Joan Eardly painting of a the sea in eathy grey tones for St Ives online art class.Joan Eardley, January Flow Tide, 1961 © Estate of Joan Eardley

Joan Eardley - Land, Sea, People + Place

Mixed Media / Oil / Landscape - Materials included

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Course details

Join artist Jill Eisele on a painter’s pilgrimage into the world of Joan Eardley.  This three-day course taps into the rich seam of Eardley’s work, inspiring you to explore place, people, landscape and mark making in your own work. 

Jill Eisele
Jill Eisele

This course will explore how Joan Eardley’s powerful and expressive paintings have made Eardley a ‘painter’s painter’. During Eardley’s life, she produced a prolific body of work which remains an inspiration for artists today. Radical in her approach to both living and working, Eardley’s depictions of wild seas and expressive landscapes, as well as her deep connection to place, resonate with us here in Cornwall. 

Inspired by her contemporaries in American Abstract Expressionism, Eardley integrated the freedom that this movement encapsulated in her approach to painting. Whether Eardley depicted the street scenes of Glasgow or the vast expanses of sea and sky in Catterline, her paintings remain unique and arresting to this day. 

Tutor Jill will take us through Eardley’s artistic journey, exploring how Eardley’s work has inspired her own practice. Following Jill’s own pilgrimage to the coast of Catterline, Jill will share with you approaches and techniques on how to capture a sense of place through bold, expressive mark-making. Jill will encourage you to find your own artistic voice and visual vocabulary through your unique artistic journey, embracing the rich space between realism and abstraction. 

You can find out more about her life and the centenary celebrations on the website joaneardley.com.

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

Inspired by Joan Eardley’s rigorous but expressive and experimental drawing practice, you will explore working with a variety of materials on different coloured grounds and experimental surfaces. 

Spending some time working outside in the morning, you will gather lettering and graffiti from around St Ives. Then, using archive photos and our research drawings from the morning, you will experiment with thick and thin paint and collage. Jill will show you how to create rich, textured surfaces with layered words and imagery loosely based on Eardley’s paintings of Glasgow children.

Day 2

In the second session, you will focus on Eardley’s land and seascapes of Catterline. Using ink, acrylics and oils, you will work en plein air on the cliffs at Porthmeor in the morning, returning to the studio by the afternoon to continue working. Exploring Joan Eardley’s interest in Abstract Expressionism, Jill will encourage you to find your own painterly and calligraphic response to landscape of St Ives.

 

Day 3

The final session will be a chance for you to consolidate what you have learnt in the first two days. You are encouraged to explore and experiment using the visual information collected in the first two sessions as well as the the techniques taught by Jill.

What will I learn?

  • Practical steps to discover your own artistic voice 
  • Confidence to explore space between realism and abstraction 
  • Tools around using painting and drawing expressively 
  • How to combine materials such as oils, oils bars and collage
  • Insights into the work of Eardley 

Who would this course suit?

Jill Eisele’s positivity and enthusiasm create the ideal conditions for venturing into experimentation and abstraction. If gestural and luscious paintings appeal to you, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn the tips and techniques for creating textured and intriguing art work.

There will be some walking and working outdoors on day one and two of the course.

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.

Joan Eardley – Land, Sea, People and Place

Mixed Media / Oil / Landscape – Materials included

Book Selected Date

Taught by

Jill
Eisele

View Jill’s Work

My practice begins with drawing, often taking me to wild and wonderful parts of Cornwall, capturing fleeting moments where light and colour create atmosphere and expression. These underpin my largely figurative paintings, which convey a sense of incompleteness; of place and mystery.

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.

What our students say

Jill was an excellent tutor. Very well run course, engaging and insightful. Thoroughly enjoyable and I learnt lots of new techniques. 

Kate

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