This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Art Holidays
EXPERIENCE A CREATIVE ESCAPE
Looking to book a painting holiday? We know the perfect place. Browse our 3 or 4 day art classes based in the heart of St Ives, Cornwall.
Browse a selection of our new 2025 studio courses or click here to view all courses.
Changing Tides
Art Courses – Mixed Media – Seascapes
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000IKvfk
Active Instance: a02Nz00000AK5vUIAT, 24-Mar-2025
Explore the ever-changing ebbing and flowing of the ocean and learn how to create the effect of light shimmering on water with the use of cold wax and oils.
| 24 – 26 Mar 2025 – 3 days – £455 | Book |
Contemporary Landscape
Art Courses – Oil – Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000i3ctX
Active Instance: a02Nz00000FvPXKIA3, 09-Jun-2025
Learn to use diverse techniques and innovative painting exercises to explore your own personal approach to landscape painting today. We will look at a range of contemporary landscape painters and how they use paint to explore their individuality within this genre.
Contemporary Landscape
Art Courses – Oil – Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000i3ctX
Active Instance: a02Nz00000FvFrPIAV, 06-Oct-2025
Learn to use diverse techniques and innovative painting exercises to explore your own personal approach to landscape painting today. We will look at a range of contemporary landscape painters and how they use paint to explore their individuality within this genre.
Figure In A Landscape
Art Courses – Painting – Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000HHe2b
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BjsgIAC, 19-Jun-2025
This new course focuses on integrating the human figure into the landscape through outdoor and studio-based study, encompassing both drawing and painting techniques.
| 19 – 22 Jun 2025 – 4 days – £535 | Book |
Landscape & Composition
Art Courses – Oil – Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000KQNlU
Active Instance: a02Nz000009R1vkIAC, 29-Sep-2025
Through direct observation of the landscape, explore various options for creating paintings. Learn drawing and painting techniques to capture the landscape in oil, in a way that deepens and enriches your individual response.
| 29 Sep – 1 Oct 2025 – 3 days – £425 | Book |
Not So Still Life
Art Courses – Drawing – Still Life
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000K3cAI
Active Instance: a02Nz00000CFCmqIAH, 01-Feb-2025
Experience still life in a new and dynamic way with this exploratory drawing course with an emphasis on enjoying the process of drawing as much as making a finished piece.
| 1 – 2 Feb 2025 – 2 days – £275 | Book |
Painting St Ives: Your Narrative
Art Courses – Acrylic – Seascapes
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000MX6TU
Active Instance: a02Nz00000EPNhJIAX, 17-Feb-2025
Create fun and vibrant paintings, exploring and blending observation with imagination and emotion, inspired by the picturesque seaside town of St Ives.
| 17 – 19 Feb 2025 – 3 days – £425 | Book |
Poetry of Process
Art Courses – Oil – Abstract
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000bCVjf
Active Instance: a02Nz00000FvFg4IAF, 17-Mar-2025
This mixed media course liberates you from expectations and encourages you to embrace the happy accident. Develop your painting in several directions through the act of painting itself, treading that fruitful bridge between intention and invention.
Poetry of Process
Art Courses – Oil – Abstract
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000bCVjf
Active Instance: a02Nz00000FuyYwIAJ, 08-Dec-2025
This mixed media course liberates you from expectations and encourages you to embrace the happy accident. Develop your painting in several directions through the act of painting itself, treading that fruitful bridge between intention and invention.
Still Life in Oils: Lessons from the 17th Century
Art Courses – Oil – Still Life
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000NBp8U
Active Instance: a02Nz000009R7xvIAC, 01-Aug-2025
Craft a striking layered oil painting that evokes depth and volume through the masterful use of texture, colour, and chiaroscuro.
Still Life in Oils: Lessons from the 17th Century
Art Courses – Oil – Still Life
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000NBp8U
Active Instance: a02Nz000009R8U9IAK, 01-Dec-2025
Craft a striking layered oil painting that evokes depth and volume through the masterful use of texture, colour, and chiaroscuro.
Telling Your Stories
Art Courses – Mixed Media
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000doxN7
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BpmnIAC, 27-Jun-2025
Are you ready for deeper story telling and meaning in your art? Do you struggle to get your ideas out of your head and onto canvas? Discover how to unleash your imagination, let go, and confidently make work that tells your unique story.
| 27 – 29 Jun 2025 – 3 days – £395 | Book |
Planning your creative escape
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, St Ives’ mild subtropical climate attracts visitors all year round. Its historical charm and scenic setting combined with bustling restaurants and numerous art galleries make this an ideal choice for a painting holiday.
Here are some helpful tips and advice when it comes to planning your trip.
Accommodation
Wondering where to stay in St Ives? From converted sail lofts to hotels overlooking the ocean, there is a huge range of accommodation in St Ives.
Things To Do
There are so many things to do in St Ives! Build your Cornish holiday itinerary by visiting St Ives’ galleries and tasting the local food and drink.
Travel & Parking
Plan ahead for your art holiday in Cornwall with our travel tips. Find the best car parks in St Ives and choose from a range of public transport.
World Renowned
For over a century, artists have been drawn to St Ives inspired by its spectacular, unspoilt coastline and the unique, translucent quality of the light it reflects.
ST IVES ART SCENE
Gallery
With several stunning beaches, jaw-dropping views, great surf, a range of places to eat and some of the finest art galleries in the UK, a painting holiday in St Ives is always a good idea.
Join our Art Community
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
Join our newsletter to receive weekly emails about upcoming courses and the latest news and events!
BECOME A MEMBER
Join as a member for an annual fee of £40 and receive half price life drawing every Thursday and Saturday.
MAKE A DONATION
We have been a registered charity since 2000. Every gift, however large or small, will make a difference to us.