Meet Charles Pero: From Curious Farmer to Confident Landscape Painter

What happens when you go from never having touched a paintbrush to painting nearly every day—and loving it? That’s the journey Charles Pero has been on. In just a few short months, Charles transformed from a curious beginner into a passionate landscape painter thanks to his dedication, mindset, and a little help from Layne’s courses.

We recently caught up with Charles to hear more about his experience—and his enthusiasm is contagious. Watch the full interview below.

Why Charles Started Painting

At 58 years old, Charles had spent most of his life running a third-generation family farm. But everything changed when he came across a video of someone painting using a wet-on-wet technique. He was amazed at how quickly a scene came together and decided to challenge himself to learn how to paint.

“I fell in love with it. Like, wow, how can he do that in 30 or 40 minutes? I had to try it.”

Discovering a Classical Approach

While Charles started with wet-on-wet painting, he wanted to go deeper and learn realism. That’s when he found Layne Johnson’s YouTube channel. Right away, Charles was drawn to the more classical approach that Layne teaches and enrolled in Mastering the Fundamentals of Landscape Painting.

“When I saw Layne’s painting, it was like grace. That’s what I wanted to learn.”

Learning the Fundamentals—Step by Step

The structure of Layne’s courses immediately resonated with Charles. Rather than jumping into painting right away, the course explains the ‘why’ behind every decision—before a single brushstroke hits the canvas.

“You explained everything to me—what to do and why. I never went to art school, but I didn’t need to. You made it so easy to understand.”

A New Way of Seeing (and Painting)

One of the biggest breakthroughs for Charles came during the underpainting stage.

“When I did the first underpainting in the fundamentals course, I saw the whole painting come alive right then. I’d never done anything like that.”

He also began to appreciate the pacing of painting in layers—especially the fat-over-lean rule, something he had never encountered while painting wet-on-wet. The shift made him more patient and helped him see values and shapes more clearly.

Trusting the Process

Color mixing didn’t come naturally at first, but Layne’s consistent reminders to “trust the process” stuck with Charles.

“Every time you said that, I kept going. And you were right. It came out better than I expected.”

Painting at His Own Pace

Charles loves the flexibility of learning online—being able to pause, rewind, and spend time on each step without pressure.

“I feel like I’m painting right next to Layne. I get up early in the morning, and it’s just us in the studio.”

His progression—from early wet-on-wet experiments to the more structured, layered techniques taught in Layne’s courses—is both visible and impressive. It reflects not only the depth of the instruction but Charles’s commitment to learning and improving.

His Advice to Other New Painters

For Charles, finding the right teacher made all the difference. His advice to beginners?

“Find a teacher you connect with. For me, that was Layne. I’ve learned so much—it’s unbelievable.”

Charles now paints nearly every day and gives his work away to friends and family. It’s a joyful hobby, one that’s brought a new creative spark to his life.

“I’m not doing this to sell paintings. I’m doing it for the joy of learning. Art has changed my life.”

Ready to Begin Your Own Painting Journey?

If Charles’s story inspired you, you’re not alone. Whether you’re brand new to painting or picking it back up after a long break, the right foundation can make all the difference. That’s exactly what you’ll find in Layne’s free workshop, Secrets to Painting Beautiful, Realistic Landscapes.

👉 Click here to register for the free workshop and start building the skills and confidence to paint landscapes you love.