Investigating Colour, Light + Depth Through Painting
Mixed Media / Painting / Still Life
We haven’t scheduled this course yet. Please email us to register your interest for future availability.
Course details
Would you like to explore colour more deeply?
Join Alice Mumford on an inspiring online journey into colour, light, and depth. Through her painting demonstrations and your own creative experiments, you’ll uncover how the shifting relationship between light, space, and our point of view transforms the colours we perceive — and the way we bring them to life on canvas.
Begin your exploration of colour and light from the comfort of your home or studio. Using just a few simple objects and the natural light of a sunlit window, you’ll create a series of light scenarios that deepen your understanding of how colour changes with light and the viewer’s perspective.
Throughout the self-paced course, Alice will reference her own paintings and those of artists such as Ken Howard, Winifred Nicholson, Van Gogh, and Bonnard—painters whose work beautifully reveals the many ways light transforms colour.
In her demonstrations, Alice paints from everyday subjects like apples and jugs, arranged near a window, and explains her process and observations as she works. You can recreate Alice’s arrangements or design your own, experimenting with how the direction and quality of light affects colour and depth.
By the end of this course, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how colour shifts with light and the way we perceive it, and you’ll feel more confident exploring what you see. With Alice’s guidance, you can approach your own still lifes and landscapes with fresh curiosity, experimenting with colour, light, and placement to create paintings with atmosphere and subtle nuance, while gradually developing sensitivity, technique, and an appreciation for the visual language of painting.
Although Alice teaches in oils, you are welcome to work in acrylics, watercolour, or another medium—just remember that while the colours may differ, the principles of light and your position relative to it remain the same.
Bonus Live Q & A Session: We are excited to share that Alice will be joining us live in the studio next year for a special Q & A Session. This will be your chance to ask any questions that have come up while taking the course. You will be able to post your questions ahead of time on our Questions Board or join us live to ask them in real time! Don’t miss this opportunity to get direct insights and advice from Alice herself.
Who is this course for?
This course is ideal for anyone at any stage of their creative journey who wants to explore colour, light, and depth in their work. Through observation, experimentation, and hands-on painting, you’ll discover how the position of light and your own viewpoint can transform a scene.
Guided by Alice, you’ll gain confidence in your approach to painting, learning to capture atmosphere, vibrancy, and subtle nuances while enjoying the process of seeing and creating in new ways.
What will I learn?
1. Understand how your position relative to the light source affects what you see and how you paint it.
2. Observe and interpret subtle variations in tone, hue, and shadow in simple objects like fruit, jugs, and everyday still lifes.
3. Experiment with arranging objects and compositions to see how light direction and intensity influence colour relationships and depth.
4. Build confidence applying these principles in paint and developing a more thoughtful and responsive approach to painting.
5. Develop a better understanding of how referencing the work of other artists can inform your own use of colour, light and depth.
How does an online course work?
Upon purchase, the course will be available to view in your account.
We recommend watching each demonstration in full first, listening to Alice’s insights, before setting up your own arrangements to explore these ideas in practice. While painting, Alice explains the challenges she encounters and her strategies for addressing them, offering helpful insights to observe and learn from.
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 demand, as often as you like, for up to 180 days after the start of the course. 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 upon purchase of the course along with any reference material relevant to the course.
nb: Although Alice teaches in oils, you are welcome to work in acrylics, watercolour, or another medium—just remember that while the colours may differ, the principles of light and your position relative to it remain the same. (the materials list will cover the oil colours that Alice uses. If using other mediums then you will have to match colours as close to the listed colours as you can)
You will need access to the internet and ideally a PC, laptop or a tablet with audio.
Timings and Breaks
Watch now at your leisure with plenty of opportunity to watch again as often as you like and let the ideas percolate and the painting begin.
1hr Live Broadcast Interview/Q&A: Early 2026, exact date TBC
You can revisit as often as you like for up to 180 days after the start of the course.
FAQs
Online Broadcast
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
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]
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 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
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 as class sizes are small and our tutors are experienced in managing varying abilities within a group.
If any of the courses do need a bit of experience we flag this up 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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