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Hilary Jean Gibson
In 1995 I became a tutor at the St Ives School of Painting. Offering inspiration through my passion for drawing, water-based media and art history, I strive to liberate a creative vision by teaching skills and techniques through direct observation and en plein air.
Hilary’s drawings, watercolours and prints capture the atmosphere of the windswept cliffs of the Cornish coastline as well as interiors of abandoned old buildings. Hilary’s passion for drawing and perspective evolved at Saint Martin’s School of Art in the 1970s, and after many years as a freelance illustrator she moved to St Ives in 1994 when she became inspired to explore the space between fact and fiction.
Her fascination for narrative and history continued with a Residency at Godolphin and Trelissick National Trust. She has exhibited her work widely including at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions and the Mall Galleries in London. Hilary has also written and illustrated books including, most recently, Illustrations of the Leach Pottery, St Ives (2018), which won an Holyer an Gof Publishers’ award in 2019.
Click here to view an online book of Hilary’s botanical drawings and paintings.
What our students say
Great course – I have learnt so much that I will take home with me and enjoy creating art with.
With no painting experience whatever – this course was relaxed and inspirational. A small group so personal attention from a very patient tutor. I really enjoyed the course and I learnt a great deal. Thank you Hilary!
As a cook, to see the magic of the process of paint choices, applications, washes and light in a “recipe”, develop inspired by great painters from this very place and Hilary’s patience teaching us all about technique, colour, materials in 3 days was fantastic!
Fascinating and fun – thank you. Best art course I’ve ever been on!
I thoroughly enjoyed this three day workshop – would love to stay for another three! Hilary was relaxed, informative and inspiring and I feel invigorated to continue to develop the new skills i’ve learned.
A big thank you to Hilary and Liz – a fantastic course! I look forward to continuing at home all I have learnt and will certainly be back for future courses.
Practising and experimenting with watercolour and trying different techniques has given me the confidence to develop my own style and detect the pleasure of painting.
A great course. Very useful. Packed with good tips and trials to progress ones work.
Absolutely love the way the course is designed and taught. Very encouraging, compassionate and multifaceted experience, and most definitely coming back! Thank you for your support, light energy and smiles.
I cannot believe how much I have learnt on this course. Watercolours are so versatile and I cant wait to explore this further. Thank you so much Hilary!
Hilary led us through the techniques to pencil portrait from a live model. I learnt a lot from her. It was very hard work but the results were amazing at the end of the two days!
Great course – covered all the basic elements and techniques and gave me the confidence to experiment and develop going forward.
I loved my tutors! The range they showed – between accurate drawing and having fun with different materials – was superb!
Hilary has a really excellent manner. I had been worried about being an absolute beginner but she put us all quickly at our ease and I was able to really enjoy the course.
Excellent session with Hilary. The model was always in a super pose and all of us students got a lot of thoughtful help. Looking forward to the next time!
It was a rare opportunity to focus entirely on drawing, without the distractions of working from home. I enjoyed going over the fundamentals of drawing because there was no thorough teaching of this on my degree course. I will certainly be more aware of these aspects of drawing as I develop my work at home. The course gave me a boost of confidence and i feel inspired to draw more regularly than I had been doing for a couple of years.
I’ve really loved watching and doing the watercolour practice sessions with Hilary over the last 4 sessions. I’ve watched again several times via the recordings which was so helpful when practicing at a slower pace. Thanks so much for running these.
Thank you for the smashing sessions, I shall definitely look out for more!
Wonderful drawing session with the incredibly knowledgeable and talented Hilary Gibson. Thanks to all the team!
Hilary was knowledgeable, patient and inspiring. She led us on a structured journey to understand watercolours. Thank you.
Hilary gave attention to each of us when needed and encouraged our efforts when we needed a bit of support.
Hilary is clearly an experienced practicing artist and teacher who gave a good balance of input and support without overwhelming us.
I enjoyed the drawing and painting activities indoors and outside very much I learnt a lot and already started to practice at home. Inspiring teacher. Lovely people on the course.
Thank you profoundly for your fantastic, encouraging, gentle, brilliant, lively, intelligent, deeply informed from so
many sources and resources and creative teaching.
Suitable for beginners or the more experienced. Inspiring. Very well taught. Good quality, plentiful, materials to work with .
Hilary was a great teacher and took care and time to make sure everyone was understanding. The outside air painting taught me a lot and was very good even in cold and rainy November! The course gave me a great start in understanding watercolours and the confidence to now explore on my own.
Hilary’s enthusiasm is infectious and I have found myself trying out techniques way outside my comfort zone.
I really enjoyed the drawing and painting activities indoors and outside. I learnt a lot and have already started to practice at home. Inspiring teacher, and lovely people on the course.
A thoroughly enjoyable weekend. A small and friendly class group, knowledgeable and encouraging tutor, lovely learning environment, and nice people working at the school.
Our tutor Hilary was wonderful. The course outline was exactly what was delivered. I felt I’d been carefully taken through some basic knowledge and skills, so that I was able to approach more challenging tasks. I felt pushed beyond my comfort zone to just the right degree! Very inspired now to practice and build on what I learnt.
Exceeded expectations! Venue, location, beautiful materials were all just right. Small friendly group of students and a tutor who inspired and really knew her subject and how to deliver and encourage us. I will be checking out your online courses because I live overseas.
It was totally inspiring! A lightbulb moment, all makes sense now. Thank you Hilary.
Hilary was an experienced teacher and promoted a positive group learning experience. The water colour techniques will help me to progress my art and I loved learning in the St Ives studios.
So enchanting and valuable.
I enjoyed this class very much, and learned some great techniques.
Courses with Hilary Jean Gibson
Artist Landmarks - Zennor with Hilary Jean Gibson
Online Pre-recorded - Waterbased - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000H2h2p
Active Instance: a02Nz0000091dlLIAQ, 31-Aug-2026
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.
| £45 | Book |
Barbara Hepworth's Garden
Studio Art Courses - Mixed Media - Abstract
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000QqC6h
Active Instance: a02Nz000009Bs6LIAS, 28-Jul-2025
Join us for this three-day course working in Barbara Hepworth's beautiful sculpture garden in St Ives.
| 28 - 30 Jul 2025 - 3 days - £425 | Book |
Beginners Watercolour
Art Courses - Watercolour - Beginners
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000K5elA
Active Instance: a02Nz000009Bhm2IAC, 07-Feb-2025
An ideal first step to watercolour painting. Discover the essential techniques of this luminous and rewarding medium. Build confidence through demonstrations, theory and practice, using different papers, tools and approaches.
Beginners Watercolour
Art Courses - Watercolour - Beginners
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000K5elA
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BsazIAC, 11-Aug-2025
An ideal first step to watercolour painting. Discover the essential techniques of this luminous and rewarding medium. Build confidence through demonstrations, theory and practice, using different papers, tools and approaches.
Capturing St Ives
Art Courses - Waterbased - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a001r00000nKF2g
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BizpIAC, 03-Mar-2025
Use the simple yet powerful technique of line and wash to study St Ives' buildings, cottages and cobbled streets and bring them to life in the studio.
Capturing St Ives
Art Courses - Waterbased - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a001r00000nKF2g
Active Instance: a02Nz00000GHrt8IAD, 18-Aug-2025
Use the simple yet powerful technique of line and wash to study St Ives' buildings, cottages and cobbled streets and bring them to life in the studio.
Developing Drawing Skills
Art Courses - Drawing - Beginners
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000bCVj2
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BviXIAS, 17-Nov-2025
Learn to master the power of the simple line. Working from subjects in and around the studios, create compelling observational drawings and equip yourself with an entirely new creative toolbox.
| 17 - 20 Nov 2025 - 4 days - £495 | Book |
Experimental Approaches to Watercolour
Art Courses - Watercolour - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J000002hKnB
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BkjtIAC, 04-Apr-2025
Develop a free and energetic approach to painting with watercolour. Learn to create contemporary, striking pieces, launching you on a whole new adventure in watercolour painting.
| 4 - 6 Apr 2025 - 3 days - £425 | Book |
Postcards from St Ives - Barbara Hepworth's Drawings (recording)
Online Pre-recorded - Mixed Media
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000PgrAE
Active Instance: a024J00000ASAhoQAH, 01-Sep-2026
Following the major retrospective of Barbara Hepworth's work at Tate St Ives, join us for this Hepworth-inspired webinar using the artist's remarkable series of drawings as a starting point.
| £30 | Book |
Postcards from St Ives - Patrick Heron
Online Pre-recorded - Mixed Media - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000FGzYu
Active Instance: a024J00000CkZNRQA3, 01-Sep-2026
Join us for this Patrick Heron-inspired webinar. See how Heron's aerial approaches to depicting the landscape of St Ives in gouache can be integrated into your own way of working.
| £30 | Book |
Postcards from St Ives - Victor Pasmore, Line + Space
Online Pre-recorded - Mixed Media - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000FFkBC
Active Instance: a024J00000ChJUYQA3, 01-Sep-2026
Capture the Cornish landscape in simplified shapes, lines and motifs in this Victor Pasmore inspired recording. See how this seminal artist pioneered a new way of working with abstraction.
| £30 | Book |
Postcards from St Ives - Wynter & Rooftops
Online Pre-recorded - Mixed Media - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000IQ6iH
Active Instance: a024J00000BlFQoQAN, 01-Sep-2026
Enjoy creating abstract and experimental paintings and drawings inspired by the iconic Downalong rooftops of St Ives, with drawing, simple printmaking and waterbased painting.
| £30 | Book |
Postcards from Tony O'Malley - Between Sound + Silence
Online Pre-recorded - Mixed Media - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000ITwNr
Active Instance: a024J00000CRyzbQAD, 01-Sep-2026
Get inspired by St Ives painter Tony O'Malley's intuitive and playful approach to capturing the Cornish landscape.
| £30 | Book |
Postcards from Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000G1wAu
Active Instance: a024J00000BQj0lQAD, 01-Sep-2026
Follow in the footsteps of St Ives artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham and explore her unique approach to painting and drawing the rocks and waves of the famous rugged coastline of St Ives.
| £30 | Book |
The Elements + Art of Drawing
Art Courses - Mixed Media - Abstract
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000ITLaJ
Active Instance: a02Nz000009Bk2LIAS, 17-Mar-2025
Why learn to draw? Drawing can both underpin and free-up your painting practice, and drawing doesn’t need to be ‘correct’ to be fun or creative!
| 17 - 20 Mar 2025 - 4 days - £525 | Book |
Turner Sea + Sky
Art Courses - Watercolour - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000dogvP
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BgLOIA0, 23-Jun-2025
Reveal a fresh and immediate approach to watercolour, emulating Turner's rapidly made and highly expressive studies, known as 'colour beginnings'. Create vibrant seascapes that evoke the boundlessness of sea and sky.
| 23 - 25 Jun 2025 - 3 days - £425 | Book |