Art Courses in St Ives
Find your creative escape with our in-person art courses in St Ives. Taught by more than 30 practising artists in our historic studios overlooking Porthmeor Beach, courses explore subjects from still life to the Cornish landscape. Choose from focused one-day workshops and immersive multi-day courses, with welcoming options for every level.
Discover art courses in St Ives taught by practising artists in our historic Porthmeor Studios, overlooking the beach. Open to complete beginners and experienced artists alike, our small-group courses combine professional tuition, individual guidance and plenty of time to experiment.
We run studio courses throughout the year, from multi-day Cornwall art holidays to focused artist retreats. Explore landscape, still life, portraiture and the figure – or, if you cannot join us in St Ives, learn from the comfort of your own home with an online art course.
Still Life Variations
Art Courses – Drawing – Still Life
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000K5lKl
Active Instance: a02Nz00000QMXEWIA5, 21-Sep-2026
Discover how to turn simple everyday objects into expressive still-life oil paintings, focusing on light, mood, and refined composition.
| 21 – 23 Sep – 3 days – £495 | Full | Request |
Sea, Sky + Lanyon
Short Art Workshops – Acrylic – Seascapes
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Course ID: a00Nz00000qBwyt
Active Instance: a02Nz00000epWejIAE, 22-Sep-2026
Capture the atmosphere and energy of the Cornish coast in a loose, expressive way. With inspiration from Peter Lanyon, the focus is on interpretation rather than realism.
| 22 Sep – 3 hour(s) 13:30 – £60 | Full | Request |
Painting Your Perspective
Art Courses – Mixed Media
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00w000000doxN7
Active Instance: a02Nz00000R1Nz8IAF, 25-Sep-2026
Are you ready to develop a stronger sense of personal style and meaning in your art? Discover how to unleash your imagination, let go, and confidently create work that expresses your unique perspective.
| 25 – 27 Sep – 3 days – £445 | Book |
Developing Drawing Skills
Art Courses – Drawing – Beginners
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Course ID: a00w000000bCVj2
Active Instance: a02Nz00000QiQELIA3, 28-Sep-2026
Learn to master the power of the simple line. Working from subjects in and around the studios, create compelling observational drawings and equip yourself with an entirely new creative toolbox.
| 28 Sep – 1 Oct – 4 days – £545 | Full | Request |
Liberating Landscape
Art Courses – Acrylic – Landscape
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Course ID: a00Nz00000ngA0N
Active Instance: a02Nz00000ijWlZIAU, 01-Oct-2026
On this one-day workshop Iona Sanders will help you to find new ways in to creating expressive and lively acrylic landscape paintings.
| 1 Oct – 3 hour(s) 09:00 – £60 | Full | Request |
The Realistic Portrait
Art Courses – Oil – Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000A91VN
Active Instance: a02Nz00000Sm9NRIAZ, 05-Oct-2026
How do you paint realistic portraits with great accuracy and detail? Learn how to master light and shadow and the basics of the classical sight size technique.
| 5 – 8 Oct – 4 days – £595 | Last place | Book |
The Alchemy of Bookmaking
Art Courses – Mixed Media
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Course ID: a00Nz00000joGNp
Active Instance: a02Nz00000XLkrLIAT, 10-Oct-2026
Explore bookmaking beyond the traditional. Using Gelli printing, collage, and stitch, this course focuses on playful experimentation and creative freedom, resulting in a unique, hand-made book.
| 10 – 11 Oct – 2 days – £295 | Book |
Expressive Painting in the Elements
Art Courses – Acrylic – Abstract
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Course ID: a004J00000Qq76U
Active Instance: a02Nz00000QMfqLIAT, 12-Oct-2026
Explore expressionist painting in the elements with artist Amy Albright as you immerse yourself in the Cornish landscape to sketch and paint with playfulness and emotion.
| 12 – 14 Oct – 3 days – £465 | Full | Request |
Studio Still Life – Inspired by Matisse
Art Courses – Acrylic – Still Life
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Course ID: a00Nz00000kmSh4
Active Instance: a02Nz00000WTX6FIAX, 16-Oct-2026
A fun exploration into Matisse’s studio and interiors, the rooms, the windows – the gardens and sea beyond. This course is all about colour, pattern and line, explored in a playful and vibrant way.
| 16 – 18 Oct – 3 days – £455 | Full | Request |
Exploring Colour
Art Courses – Ink – Still Life
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Course ID: a00Nz00000c96LH
Active Instance: a02Nz00000QqhujIAB, 19-Oct-2026
Explore the fluid, vibrant world of acrylic inks in this hands-on course designed to help build confidence in using colour in a more expressive way.
| 19 – 21 Oct – 3 days – £445 | Book |
Discover Painting II
Art Courses – Acrylic
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Course ID: a00Nz00000ZrDsb
Active Instance: a02Nz00000R1IReIAN, 23-Oct-2026
Are you ready to loosen up, push forward, and explore what is next in your painting journey? This new course will push your practice further-towards greater confidence and personal expression.
| 23 – 25 Oct – 3 days – £445 | Book |
Painting Landscape with a Palette Knife
Art Courses – Oil – Landscape
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Course ID: a004J000006we6y
Active Instance: a02Nz00000QQ6yuIAD, 26-Oct-2026
Artist Gary Long shares expert techniques for using a palette knife to bring texture, depth, and energy to your oil paintings. Build confidence by combining knife work with brushstrokes to create dynamic landscapes.
| 26 – 28 Oct – 3 days – £445 | Full | Request |
Light + Landscape
Art Courses – Oil – Landscape
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Course ID: a004J000003To1b
Active Instance: a02Nz00000YVcYTIA1, 30-Oct-2026
Have you ever noticed that being in some landscapes can feel as though you are in a painting by Turner or Rothko? How did it come about that a landscape reminds you of a painting and not the other way around? Discover how to evoke the engulfing experience of being in the landscape.
| 30 Oct – 1 Nov – 3 days – £445 | Full | Request |
Landscape to Abstraction: Inspired by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Art Courses – Mixed Media – Abstract
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Course ID: a004J00000K2sNf
Active Instance: a02Nz00000SvjOYIAZ, 30-Oct-2026
Coinciding with Tate St Ives’ major Wilhelmina Barns-Graham retrospective, this three-day course explores how observations of landscape can be transformed through colour, rhythm and abstraction.
| 30 Oct – 1 Nov – 3 days – £445 | Last 3 places | Book |
Poetry of Process
Art Courses – Oil – Abstract
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Course ID: a00w000000bCVjf
Active Instance: a02Nz00000R0udpIAB, 02-Nov-2026
This mixed media course liberates you from expectations and encourages you to embrace the happy accident. Develop your painting in several directions through the act of painting itself, treading that fruitful bridge between intention and invention.
| 2 – 4 Nov – 3 days – £525 | Last 3 places | Book |
Vibrant Florals
Short Art Workshops – Mixed Media – Still Life
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Course ID: a00Nz00000USldw
Active Instance: a02Nz00000hXyO2IAK, 07-Nov-2026
A playful and process-led workshop exploring the possibilities of mixed media painting through drawing, composition and mark-making.
| 7 Nov – 1 day – £120 | Last place | Book |
Getting Started with Mixed Media Landscape
Art Courses – Mixed Media – Landscape
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Course ID: a001r00000nKFSF
Active Instance: a02Nz00000TTRXHIA5, 09-Nov-2026
This inspiring course offers exciting new ways to creatively absorb your spectacular St Ives surroundings. With an encouraging and experimental approach, establish a solid foundation in mixed media painting.
| 9 – 12 Nov – 4 days – £545 | Full | Request |
Approaching Abstraction
Art Courses – Mixed Media – Abstract
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Course ID: a004J00000FHLJt
Active Instance: a02Nz00000OeWo9IAF, 13-Nov-2026
Free up your practice and work more intuitively on this playful abstract painting course that will help you build a more expressive and expansive visual vocabulary.
| 13 – 15 Nov – 3 days – £575 | Full | Request |
Painting Still Life in Oils
Art Courses – Oil – Still Life
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Course ID: a00Nz00000NBp8U
Active Instance: a02Nz00000Sm9X7IAJ, 16-Nov-2026
Craft a striking layered oil painting that evokes depth and volume through the masterful use of texture, colour, and chiaroscuro.
| 16 – 18 Nov – 3 days – £465 | Book |
Abstracting Place: From Sketchbook to Painting
Art Courses – Acrylic – Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000jhFuj
Active Instance: a02Nz00000XCkdZIAT, 20-Nov-2026
Learn how to begin abstract paintings with confidence, using place, process and experimentation.
| 20 – 22 Nov – 3 days – £445 | Full | Request |
Joan Eardley – Land, Sea, People + Place
Art Courses – Oil – Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000BqLnQ
Active Instance: a02Nz00000QiLZeIAN, 23-Nov-2026
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.
| 23 – 25 Nov – 3 days – £525 | Full | Request |
Painterly Printmaking
Art Courses – Printmaking
Active sort order:
Course ID: a001r00000qZ2AQ
Active Instance: a02Nz00000OoXe5IAF, 25-Nov-2026
Explore a creative and experimental approach to a variety of printmaking techniques including monoprinting and collagraph. Use a professional press in the historic Porthmeor Print Workshop to create stunning, multi-layered prints.
| 25 – 27 Nov – 3 days – £525 | Last place | Book |
Artist Retreat Weekend – Autumn
Art Courses – Mixed Media – Personal Development
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000G2ceX
Active Instance: a02Nz00000XCaRLIA1, 27-Nov-2026
Remember and revive your reasons for making art and reboot your practice. As part of a small group, benefit from directed exercises, peer feedback and 1-1 mentoring from two professional artists.
| 27 – 29 Nov – 3 days – £555 | Book |
Porthmeor Masters
Art Courses – Mixed Media – Personal Development
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000dPLqn
Active Instance: a02Nz00000hj8WvIAI, 25-Jan-2027
Our newest year-long artist development programme, offering advanced studio workshops and 1-1 mentoring, designed for graduates of the Porthmeor Programme or similar.
| 25 Jan – 17 Nov 2027 – 6 x 3 days over 10 months – £2950 | Full | Request |
Porthmeor Programme (Studio)
Art Courses – Mixed Media – Personal Development
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000IREqS
Active Instance: a02Nz00000cYbSKIA0, 05-Mar-2027
A ten month intensive course to develop you as an artist, enabling you to find and express your individual creative voice. Led by a personal tutor and a host of guest artists.
| 5 – 7 Mar 2027 – 24 days over 10 Months – £3750 | Apply |
Find the right art course for you
Our programme offers different ways to learn, whether you want to understand the foundations of a new medium, strengthen a particular skill or find a more personal and expressive approach to your work.
Explore colour, composition and technique through our acrylic painting lessons, or combine materials and experiment with new processes on our mixed media art courses. If you are interested in traditional painting methods, you can build your confidence with oil painting, while our regular tutored life drawing sessions offer an opportunity to develop your observational skills.
Courses are clearly labelled by experience level, making it easier to find an option that suits you. Each course page explains what you will explore, the materials you will use and what experience, if any, is recommended.
Short Art Classes and
Multi-Day Courses
You do not need a full week to learn at our Cornwall art school. Our short art classes include 3-hour and 1-day workshops exploring a different medium or subject – ideal for adding a creative experience to your time in St Ives.
For more time in the studio, our two, three and four-day courses combine demonstrations and practical exercises allowing you to develop your skills and ideas.
For longer-term development, the Porthmeor Programme combines workshops, one-to-one tutorials and independent practice across the year.
What our students say
I’ve wanted to paint abstracts for some time now but needed some guidance on how to start. This course has got me up and running. I’m looking forward to spending more time using the techniques Natalie demonstrated.
The space and facilities in the school were excellent, great equipment and light with individual stations. The tutor’s knowledge of colour mixing and creating a varied palette was excellent.
Transformative in terms of artistic process.
I liked everything about the course, it was what it said in the course description. Thank you, I enjoyed spending time in such a lovely warm encouraging environment.
It was beyond my expectations. The inspiring surroundings, fabulous teacher and wonderful cohort.
I loved learning new colour mixes; different mark making; wildly different landscapes. I have been to many course there and this was one of the best.
The resources and the space to work in were excellent. The tutoring was wonderfully inspiring and supportive. I felt encouraged and supported all through and learnt new things.
These online sessions are consistently fabulous, and this one did not disappoint. Gave me an insight into Paula Rego’s work as well as Gary’s thoughtful and insightful commentary as he paints and draws his wonderful images.
The Location
Why learn to paint in the heart of St Ives?
Artists have been drawn to St Ives for generations, inspired by its distinctive light, Atlantic coastline and long artistic history. Based in the historic Porthmeor Studios since 1938, St Ives School of Painting offers the opportunity to learn in a place closely connected to the development of modern British art.
Our studios look directly over Porthmeor Beach, placing the landscape, sea and changing weather within view. Depending on the course, you might work outside, gather observations around St Ives or use the coastline as a starting point before developing your ideas in the studio.
Every course is led by a practising artist who brings their own professional experience, methods and perspective to their teaching. Small class sizes provide opportunities for individual guidance, while the supportive studio environment encourages you to try new approaches and learn alongside others.
This combination of expert tuition, historic studios and an inspiring coastal setting makes our courses ideal for anyone looking for creative holidays in Cornwall. Escape everyday life and enjoying learning and making in a supportive environment.
The Experience
Make the most out of your time in St Ives
Students join us from across the UK and beyond, often planning a short break or longer holiday around their course. St Ives is accessible by road and rail, and our studios are close to beaches, galleries, cafés and the South West Coast Path.
Choose from hotels, guest houses and self-catering accommodation in St Ives, with options within walking distance. Outside the studio, visit Tate St Ives, the Barbara Hepworth Museum and a whole range of independent galleries. Explore our guide to things to do in St Ives to plan your stay in St Ives.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our St Ives Art Courses
How far in advance are new studio art classes listed?
We typically release our full programme of yearlong art courses in early autumn. Summer workshops are released in the spring. Booking early is recommended, particularly if your course takes place during the busier spring and summer months.
Do I need to provide my own art materials?
All materials for our in-person art courses are provided, so you can just turn up and get creative. For our longer development courses, you may be required to bring examples of your work – we will let you know in advance.
Can I sign up for email notifications when new courses are released?
Yes, you can sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates on our courses and events. Sign up here to receive 20% off your first online art course.