Course details
Learn the secrets to capturing the dramatic encounter between sea and land in oils. Convey that fleeting moment when a wave crashes on the shore, its drama, energy and movement.
Unleash your creativity and infuse your paintings with texture, life, and depth through inspiring demonstrations and dedicated practice.
Learn to paint confidently in oils combining brushwork and palette knife techniques, to capture the glorious seascapes of St Ives surrounds. Artist Gary Long will share with you the secrets of harnessing the power of the knife to lift a painting.
Observe and sketch the coastline around St Ives, learning how to work with gouache to make annotations on colour and weather. Back in the studio develop these visual notes and sketches into lively and dramatic oil paintings. Using an expressive approach in oils, you will gain confidence in using tools, techniques and a limited palette to capture drama and movement.
Teaching will be through demonstrations and one to one time with each student. Gary will also works on his own piece during the sessions so students can observe the process of development.
Student Gallery
What will I learn?
- The skills to develop paintings from drawing studies.
- Confidence in using a variety of tools and techniques to get a range of marks and effects. This will help you create paintings that are interesting and striking.
- Confidence in colour mixing so you can develop your own personal palette that you can recreate rather than rely on guesswork.
- An understanding of the properties of oil paint so you can have more control of the paint and get the effect you want.
Who would this course suit?
Whether you are a complete beginner in oil paints or would like to build your confidence working with them, this course is a wonderful starting point. If you love painting landscape but feel stuck, this course gives useful tools for loosening up and animating your paintings.
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.
nb: This course will involve some time each day walking around St Ives, which may involve some rough ground.
Timings and Breaks
The first day starts at 10am and finishes at 4.30pm, please aim to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time.
All course days after that start at 9.30am and finish at 4pm and there will be an hour for lunch. There are plenty of nearby places to eat and we will serve tea and coffee at break times during the day.
What our students say
Inspiring location – great history in the building and school course followed the description in the brochure. I overcame my fear of the palette knife and charcoal sketching. I also built on existing skills and experiences.
Gary shows in depth how he mixes colours, and demonstrates the use of palette knife. He also showed lots of his paintings at the beginning to inspire us and help us to visualise what we were aiming for.
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.
You might also like...
Where Sea Meets Land - Winter Storm
Gary Long
Learn to convey the drama and energy of a stormy sea encountering the land in oils. Capture the movement of the sea as it clashes with an iconic Cornish harbour.
Line, Texture, Tone - Coldwax Painting
Laura Menzies
Enjoy creating luminous abstract paintings using coldwax painting. Learn how these three fundamental aspects - texture, line and shape - can help develop your unique visual vocabulary.
Seeing the Light
Kieran Stiles
When artists talk about light, what do they mean? How does it work, and what does it say? Explore different concepts and methods of representing light in this 2 and a half hour recorded online course led by artist Kieran Stiles.
Postcards from St Ives - Whistler at the Coast
Andrew Barrowman
James Whistler and Walter Sickert painted together in St Ives in 1884. What can we take from their energetic studies to help you with your own landscape painting in oils?
The Minimalist Landscape
Mon 13 - Wed 15 Oct - 3 days
Tom Rickman
How can you resist the urge to over complicate a painting? Learn the art of simplicity in your landscapes so everything matters more and learn to make meaning out of less.
Postcards from St Ives - Christopher Wood
Alice Mumford
Join artist Alice Mumford as she explores Christopher Wood's quest for a lyrical way of describing the world through line and rhythm.
Landscape & Composition
Mon 29 Sep - Wed 1 Oct - 3 days
Julian Vilarrubi
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.