Art Courses

My own practice involves a range of materials and collaborations and I have always been inspired by sharing my enthusiasm for creating with others. Whatever age group I work with, there is a connection and a tangible excitement in creative activity.  It is a powerful tool with which to explore the world and ourselves.  I see myself as a fellow traveller; sometimes leading and other times following

Teaching is an opportunity to pass on the wonderful sense of being part of a bigger ‘family’ of painters.

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.

Landscape painting in Cornwall, Andrew Barrowman paints en plein air and in the studio using oils as his chosen medium. He tries to convey the feeling and atmosphere of a landscape onto canvas for the viewer to have an idea of what it was like to be there. His paintings often start with ideas found whilst walking his dog.

I have been teaching drawing and painting for over 13 years, from secondary school level to undergraduate and postgraduate level. I have observed how students struggle with certain aspects of drawing and painting and have developed my teaching practice to deal with these ‘obstacles’ to learning. My artistic practice and my teaching practice are bound together in a symbiotic relationship.

My tutoring is a constantly evolving project. It supports my creative work as it requires that I not only understand my processes but can apply them in a way that is useful to other people in their quest for creative flow. Harnessing a fluid and responsive working method, can address all sorts of practical or emotional obstacles that students face. It can be quite literally life-changing.

After many years as an illustrator I taught on the BA Illustration course at Falmouth University. In 2011 I began teaching at St Ives School of Painting. I deliver courses involved with the figure, still life and landscape. My practice as a painter feeds into the teaching, often through demonstrations. The school is wonderful – the history the ethos and most of all the people.

I try to connect people to their environment with my art. I started out as a landscape painter, but it was only through undertaking a masters degree in 2009 that I realised the best way to connect people to their environment was to take them into that environment and get them to make the art! This is now the core of my practice and through my work I specialise in outdoor education and woodland management.

In 1995 I became a tutor at St Ives School of Painting. Offering inspiration through my passion for drawing, water-based media and art history I strive to liberate a creative vision through direct observation and en plein air. My fascination in old buildings with a story to tell connects me to the studio’s historic narrative. Working in the space can feel like being inside one of my own drawings.

I love sharing my knowledge and life experiences with others. My unique approach is to try to create individual, authentic voices in the curriculum within a conceptual and non conceptual framework. It’s great to be part of an historical, internationally renowned school.

I have taught in the UK and the USA, and have painted and drawn for my entire adult life. It is both humbling and inspiring to be part of St Ives School of Painting’s community, with its exceptional artistic heritage and extraordinary location. Teaching has been an invaluable opportunity to share knowledge and techniques and to create with others. It is a privilege to create an environment where students are stimulated and encouraged in their own artistic journeys.

‘Giving permission’ and ‘making transparent’ is what I try to do every time I teach. This inevitably leads to the reward of witnessing a small epiphany or pivotal direction change in a student’s approach. I enjoy teaching at the school as it has no set ‘school’ approach, each course is put together and taught from the tutors own practice. This has the benefit of enabling me to be both tutor and student within this process.

My research for the online courses helps me to contextualise the rich history of the artists and landscape in and around St Ives. It is important for students to discover what sort of artist they are; I focus on what the student has to say, helping them to develop their own language, and to “find their own voice.”

Linking my method to the landscape, I take students on Porthmeor Beach to make experimental drawings in the sand, bringing them back to some of man’s first marks and symbols. My teaching is grounded in an understanding for people and their desire to learn. I feel I have a genuine understanding of how nervous and apprehensive prospective students can sometimes be and am able to help them relax and enjoy being creative.

I have enjoyed tutoring at the School of Painting, to all ages and abilities, for about 27 years. Teaching has always gone hand in hand with creating my own work, as I find sharing ideas and techniques stimulating and rewarding. My approach has been to give students the confidence to develop their skills, to think for themselves and so extend their visual language and find their own path.

Due to the nature of printmaking, the courses I run are for relatively small groups. This allows for a high level of support so I can tailor the processes to suit individual artists’ ideas. I am very hands on, teaching through demonstrations, but within this structure, encourage students’ freedom in the way they apply these techniques to their own practice. I’m dynamic in my teaching methods and always have lots of fun. I find it incredibly exciting and enjoy the adventure of such a productive and creative environment.

As a tutor in the art of drawing I guide a student to find their unique physical and psychological line as well as learning to look and see clearly and meaningfully the visual elements around them. With these skills, the act of observation, memory and attitude are transformed via the eye, mind and hand into original, graphic images.