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Gary Long
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 am a figurative painter making images concerned with the coast, sea, sky, weather and the impressions they leave as well as the human figure. After studying at Birmingham College of Art and Manchester College of Art, I spent
many years as an illustrator working for international clients in advertising and publishing in UK and North America. My paintings are exhibited across the UK and internationally.
www.garylongart.com
What our students say
A joy to have a tutor with deep knowledge, professional experience and a sympathetic manner.
Thank you very much. I achieved all of my objectives and learnt many new skills as well. I was pleased to be back at the school again.
Very gentle class, helpful tutor, good teaching progression. Delightful environment, will come again.
Gary is a wonderful instructor. Realistic expectations, great demo of creating a palette, consistent individual tutoring and considerate professional knowledge.
I learned so much from this course – Gary is everything I want from a tutor. He demonstrates and inspires, then leaves me to develop. Super tips on colour mixing and technique. Loved it!
It actually exceeded my expectations. I hoped that I would learn about painting seascapes (which I did) but I also felt that my practice as an artist and painter was revitalised by the course and, in particular, by Gary the tutor.
Excellent course! Gary imparts his knowledge of painting in a calm and insightful way. his own work in there to see and you can learn so much from looking at his work. Gouache painting was a brilliant introduction to oil painting. Thank you Gary.
Inspiring location – great history in the building and school course followed the description in the brochure. I overcame my fear of the palette knife and charcoal sketching. I also built on existing skills and experiences.
Amazing tutor, can’t wait to come again and do more work, getting better every time through the help of the tutor and experience was wonderful overall too.
Gary Long was fantastic, I learnt so much about colour and mixing colour, composition, how to go through the process of stages from the drawing to the actual painting. His demonstrations were brilliant from colour mixing to how to paint the pictures. He gave us all feedback and was encouraging and motivating. His wife Pat was also brilliant making sure we were OK, keeping us stocked up with biscuits and dealing with our queries and always happy and positive. It was like we were part of there family for the time we were together.
Good mixture of demonstration and own painting time. Good location and Gary’s experience of previous visits meant we found interesting sites to sketch and draw. Lots of materials available. Good indoor space with easels. I was well supported and looked after by Gary and his lovely wife. Nice balance of days off to explore the region.
The studio space was wonderful plenty of room to spread out and walk around. Having the tutor at hand was helpful and reassuring.
I really enjoyed the course and got a lot from it. It was a delight to be immersed in the whole art experience at Verrocchio. Thanks to Gary’s experienced tuition and support and his wife’s excellent organisational skills and support it all ran smoothly and made it a wonderful experience.
It was really interesting to see how Gary linked his preliminary sketches with painting. I feel I have learned a lot and look forward to ‘attending’ more demonstrations.
Brilliant tuition and demonstration from Gary, well done for using this new way of communicating artistic learning and enjoyment.
Thank you so much…I [have] really enjoyed watching and learned so much. Gary Long is a fantastic teacher and I’ve attended his classes before, which have always been inspirational.
It was well-structured and inspiring and it worked really well in every way!
A special thank you to Gary. Â That colour mixing was truly therapeutic!! Â
It has meant the world to me to get this genuine encouragement and guidance to ease me back into some semblance of trying to practice.
Gary shows in depth how he mixes colours, and demonstrates the use of palette knife. He also showed lots of his paintings at the beginning to inspire us and help us to visualise what we were aiming for.
Gary is generous with his hints and insights, he clearly understands the subject extremely well and conveys his enthusiasm to the group
There’s a lot to learn, most of it by practice. The course showed basic techniques and how to achieve a portrait. It sent me off in the right direction, which is all I could have asked for
Good balance between instruction, demonstration and practice. Very skillful and experienced artist tutoring. The school has well equipped, airy studios. It also provided a friendly environment, encouraging and never negative.
Gary has a wealth of knowledge, an ability to create a nice vibe, and provides a safe environment to try new techniques. He is generous with his time, perceptive ,and tailors his approach to your needs.
Gary was very supportive, helping us all individually with our unique styles and ways to infuse our own identity into the painting. Gary created a very calming and relaxing environment to work in which helped in developing my painting skills.
Everything was fabulous, thank you. I enjoyed the sessions very much – I could have watched Gary mix colours all day! Â
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.
I found the tutorial very helpful and mentally uplifting, thank you to all involved in these online classes.
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.
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.
Thank you all in St. Ives, it has been truly inspirational, your professionalism has shone through in communicating the School’s ethos as well as the tutors’ personal creative approaches.
Thank you for such a brilliant morning- very inspirational and instructive- also great fun!
The Saturday Life Live Session was absolutely fabulous….such an interesting and informative session.
Courses with Gary Long
Artist Landmarks - Lighthouse with Gary Long
Online Pre-recorded - Oil - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a00Nz00000JxjkY
Active Instance: a02Nz00000C8F6ZIAV, 31-Aug-2026
Join artist, Gary Long, on location and in the studio as he shares his oil painting journey, from preparatory drawings, discussing colour mixing, layering, brush techniques to the creation of depth and dimension in his drawings and paintings of Pendeen Watch.
£65 | Book |
Contemporary Figure Painting
Art Courses - Mixed Media - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000IQd6p
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BgA8IAK, 24-Feb-2025
Enjoy creating works using thick paint and vigorous brushstrokes as you explore the work of David Park on this three-day course.
24 - 26 Feb 2025 - 3 days - £425 | Book |
Figure - Inspired by David Hockney (rec)
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000QlHGb
Active Instance: a024J00000CagK3QAJ, 01-Sep-2026
Join artist Gary Long for this David Hockney-inspired life drawing webinar. Recorded from our studio in St Ives with a model, you are invited to join at home with guided exercises.
£30 | Book |
Figure - Inspired by Diebenkorn
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000DD18u
Active Instance: a024J00000CjKujQAF, 01-Sep-2026
Join us for this recording of a two hour online figure class inspired by the Bay Figurative artist Richard Diebenkorn. Broadcast from our studio in St Ives with a clothed model.
£30 | Book |
Figure - Inspired by Egon Schiele
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000G0QHf
Active Instance: a024J00000CjKx7QAF, 01-Sep-2026
Join Gary Long as he explores the distinctive mark-making of Austrian artist Egon Schiele. Recorded from our studio in St Ives with a model, you are invited to join in at home with guided exercises.
£30 | Book |
Figure - Shape, Colour + Texture
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000FzOCp
Active Instance: a024J00000Ck7EGQAZ, 01-Sep-2026
Join us for this two hour recording of a figure class inspired by the Bay Area Movement artist David Park. Broadcast from our studio in St Ives with a clothed model.
£30 | Book |
Figure - Whistler's Woman in White
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000ITbuA
Active Instance: a024J00000CjKvjQAF, 01-Sep-2026
Join artist Gary Long for this Whistler-inspired recording. Draw and paint from a clothed model in our Porthmeor Studios.
£30 | Book |
Figure- Edward Hopper
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000FIiyo
Active Instance: a024J00000CzMlBQAV, 01-Sep-2026
Join us for this two hour online figure class inspired by artist Edward Hopper. Recorded from our studio in St Ives with a clothed model.
£30 | Book |
Figure- Paula Rego
Online Pre-recorded - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000PFvJf
Active Instance: a024J00000DR3PaQAL, 01-Sep-2026
Join us for this two-hour online figure class inspired by artist Paula Rego. Broadcast from our studio in St Ives with a clothed model, join in at home with guided exercises.
£30 | Book |
Life Drawing
VariousSteve DoveHilary Jean Gibson
Life Drawing - Drawing - Figure
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J000002gGIZ
Active Instance: a02Nz000008nKU3IAM, 12-Dec-2024
Drawing from the figure is a classic, traditional skill and these tutored life drawing classes are ideal for those wanting to learn and improve, build a portfolio or for beginners who would like to just have a go.
12 Dec - 2 hour(s) 18:30 - £28 | Book |
Painting Flowers in Oils
Online Pre-recorded - Oil - Still Life
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000DDGyv
Active Instance: a024J00000CjKmoQAF, 01-Sep-2026
Learn how to capture in oils, bold spring blooms, to create a beautiful expressive still life, rich in colour and texture.
£55 | Book |
Where Sea Meets Land
Art Courses - Oil - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J000002g9CZ
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BnppIAC, 26-May-2025
How to convey that fleeting moment when a wave crashes on the shore, its drama, energy and movement? Learn the secrets to capturing this dramatic encounter between sea and the land in oils.
Where Sea Meets Land
Art Courses - Oil - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J000002g9CZ
Active Instance: a02Nz000009BubBIAS, 17-Oct-2025
How to convey that fleeting moment when a wave crashes on the shore, its drama, energy and movement? Learn the secrets to capturing this dramatic encounter between sea and the land in oils.
Where Sea Meets Land - Winter Storm
Online Pre-recorded - Oil - Landscape
Active sort order:
Course ID: a004J00000ISTHb
Active Instance: a024J00000C3DleQAF, 01-Sep-2026
Learn to convey the drama and energy of a stormy sea encountering the land in oils. Capture the movement of the sea as it clashes with an iconic Cornish harbour.
£55 | Book |