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Course details
Drawing inspiration from Zennor’s rugged landscape and folklore, Hilary Jean Gibson, will guide you through her watercolour painting process, emphasising the importance of sketchbooks and research in addition to the painting process itself, extending beyond the artwork.
In this new series of online webinars, we will be discovering the landscapes that inspire our practising artists, in and around St. Ives, and learn how they capture the essence of place, both in the landscape and back in the studio.
Join artist Hilary Jean Gibson as she visits the historic village of Zennor, the 12th century church, and its surrounding cliffs. Zennor lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has been home to many creatives over the years. D.H Lawrence and his wife lived in Zennor during the First World War, whilst he was writing “Women in Love” and the artist Patrick Heron lived at “Eagle’s Nest”, overlooking the cliffs near Zennor, until his death in 1999.
Hilary has a fascination for history and enjoys exploring narratives in her paintings. She will be walking and working with water-based materials, in her concertina sketchbook in different Zennor locations, sharing her observations as a visual diary and exploring the myth of ‘The Mermaid of Zennor’. Delve into the fun of exploring colour and water-based paint and combine this with the drawing and sketching exercises laid out in this course, to make composite paintings that capture the essence of a place.
What’s included:
Preparatory videos make and prepare your own concertina sketchbook for taking on your travels and explore a range of watercolour painting techniques to help keep your ideas free flowing.
On location footage observe and learn from Hilary as she introduces the village of Zennor and shares her techniques for working in the landscape.
Drawing Exercises which can be completed over a few days or a week, depending on your time commitments. (Use the reference images for this or you can go out and explore a place of your choice).
Reference images of the unique Cornish landscape that our tutors will be visiting. You can revisit these time and time again, to practice the techniques learned in the session.
Studio Session (1.5hrs)
Learn more about the artistic process, the symbolism and inspiration behind Hilary’s paintings. Hilary demonstrates how she scales up her ideas and lets the process help her paintings unfold. Using the watercolour techniques and drawing exercises completed earlier in the course, have fun with creating your own paintings.
You will have access to this pre recorded course for up to 90 days after purchase.
‘So enchanting and valuable. The course gives you a clear plan of action to research the subject and make studies of it , and demonstrates methods you can use – all of which is transferable to your ongoing practice. It’s also very interesting to hear about Zennor and the mermaid’. Geraldine.
Who is this course for?
This course is suitable for both absolute beginners and those with more experience, looking to build confidence in new ways of working en plein air and in the studio. Aimed to help you step out of your comfort zone and loosen your approach to drawing and painting a sense of place.
What will I learn?
1. Loosen your approach to capturing the landscape around you.
2. How to prepare materials for working out in the landscape.
3. Learn to create paintings inspired by your direct environment and the weather conditions present at the time.
4. How to find ways into painting when you have a creative block.
5. How to include narratives in your paintings.
What will I need?
A list of materials will be available to see in your account along with all the pre-recorded lessons and exercises upon purchase of this course.
You will need access to the internet and ideally a PC, laptop or a tablet with audio.
Taught by
What our students say
So enchanting and valuable.
FAQs
Online Art Courses – All
How can I get help in choosing a course?
Our friendly expert staff are always happy to discuss your needs and our courses in more detail to help you with your decision. Please call us on 01736 797180
Do I need a webcam/any equipment?
For our webinar sessions which are broadcast on the internet and no webcam or microphone is needed as you just need to be able to see/hear hosts and you can communicate using the chat function. You can watch using a PC, Smart TV or tablet. A phone isn’t ideal as you will struggle to see enough unless you can miracast to a screen or smart TV.
For the longer online courses on Zoom you will need a laptop or tablet with audio and camera enabled so you can have a screen near where you are working. If you have a PC without camera or speakers, you can purchase a plug and play webcam for approx £25 which connects to a usb port. You will also need reasonable broadband connection and speed.
All the art materials and equipment needed to participate in the course will be listed in full on the online learning platform, for live webinars this will be a minimum of two weeks before the session starts.
I have registered for the webinar but I can't find my joining link
You can access all the resources and joining link for your webinar via our online learning platform. You will need to have set up an account on our online learning platform in advance. You can do this during the checkout process when purchasing your webinar. If you are having trouble accessing your online account, please contact [email protected]. You can use a PC or tablet or even cast from your phone to watch on your Smart TV.
I paid for the session but missed it, how can I watch?
Currently all our online sessions are recorded and you can access the recording on our online learning platform until it expires. Usually 60 days for a webinar, 90 – 180 days for multipart webinars or online courses.
Studio Courses
How can I get help in choosing a course?
Our friendly expert staff are always happy to discuss your needs and our courses in more detail to help you with your decision. Please call us on 01736 797180
How do I get my work home?
Tutors have special techniques for transporting oil paintings and the school has plastic folders available in our shop for £3.50 or do bring a portfolio.
For international students we are happy to arrange transportation of your work back home.
What do I need to bring?
Absolutely nothing! All materials and aprons are provided although some people do like to bring their own set of brushes.
What do I do for lunch?
Courses allow an hour’s break for lunch and there are numerous places nearby or you are welcome to bring a packed lunch into the studio.
What times do courses run?
Most of our courses start at 10am and end at 4.30pm on the first day. Subsequent days we start at 9.30am ending at 4pm.
Weekend Courses run 10am – 4pm on the first day but the final day starts at 9.30 and ends at 3.30 with a short lunch break to enable people to get home that evening.
Do you have to be experienced to come to the School?
The School is a very friendly and welcoming place for all ages and experience. Our drop-in life classes and August half-day workshops are ideal for those wanting to have a go for the first time. Most of our longer courses are also fine for novices.
If any of the courses do need a bit of experience we flag this up in the brochure and on the website.
Booking a Course
How can I reserve a place?
We will hold a provisional reservation for 24 hours if you give us a call whilst you find accommodation. Otherwise please book online or by telephone 01736 797180.
You can reserve a place with a £100 deposit; balance is due 12 weeks before course start date.
About St Ives
Where do I park?
The nearest long stay public car parks are the Island and Barnoon Long Stay Car Park, both a 5 minute walk away. In the peak summer months it may be easier to park at Trenwith Car Park by the leisure centre and walk down into town. If you don’t fancy the walk up the hill at the end of the day there is a shuttle bus which runs from outside the cinema.
How do I get there?
Public Transport: If you are coming from further afield the main train line runs into St Erth which is a 15 min taxi ride away or you can take the St Ives Bay Line which runs approx. every 30 minutes. The School is a 10 minute walk from St Ives station.
Driving: M5 will take you to Exeter where we recommend that you take the A30 across Bodmin Moor and into Cornwall. After passing Hayle, leave the A30 at St Erth roundabout for St Ives. Turn right at the second roundabout. This road will take you through Lelant and Carbis Bay into St Ives.
Where can I stay?
St Ives has a huge selection of hotels, guest houses and self catering accommodation to choose from. Please browse the art holidays St Ives section on our website and give us a call if you would like any help.
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