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Course details
Explore the stunning St Ives landscape and develop your artistic skills in a supportive environment, whilst exploring mixed media paintings.
This immersive course is designed to guide you through the process of creating preparatory drawings, which will serve as a foundation for your expressive landscape paintings, crafted in the studio. Throughout the course, Steven will introduce you to a rich array of artistic materials and techniques, as well as showcase the works of influential landscape painters.
Delve into the concept of “composition” and explore the key elements that contribute to creating a successful image, discussing principles such as balance, focal points, and the use of negative space to enhance your visuals. Engage in sketching activities and making observations of your surroundings near the studio. This hands-on experience will allow you to connect with your environment and practice applying compositional techniques in real-time, using a blend of materials.
Using your observational sketches, experiment with mixing different media, such as pencil, charcoal, ink, paint, and collage, to create your own compositions and ultimately art work to take home with you. Explore tones, textures and colours and discover which media can be combined and which ones cannot, along with techniques to facilitate this process. This exploration will challenge your preconceived notions of what is “right” in art and encourage you to adopt a creative and experimental mindset. It will not only help you “loosen up your painting” but also “loosen up your thinking.”
Stephen will teach you techniques to help you capture something of the feeling of a landscape or place in an expressive composition. He will also look at how other artists, such as Andrew Wyeth, Peter Doig and Jock McFadyen have taken inspiration from their own surroundings to portray a sense of place. Try your hand at different mark making, flexing your creative muscles to help you to produce a variety of mixed media outcomes. This course will teach fundamental skills that will help to build your artistic confidence.
What will I learn?
- Learn practical tips on navigating the creative process, from working in a sketchbook to working on a support such as primed board
- Build confidence in utilising techniques and developing ideas for creative projects for your art practice
- Look at the world around you in a new way and allow yourself to be inspired and see things differently.
- Learn to recognise that there’s no such thing as bad work and to feel confident about making.
- Grant yourself permission to fully embrace the opportunity to try something new, free from judgment or self-criticism.
- A chance to experiment with various materials under guidance, allowing for unexpected discoveries.
Who would this course suit?
This course would suit artists at any stage in their creative journey; whether you have an established practice or are just starting out. Ideal if you are looking for ways to increase skills, experience.
Taught by
What to Bring
Our studios are fully equipped and we provide you with all the materials you need for your course. However, if you have a favourite set of brushes or any specialist materials that you would prefer to use, please bring them with you.
Timings and Breaks
The workshop will run from 10:00am until 16:30pm. Please arrive 10-15 minutes before the start time so you can check in at reception and get settled in. We will serve tea and coffee at break times during the morning and afternoon.
FAQs
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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