Painting Workshop

A series of workshops introducing paint media, exploring the use of watercolour, gouache, acrylic and oil paint. The workshops are aimed at beginners or artists interested in expanding their practice towards experimentation and abstraction. The workshops aim to encourage freedom and play as opposed to rote learning but with enough sharing of technical knowledge to build confidence and self belief.

I shall encourage the use of self, feeling and experience towards developing an understanding of the media that is synchronous with the individual’s sensibilities rather than traditional forms. Paint media have subtle possibilities in aiding the expression of feelings and being able to recognise unconscious links in the act of painting is as useful to artists as technical/rational knowledge.

In the spirit of Joseph Beuys’ belief that everyone is an artist, the aim of each workshop is to tap into the creative well and allow the right brain to reign over its logical left side. There is much learning and a wealth of valuable experience to be gained from exercising the more visual right brain.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore visual elements of colour, tone, texture and form with each media and use various surfaces – paper, canvas, fabric, found materials; to use different tools and methods of application and gestural mark making; to expand painting method and use basic transfer and print techniques; to be introduced to exploration of colour – mixing and basic theory; to learn about artists who use paint expressively; to access inspirational resources; to experience group working; to produce a mixed media abstract work of their choice.