Artist Landmarks - St Ives Bay with Victoria Gillow
Acrylic / Painting / Landscape
We haven’t scheduled this course yet. Please email us to register your interest for future availability.
Register InterestCourse details
Local artist, Victoria Gillow, shares new ways of working to inspire your creative process and help you paint the places you love. Discover techniques to create vibrant and expressive paintings.
Focusing on the beauty of the dunes and expansive three miles of shoreline within the bay of St Ives, create your own seascape with Victoria and learn processes to help you to paint the landscapes close to you. Explore the balance between realism and abstraction, infusing colour with imagination and emotion rather than simple representation.
The first part of the course is self-paced and you will be led through several sketching and colour exercises on location. Tune into the auditory environment and translate sounds into visual forms; explore marks of the tide, rhythms of the ocean sounds, the feeling of objects combed from the beach and in your own time, capture the essence of a scene through small studies.
The second part of the course comprises a 2.5hr live studio session with the opportunity to pose questions directly to the artist and work alongside her. Victoria will help us re-engage with our surroundings through warm-up exercises involving words and drawing. Using the various notes, sketches and colour studies made on location, work with graphite and acrylics, to create larger format paintings alongside a body of smaller work.
Scale up your studies and put the techniques to practice in this valuable session, to produce a vibrant and expressive seascape painting.
Don’t worry if you can’t get out into the landscape immediately, there are photographic and video resources included in the course that you can use as a starting point for your studies.
You will have 90 days access to the course so plenty of time, to re-watch and re-do the exercises should you wish to in your own familiar surroundings.
Who is this course for?
This course is suitable for both absolute beginners and those with more experience, looking to build confidence in new ways of working en plein air and in the studio. It would suit those wishing to develop an art practice inspired by the land and sea. Aimed to help you step out of your comfort zone and loosen your approach to drawing and painting a sense of place.
What will I learn?
1. Learn how to evolve an immersive and liberating art practice.
2. Explore the relationship between nature and artistic expression.
3. Work with acrylics en plein air and learn colour mixing techniques.
4. Loosen your approach to capturing the landscape around you through focusing on memory and tactile experiences.
5. Develop your own colour palette for the landscape.
6. Learn how to find ways into painting when you have a creative block.
How does an online session work?
We record the sessions so you can watch on demand, as often as you like, for up to 90 days after purchase. This way you can pause a scene, rewind and finish your paintings.
What’s included:
Pre-recorded practical lessons, filmed on location, to watch before the live webinar. Observe and learn from Victoria, as she introduces Hayle beach and dunes and shares her techniques for working in the landscape. The idea is that you can work through these preparatory exercises over a few days or a week (depending on your time commitments).
Reference images of the unique Cornish landscape that our tutors will be visiting. You can revisit these time and time again, to practice the techniques learned in the session.
A LIVE interactive studio session (approx 2.5hours). You can watch or work along with Victoria, who will be bringing together the preliminary ideas from the pre-recorded footage, in a practical session, that includes the opportunity to pose questions.
You will be invited to join our Facebook Alumni group so you can share your discoveries with fellow students from around the world. You can also share your work live with others on social media using the #schoolofpainting and tagging us @stives painting
You can watch on a PC, laptop or tablet and if you have chromecast or miracast you could even cast to your SmartTV from your phone.
Taught by
What to Bring
A list of materials will be available to see in your account in advance of the live class. Pre-course tasks to complete before the session will be found here too.
You will need access to the internet and ideally a PC, laptop or a tablet with audio.
Timings and Breaks
Live broadcast, 10:30am, Friday 8th November 2024 (Approx 2.5 hrs)
During the session please pose questions to the artist using the chat function.
You can revisit as often as you like for up to 90 days after the start of the course via the same links as the live events.
What our students say
It was my first time experiencing an online course and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Vicki was excellent at communicating what we were going to be doing, what equipment etc would be needed. I have watched the whole webinar several times now to get the most out of it and it’s a joy every time, Vicki is such an engaging and inspiring teacher, just wonderful to watch. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much! Great teaching in a really accessible way and a really affordable price.
FAQs
Online Broadcast
Do I need a webcam/any equipment?
For our webinar sessions which are broadcast on the internet and no webcam or microphone is needed as you just need to be able to see/hear hosts and you can communicate using the chat function. You can watch using a PC, Smart TV or tablet. A phone isn’t ideal as you will struggle to see enough unless you can miracast to a screen or smart TV.
For the longer online courses on Zoom you will need a laptop or tablet with audio and camera enabled so you can have a screen near where you are working. If you have a PC without camera or speakers, you can purchase a plug and play webcam for approx £25 which connects to a usb port. You will also need reasonable broadband connection and speed.
All the art materials and equipment needed to participate in the course will be listed in full on the online learning platform, for live webinars this will be a minimum of two weeks before the session starts.
I have registered for the webinar but I can't find my joining link
You can access all the resources and joining link for your webinar via our online learning platform. You will need to have set up an account on our online learning platform in advance. You can do this during the checkout process when purchasing your webinar. If you are having trouble accessing your online account, please contact [email protected]. You can use a PC or tablet or even cast from your phone to watch on your Smart TV.
I paid for the session but missed it, how can I watch?
Currently all our online sessions are recorded and you can access the recording on our online learning platform until it expires. Usually 60 days for a webinar, 90 – 180 days for multipart webinars or online courses.
Art Courses
Do you have to be experienced to come to the School?
No prior experience is required to join most of our art courses. The School of Painting is a friendly and welcoming environment for all ages and abilities, including complete beginners.
Our drop-in life drawing classes and short workshops are perfect if you’re trying painting for the first time. Many of our longer courses are also suitable for beginners, as our tutors are experienced in supporting mixed ability groups. If a course requires previous experience, this will be clearly stated on the course page.
Studio Courses
Can I bring my dog?
The studios are busy places with lots of equipment and not suitable for bringing a pet dog. We can accommodate assistance dogs with prior notice so we can make suitable adjustments. If you wish to bring an assistance dog please call 01736 797180 or email [email protected]
Can you help me choose the right course?
Yes, our friendly and knowledgeable team are always happy to help you choose the best course for your needs, whether you’re a beginner or looking to develop specific skills.
Please call us on 01736 797180 to discuss your options.
How do I get my work home?
Tutors have special techniques for transporting oil paintings and for our 3 day courses we will give you a plastic folder with a handle. These are also available to purchase for £3.50 or do bring a portfolio.
Please note: For the course Bigger, Bolder, Braver with Boo Mallinson, we will provide a large A1 size plastic folder for your work but please consider how you will be able to transport the larger canvases home safely before signing up for the course as we will not be able to store large paintings in the studio. On this course you will be painting on a 50cms x 50cms and a 1m x 1m canvas alongside smaller pieces.
For international students we are happy to arrange transportation of your work back home, postal costs will be borne by you.
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.
Short workshops start at 10am in the Summer and 9.30am/ 1.30pm during September festival
Booking a Course
How do I reserve a place on a course?
You can book your place online or by calling us on 01736 797180.
If you need time to arrange accommodation, we can hold a provisional booking for 24 hours. To secure your place, a £100 deposit is required, with the remaining balance due 12 weeks before the course start date.
About St Ives
Where can I park near the School?
The nearest long-stay car parks are:
Island Car Park
Barnoon Long Stay Car Park
Both are approximately a 5-minute walk from the School.
During the busy summer months, you may find it easier to park at Trenwith Car Park near the leisure centre and walk into town. A shuttle bus often runs back up the hill from near Tate St Ives.
How do I get to the School of Painting in St Ives?
By train:
The nearest mainline station is St Erth, which is approximately a 15-minute taxi journey away. From there, you can also take the St Ives Bay Line, which runs every 30 minutes. The School is a 10-minute walk from St Ives station.
By car:
Take the M5 to Exeter, then follow the A30 into Cornwall. After passing Hayle, exit at the St Erth roundabout towards St Ives. Continue through Lelant and Carbis Bay into St Ives..
Where can I stay in St Ives?
St Ives offers a wide range of accommodation, including hotels, guest houses, and self-catering options. You can explore options on our website, or contact us directly on 01736 797180 if you’d like personalised recommendations.
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