Capture the Cornish landscape in simplified shapes, lines and motifs in this Victor Pasmore inspired webinar. See how this seminal artist pioneered a new way of working with abstraction.

Follow in Pasmore’s footsteps and take inspiration from the ripples and waves of Porthmeor Beach. Let artist Hilary Jean Gibson guide you through Pasmore and his peers’ work to inspire your own abstracted landscape.  

This new series of online classes, ‘Postcards from …’ will use the places in and around St Ives that inspired an international roster of artists including Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Ben Nicholson, Christopher Wood, Alfred Wallis, Bryan Wynter and Patrick Heron.  

Focusing in particular on sites which captured these artists’ imagination, Postcards from… will take you on a creative journey to the famous spots around St Ives including its harbour, Porthmeor Beach and its cobbled, winding streets, lined with stone fishermen’s houses. Using films of these familiar landscapes, led by one of our experienced tutors, this series will transport you to these inspiring St Ives locations, wherever you are in the world. 

During a brief stay in St Ives in the summer of 1950, Pasmore made a number of drawings of Porthmeor Beach. Visiting on the the invitation of artist Ben Nicholson, Pasmore integrated himself into the quickly growing hub of modern artists in the town and exhibited his work at the newly founded Penwith Society of Arts. These drawings, according to his friend William Townsend, consisted of a ‘extremely simple designs for houses, rocks, cliffs and spiralling shapes of water’ and a number were made into lithographs.

Pasmore was a key figure in the Postwar British art movement. His radical approach to painting and art education led art historian Herbert Read describing Pasmore’s new style as ‘the most revolutionary event in post war art’. Pasmore described a painting as an ‘independent object in its own right, not a representation of another object.’

 Following from Pasmore’s pioneering approach to art and practice, join Hilary live from our studio above Porthmeor Beach where she will explore his methods and materials. Explore the Cornish landscape in reduced forms while Hilary shows you how this unique artist shaped abstract art in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.

What will I learn?

1. Learn to work more freely and intuitively.
2. Enjoy playing with form, shape and colour.
3. Learn new ways of capturing the landscape around you, wherever you are in the world!

Who would this course suit?

Beginners and those with more experience are both welcome to join. If you are looking to learn new ways to expand your drawing and painting practice, or just inspiration by looking to other artists, this course is for you.

How does an online session work?

We will send you a link the day before the session so you can join in live.

You will be working from the same recorded video as Hilary so you will see both Hilary at work and the video on screen

You can put questions to the tutor using the online chat function. We record the sessions so you can watch on demand, as often as you like, for up to 1 month after. You will also be invited to join our Facebook Alumni group so you can share your discoveries with fellow students from around the world.

Please note as this is a live broadcast from time to time there will be technical challenges that are beyond our control. When this happens we may have to delay the start while we resolve them. We kindly suggest you enjoy the recordings instead of attending the live session if this might not suit your plans.

Share your work live with others on social media using the #schoolofpainting

What to Bring

We will email you a full guide on setting up ready for the course covering equipment and materials when you book. Hilary will use gouache paint, but acrylic will work in a similar way. You will also need cartridge paper or watercolour paper, at least two A3 sheets.

You will need access to the internet and either a Smart TV, PC or laptop or a tablet with audio. Phones are not really suitable however cast your phone to a Smart TV.

Timings and Breaks

Live broadcast: 4.00pm-5:30pm, Thursday 14th July.

During the session please pose questions to the artist using the chat function.

We will be sending you a recording of the sessions so you can revisit as often as you like for up to 1 month after broadcast.