Nina Squire's pastel painting of rocks and sea foam

Evolving with Soft Pastels – Discover Your Artistic Voice

Painting / Pastel / Seascapes - Materials included

We haven’t scheduled this course yet. Please email us to register your interest for future availability.

Register Interest

Course details

Join practising artist, Nina Squire, for a 3-day immersive workshop designed for those who have some experience of using soft pastels.

An ideal follow on for those who attended Nina’s introductory course, this course takes you deeper into the creative possibilities of soft pastels, focusing on expanding your individual style, colour choices and artistic voice.

Unlike the introductory course where colours were pre-selected, this workshop invites you to bring your own pastels and materials. With Nina’s guidance, you will work more independently, selecting palettes that resonate personally with your subject matter. A suggested colour palette will be provided in advance to help you curate your own collection and ensure you have the colours and tones needed to explore atmosphere, mood and light. We will supply pastel primer but you can bring your preferred surface to work on.

Throughout the course, Nina will demonstrate a range of advanced pastel techniques—traditional and contemporary—tailored to your chosen subjects. You’ll have the time and space to develop your own paintings from initial idea to resolved artwork, with one-to-one mentorship to help you refine your process, strengthen your compositions and push your creative boundaries.

This extended format allows for a more personalised approach. Whether you are drawn to seascapes, landscapes, rockpools or St Ives streets, Nina’s tuition will support you in developing greater confidence, control and expressive freedom in your pastel work. 

Pastel Paintings from Nina Squire's Pastel Painting Workshop at St Ives School of Painting
student from the st ives school of painting on the beach sketching in a Nina Squire Pastel painting workshop
sketchbook showing work from Nina Squire's Pastel Painting Workshop in the fuller at the St Ives School of Painting

Day to day plan

This is a rough indication of what to expect over the course. However sometimes the structure of the days may alter depending on the nature of the group and weather.

Day 1

Reconnecting & Refining Your Personal Approach
The course begins in the studio overlooking Porthmeor Beach, where you’ll reconnect with your practice and share your personal goals for the workshop. We then head out to the coastline to gather reference material, focusing on creating expressive drawings using tonal relationships, rhythm and mark-making to capture the essence of place.

Afternoon:
Back in the studio, you will begin developing these sketches into exploratory studies using your own pastel palette. Nina will guide you in refining your colour choices, layering techniques and composition to support your individual artistic voice.

Day 2

Colour, Atmosphere & Interpretation
Weather permitting, we will walk to The Island and St Nicholas Chapel, working en plein air to develop colour studies that explore mood, light and atmosphere. You’ll respond to it—interpreting it through your chosen colour palette and personal mark-making.


Afternoon:
Return to the studio to translate these colour notes and sketches into more developed works. Nina will offer tailored one-to-one guidance to help you push your technique further, exploring harmony, contrast and expression using your own materials. 

Day 3

Consolidation & Personal Expression
Using your reference material, colour studies and exploratory work from the previous days, you will spend the final day developing a resolved, personal artwork. This will be a chance to bring together your skills in composition, layering and colour selection to create a piece that reflects your evolving artistic direction.
Nina will support you in consolidating your learning, refining your process, and identifying the next steps in your pastel journey.

What will I learn?

  • An opportunity to develop personal projects with expert support
  • Techniques to enhance luminosity, depth and texture in your artwork
  • Focus on individual style development rather than step-by-step replication
  • Supportive group environment with like-minded artists
  • Nina’s teaching is nurturing, insightful and highly personalised, helping you uncover what truly inspires you as an artist and how to translate that into powerful, expressive pastel paintings.

Who would this course suit?

This course is designed for artists who have already developed a foundation in soft pastels and are ready to take the next step in refining their personal style. If you are looking to deepen your practice, explore your own subject matter, and work with greater independence and confidence, this course will offer the guidance, space and inspiration to do so.

With Nina’s hands-on mentorship and experience as a professional artist, you will be encouraged to develop your unique artistic voice, push your creative boundaries and strengthen your personal process. This course is ideal for returning students who enjoy working in a supportive, friendly and highly personalised environment, and who wish to grow individually.

It is particularly suited to those who:

  • Want to explore their own subjects and at a scale they desire
  • Enjoy constructive guidance, one-to-one feedback and the time to evolve a body of work
  • Are seeking to deepen expression and develop a more intuitive approach to pastel painting

Evolving with Soft Pastels – Discover Your Artistic Voice

Painting / Pastel / Seascapes – Materials included

We haven’t scheduled this course yet. Please email us to register your interest for future availability.

Register Interest

Taught by

Nina
Squire

View Nina’s Work

With her early life spent on the coast of Devon, Nina Squire, has always been drawn to the sea and the rugged coastline that surrounds her. She seeks to capture the changing moods of the sea, from the calm, serene blues of a summer’s day to the stormy, tumultuous greys of a winter’s evening.

What to Bring

Please bring your own pastels and materials. With Nina’s guidance, you will work more independently, selecting palettes that resonate personally with your subject matter. A suggested colour palette will be provided in advance to help you curate your own collection and ensure you have the colours and tones needed to explore atmosphere, mood and light. We will supply pastel primer but you can bring your preferred surface to work on.

Timings and Breaks

The course starts at 10am on the first day ending at 4.30pm. Subsequent days start at 9.30 am ending at 4pm.

Tea and coffee will be served and there is an hour for lunch, with plenty food options nearby.

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 want to reserve a place whilst you confirm holiday accommodation we will give you a full refund if you change your mind within 24 hours of booking. Just get in touch [email protected].

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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