Something in the work
has always known
what it wants to be.
You have been painting for years. You show up. The work is good — technically accomplished, considered, real.
And still. Something is not quite there. Not a skill you're missing. Something closer than that.
This is where that changes.
BEGIN HERE FREE GUIDE
What artists say when the work shifts
“I didn’t know I could paint like that”
"I never felt this free."
"It finally looks like me."
I’m Maurille de Smalen
& I have been there.
For years I made work that was technically accomplished — and didn't feel like me. Careful. Polite. Made for an invisible audience.
A major life event, followed by a moment of absolute clarity changed that. Life is too short to make work that isn't yours. That return to my own voice is what I now teach — after 25 years working as an Art Teacher and in the creative industry with hundreds of artists who found their way back.
You can't make honest work while you're not sharing what is inside you.
“The paintings I make now are the most honest things I have ever made. That is what I want for every artist I work with."
STUDIO SHIFTS
Five SHIFTS you can make in the studio today — practical, specific, and aimed at one thing: letting more of you into what you create.
Still find it hard to create what you really desire. You know it’s not technique…
You find yourself stuck and coming back again and again, not knowing what to do next?
Studio Shifts, will help you.
You leave the careful zone behind — and the work opens up
You start trusting your own eye over every outside opinion
You create work that finally feels finished
Delivered by email. No pressure after.
From the Studio
"I went in thinking I needed to learn something new. I came out realizing I had been painting around myself for years. Now the work is mine."
—
Artist · Art Wide Open student
Coming May 2026
The Return
A course for artists who have the technique. Who show up.
Who are ready for the work to finally feel like them.
Details coming soon. Get Studio Shifts to be the first to know.