Expressive Mark Making

Mixed Media / Abstract - Materials included

Purchase

Course details

Join artist Amy Albright as she helps you to free-up your art practice and energize your paintings.

Amy Albright, Expressive Mark Making
© 2023 St Ives School of Painting

How does an online session work:

We record the sessions so you can watch on demand, as often as you like, for up to 60 days after purchase. This way you can pause a scene, rewind and finish your 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.

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

Have you run out of steam for your painting practice or you simply don’t know where to start? This webinar may just help you to get started again. It is a fun exploration of different mark making tools and techniques using an array of familiar materials and some unconventional ones too!

Encouraging you to seek inspiration from your day-to-day environment, Amy encourages you to replace traditional art brushes with various household objects.  With these tools to hand, see how to communicate more emotion in your work, encouraging you to go big and to be brave with your initial marks. Gain a greater understanding of how you can enhance your compositions.

Discover how various artists have swapped their paint brushes for alternative tools and methods of art making, freeing up their practice and allowing for greater experimentation. Ideal if you are looking for new ways to free-up your practice. Allow chance to take you in different directions and work in a more open-ended, experimental way!

Amy will guide you, from our historic studios in St Ives, but you can join us wherever you are in the world.   She will be working in monochrome, using black acrylic ink and paint and large pieces of cartridge paper.

Matisse, Amy Albright
Henry Matisse painting in Nice, France by Dmitri Kessel

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for both absolute beginners and those with more experience, looking to build confidence in finding new ways of working.  Aimed to help you step out of your comfort zone and loosen your approach to painting. 

What will I learn?

  1. How to begin a painting in a new, brave way. 
  1. How to add expression and excitement to your painting.
  1. How to create dynamics in your abstract paintings. 
  1. Explore different mark making in a way that helps you to find your own signature marks. 
  1. How to discover your own mark-making tools. 

What to Bring

A list of materials will be available in the online learning platform.

You will need access to the internet and ideally a PC, laptop or a tablet with audio. Phones are not really suitable to watch on.

Expressive Mark Making

Mixed Media / Abstract – Materials included

Purchase

Taught by

Amy
Albright

View Amy’s Work

My approach to teaching is to share all, to demonstrate my unique way of painting in layers and share my love for paint and it’s never ending possibilities. It’s all about the process, experimenting and those happy accidental discoveries. St Ives School of Painting is very special, with stunning inspiration on the doorstep and an aura of creativity in the studios that is contagious.

What our students say

I take these courses to inspire and energise my practice. I work alone in my studio and being able to watch someone else work is always stimulating. Thank you.

A great course to expand your creativity!

FAQs

Online Art Courses – All

How can I get help in choosing a course?

Our friendly expert staff are always happy to discuss your needs and our courses in more detail to help you with your decision. Please call us on 01736 797180

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.

Studio Courses

How can I get help in choosing a course?

Our friendly expert staff are always happy to discuss your needs and our courses in more detail to help you with your decision. Please call us on 01736 797180

How do I get my work home?

Tutors have special techniques for transporting oil paintings and the school has plastic folders available in our shop for £3.50 or do bring a portfolio.

For international students we are happy to arrange transportation of your work back home.

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.

Weekend Courses run 10am – 4pm on the first day but the final day starts at 9.30 and ends at 3.30 with a short lunch break to enable people to get home that evening.


Do you have to be experienced to come to the School?

The School is a very friendly and welcoming place for all ages and experience. Our drop-in life classes and August half-day workshops are ideal for those wanting to have a go for the first time. Most of our longer courses are also fine for novices.

If any of the courses do need a bit of experience we flag this up in the brochure and on the website.

Booking a Course

How can I reserve a place?

We will hold a provisional reservation for 24 hours if you give us a call whilst you find accommodation. Otherwise please book online or by telephone 01736 797180.

You can reserve a place with a £100 deposit; balance is due 12 weeks before course start date.

About St Ives

Where do I park?

The nearest long stay public car parks are the Island and Barnoon Long Stay Car Park, both a 5 minute walk away. In the peak summer months it may be easier to park at Trenwith Car Park by the leisure centre and walk down into town. If you don’t fancy the walk up the hill at the end of the day there is a shuttle bus which runs from outside the cinema.

How do I get there?

Public Transport: If you are coming from further afield the main train line runs into St Erth which is a 15 min taxi ride away or you can take the St Ives Bay Line which runs approx. every 30 minutes. The School is a 10 minute walk from St Ives station.

Driving: M5 will take you to Exeter where we recommend that you take the A30 across Bodmin Moor and into Cornwall. After passing Hayle, leave the A30 at St Erth roundabout for St Ives. Turn right at the second roundabout. This road will take you through Lelant and Carbis Bay into St Ives.

Where can I stay?

St Ives has a huge selection of hotels, guest houses and self catering accommodation to choose from. Please browse the art holidays St Ives section on our website and give us a call if you would like any help.

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