makes painters some of the happiest people around.
And to help you, I’ve created this FREE Quickstart Guide to Oil Painting. Click the link and get my 10-step Duma Do Art process for making alla prima oil paintings you will love.
I want you to fall fast in love with painting.
Because if you fall in love with painting, you Now have a way to add a whole lot more love in your life. Nice, right?
Painting is not only fun, it’s good for us!
More and more, scientific studies are showing that creating art is not just a fun thing to do but it also has positive effects on our health and well being.
Who doesn’t want that?
Here’s the science. When we are creating something, we get immersed in a bunch of feel-good hormones. Our positive emotions increase while our negative ones, including stress, anxiety and depression, decrease. This is not only the placebo effect — it’s measurable.
There’s also the very pleasurable feelings of pride and accomplishment when we finish a piece of artwork.
And if that wasn’t enough, if we give ourselves about 90 minutes of uninterrupted time to work on our art, and challenge ourselves ever so slightly — approximately 4% — we may even get into “the flow.”
Sometimes called “the zone” or runner’s high, this is a very pleasurable state to be in because it shuts down our prefrontal cortex, the driver behind our self-critical voice.
It also increases our focus, slows down our perception of time, and dissolves our sense of otherness — yes, the zone is responsible for giving us that feeling of being one with the universe. Ooh!
And, wouldn’t you know it, the zone is also turning out to be a very restorative, and healing state. (See Steven Kottler’s research on this).
So, to sum it up: creating art is fun; it feels great; it’s healthy and healing; and it’s challenging and rewarding. Our art can also inspire and move other people — in fact, it’s how we communicate with one another.
No wonder we humans have been doing it since the dawn of time.
I give you permission to create art
Here are a few things more things about me.
I live at the edge of the world.
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is located on an island in the North Atlantic ocean. In fact, it’s not too far away from one of the four corners of the earth.
Here’s me taking a selfie about a 20-minute drive from home. I’m out on a photo-taking mission. Lucky me.
I’m a professional artist. My artwork is available in four galleries. It has been exhibited in numerous art shows including the provincial museum, The Rooms. It has also been featured in a number of arts and literary publications, and even printed on a beer can.
Here’s a photo of me with some of my mini paintings at the Red Ochre Gallery in St. John’s.
You can find my original artwork at ireneduma.com.
And here’s me with a can of beer featuring my artwork on it. This was a cool partnership between the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (the best film fest in the world … in fact, it’s how I came to fall in love with Newfoundland) and the delish local craft brewery Quidi Vidi Brewing Co.
Below is a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean as seen from the East Coast Trail. This hiking trail has over 336 kilometers of beautifully maintained but still wild and rugged trails to explore. And it’s just minutes away from my door … lucky, lucky me.
If you’re looking to learn the principles of fine art in a fun, friendly and accessible manner — you have found the place.
I’m all about fine art.
I consider myself a fine artist and so I teach fine art painting skills.
These are the real principles of art; no gimmicks. I love getting right down to basics and I think a solid foundation of knowledge is a great base from which to spring. I also think too much theory, especially when you are a beginner, can stifle creativity, or worse, turn you off painting. So you won’t find that here.
I have a Fine Art History degree from the University of Toronto. I love history in general, but learning about the way artists have learned to think and see over thousands of years is truly fascinating. It’s also fascinating to see how ideas spread and shape cultures! (It turns out nothing is an accident. )
I believe the best learning comes from doing
So my teaching style is about getting you into the paint and playing with it as soon as possible.
If you want to learn how to paint but hate academic style lectures and boring, tedious exercises like painting a cube in various shades of brown … for weeks … before graduating to the next lesson … painting the cube in blue …. then you might like my teaching style.
I’ve designed a framework to help people learn to paint.
I call it the Duma Do Art Process. (As you can see, I take myself very seriously.)
I actually designed it for myself because I needed a process to follow when I was learning how to paint — I kept getting lost without one. Painting is definitely more complex than drawing! There’s a lot more to think about.
Mini steps to mastery
The Duma Do 10 is a 10-step process for absolute novices. The Duma Do 15 is a 15-step process for beginner to intermediate painters.
These frameworks not only break down the painting process into easy-to-follow steps, but they also introduce you to the questions that painters need to ask themselves while painting. You get to learn how to think and see like an artist. And this is key.
There is no one way to paint: in fact there are many processes and techniques to try, and more to discover. That’s another beauty of painting small — you can try them out quickly, and see what works for you!
More about my teaching style.
I believe in the power of mini paintings. As a late-blooming artist who didn’t start painting until I was in my fifties, painting mini paintings turned out to an excellent move and key to me learning quickly.
I teach you to draw what you see, not what you know. That’s how I learned to draw while at an immersive summer course in fashion illustration at Parsons School of Design in New York. We drew from live models all day long for 5 weeks. No tricks or gimmicks. Just looking really deeply at our subject, and teaching our arm and brain to capture what we see. Brilliant.
I can explain complex principles clearly.
I learned how to do that at the Ontario Science Centre where I worked as a science demonstrator. We had excellent training on the psychology of teaching, and how to make education fun for visitors ages 2 – 102. It also gave me a huge appreciation for science.
If you detected a hint of comedy, you are right.
I trained in and performed improv and sketch comedy, acting and stage clown for years in Toronto. I also taught improv comedy at Theatresports. I’m all for taking ourselves less seriously, and regaling in the joy of laughter.
Improv comedy and clowning are also all about trusting your first impulses. As writing guru Natalie Goldberg says in Writing down the Bones, this is where the energy lives. And it’s a great way to approach painting, too.
I’m borrowing some good stuff from Martial Arts
Much to my surprise, tae kwon do classes were the most supportive classes I have ever been in! There was a lot of clapping, cheering and encouragement in classes. And it works: I have my second dan Black Belt.
What I also love about martial arts training is that a black belt does the same moves a white belt does. The only difference is that the black belt is expected to perform the moves at black belt level: faster, stronger, and with more precision. I think the same goes for visual arts, too. Just keep on practicing your moves!
Cross “learn to paint” off your bucket list.
Who is this website for?
- Art lovers, art dabblers, the art curious, and those that want to add some creativity to their lives.
- Romantic dreamers who have “become a painter” or “experience the life of an artist” on their bucket list.
- Late-bloomers. As someone who didn’t start painting until my mid-fifties, I have a super soft spot for those that might have been directed to pursue something “more practical.”
- Watercolourists, pastel painters, or any artist working in another media who might like to try oil painting. (It is the Maserati of visual arts, non? 😉)
- Teens who want to work on their painting skills for their portfolios.
- The super busy moms who might be able to find an hour or two to create a mini painting — and get some rejuvenating “me-time” in the process.
- People who might not have enough creativity or “play time” in their current jobs or lives. Having a mini-arts practice where you get to do whatever you want, when you want, how you want, without worrying about the team, and with no supervision — is the perfect antidote to that.
- Anyone who appreciates the visual arts and wants to understand them a little bit better. There’s nothing better than experience to give you an inside peek.
My previous lives
Before I gave myself permission to paint, I was a New Media Designer, Web Developer and Designer, Video Director and Editor, Creative Director, Creative Writer and Copywriter, Comedy Writer, Actor, Comedy Improvisor, Improv Comedy Teacher, Waitress, History and Science Interpreter, English Teacher, and Clown. That means I have the skills to do everything on this website, from copywriting to HTML. In fact, I did do everything on this website. Phew, I am beat.
Want to read more about why art is good for us? Here's the science.
I love science, especially when more and more studies are proving what my gut has always told me — that art is super important.
Here are good places to learn more about some of the things I mention on this page.
- Creativity coach Eric Maisel dispenses practical advice on how to make meaning in your life with art, and how to make time for your creative work.
- Steven Kottler’s work on the science of flow, creativity and peak performance is fascinating.
- Writer James Clear’s best-selling book Atomic Habits on how making tiny changes is the best way to making lasting habits.
You can find my original artwork at ireneduma.com.
Ready to start painting? Click the link and get my FREE Quickstart Guide to Oil Painting.