If you’re drawn to abstraction but aren’t sure where to begin, this course shows you how to express your ideas using drawing, sculpture and painting.
Do you need a relief from painting the same thing? Are you drawn to abstract paintings but struggle to get your own paintings to work for you? Confounding the idea that abstraction can’t be taught, artist tutor Camilla Dixon takes you step-by-step from simply reproducing what you see to actively expressing and engaging with it. Create work that connects with ideas about the world around you, rather than just representing it in this energising and accessible course. This is ideal for those painters looking to refresh their painting or for those needing a way to get started with abstraction.
The three key things that this course is about are abstraction, 3-D Construction and development. It is about how these three elements can work together to make your artwork more resolved, individual and uncontrived; enabling you to break into abstraction and free your work from the need for representation. Begin by experimenting with drawing techniques, exploring possibilities in the familiar and getting in touch with your interpretive faculties. Find that new ways of drawing lead to new ways of seeing and form a technical foundation for more expressive work later in the course.
The 3-D aspect is the thing that really makes this course very different to other painting courses. The development process is key; it is the route to authentic abstraction (and all good art & design).
If possible we will visit Tate St Ives to look at iconic works of Peter Lanyon and Ben Nicholson, artists that moved between 3D constructions and paintings to discover new ways of seeing and responding. When developing a painting on the last day we will be working in acrylics as this allows you to build up layers in a short amount of time.
Explore different techniques of observing and interpreting your surroundings in the studio. Outside, use these techniques to explore both natural and man made elements of the landscape and start to understand the features and ideas you’re engaging with. Consider how drawings could be developed using alternative media and 3D elements.
Focus more on abstract mark making and the integration of colour. Develop your work, experimenting further with 2- and 3-dimensional possibilities. Visit Tate St Ives to look at original works by St Ives modernists.
Work in the studio on transforming your 3D structures into a 2D painting, incorporating unconventional materials.
This course is open to people of all experience levels that want to make abstraction less abstract! It is an ideal place to nurture your creativity and understand the process from pieces that describe to pieces that evoke.
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.
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.
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 end at 4pm. There are plenty of nearby places to eat and we will serve tea and coffee at break times during the day.
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.
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.
Natalie Day
Join us for this experimental, abstract webinar inspired by the Cornish landscape with new tutor, Natalie Day.
Caroline Robinson
Join large-scale painter Caroline Robinson as she explores her practice of painting intuitively.
Jill Eisele
Watch Jill Eisele in this recording as she takes us on an artist's journey to Joan Eardley’s Catterline on the wild east coast of Scotland. Explore how Eardley continues to inspire painters today.
Hilary Jean Gibson
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.
Tue 23 Sep - 3 hour(s)
Hilary Jean Gibson
Create beautiful postcard sized paintings, inspired by the St. Ives Harbour and its surroundings, using simple pen and wash techniques. No experience necessary, just come along and have fun.
Wed 17 Sep - 3 hour(s)
Greg Humphries
Communicate with the Spirit of Place and explore the roots of abstraction in the work and ideas of Piet Mondrian.
