Course details
Learn to use diverse techniques and innovative painting exercises to explore your own personal approach to landscape painting today. We will look at a range of contemporary landscape painters and how they use paint to explore their individuality within this genre.
Prior to the three-day course at St Ives School of Painting, you will receive a list of questions to think about from your tutor, contemporary landscape painter Kerry Harding. These will help you think about, discover or hone your personal approach within a very popular genre of such unlimiting possibilities.
Questions such as Which landscapes do you draw comfort from? Which landscapes bring about a sense of awe, or unease? Are you interested in the pictorial or the political? There are no right or wrong answers but they will help determine the images and sketches you collect around St Ives to use as starting points throughout the course. The techniques and processes you explore will encourage you to be open to invention and new pivots away from constrictive expectations. Kerry will guide you through this way of working with the focus on bringing out your personal approach.
After a brief stint drawing in the landscape around the school in response to your individual considerations, the course will develop in the studio through structured exercises then focus on developing your own work individually under Kerry’s guidance.
nb: This course involves working in oils. We use low odour white spirit and keep the studio well ventilated. However if you have a sensitivity to solvents and oil based products the course might not be suitable.
Day to day plan
Day 1
Through structured exercises learn to use visual clues from your response to the preparatory questions. Explore how composition, scale, texture, narrative, colour can be used literally, poetically or as analogy. Draw in the landscape around the school considering your individual interests explored in the first exercise and use these drawings as inspiration for monoprinting. Experiment with processes and techniques of mark making in oils, being open to a more intuitive way of working. Consider how the combination of self reflection and intuition work in your practice.
Day 2
Working in series begin to explore source material collected with the techniques practiced. Colour and momentum will be introduced with a structured exercise. Then students are supported to begin their own series to develop for the rest of the course.
Day 3
Continue to develop and ask questions of your work and your response to the landscape. Evolve your series of paintings through layering and reworking with Kerry’s individualised help, observing what challenges and new discoveries emerge.
What will I learn?
- An appreciation of the diverse possibilities of landscape painting today.
- An understanding of the right questions to ask yourself when approaching this subject.
- A sharper understanding of what visual clues are emerging from your contemplation of landscape – past, present and future.
- The technical confidence to describe landscape in your own way.
Who would this course suit?
This course would suit anyone interested in exploring their personal narrative through landscape painting. You might be a more experienced painter looking to embolden your own style and voice or someone interested in exploring landscape painting at an early stage. There will be some time spent outside on the beach and headland, so you should be comfortable walking, carrying your materials and working standing or seated on the ground. However the course is mainly based inside the studio.
Ahead of your oil painting course with us if you would like to brush up your skills, you are entitled to 25% off our online “Getting Started with Oil Painting” course here. You will be given a code after purchasing our studio oil painting course.
Our studio ‘Beginner’s Oil Painting’ courses can be found here.
This course involves working in oils. We use low odour white spirit and keep the studio well ventilated. However if you have a sensitivity to solvents and oil based products the course might not be suitable.
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.
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.
FAQs
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.
You might also like...
Oil Painting Essentials
Thu 30 Jul - 1 day
Steven Buckler
Have you always wanted to try painting with oils but not sure where to start, which materials to buy and what to paint? In this short course artist Steven Buckler will help you to de-mystify the art of oil painting.
Introduction to Matisse - Pattern + Illusion
Alice Mumford
In this 2 part course led by artist Alice Mumford, learn how Matisse used pattern to create the illusion of three dimensions and immerse yourself in the joy of looking and painting in oils.
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.
Contemporary Composition: Still Life Re-imagined
Mon 27 - Wed 29 Jul - 3 days
Emma McClure
Would you like to create a simple still life that is bold and striking? Emma McClure will share with you the secrets of using vibrant colour and playful compositions to create your own painting.
The Art of Painting the Ordinary R
Holly Razavi
Explore the playful and naïve painting style of artist Holly Razavi, whose oil paintings showcase delightful characters engaged in their daily activities, in various coastal and city landscapes.
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.
Painting Twilight in Oils
Tom Rickman
Learn how to capture twilight in oils, where fading light and the rich colour of the sea and the sky can naturally lead you into abstraction.