For beginners or more experienced painters, this is a chance to learn or consolidate previously learned skills and further develop them, finding the confidence to pursue one’s own style within the structure of the course.

A key principle behind these classes is finding the balance between the essence of the painted object and the skills required in formal representation or the mere appearance of things. With loaded brushes at arm’s length, painted from the shoulder, I hope to encourage students to explore the wonderfully expressive qualities of oil paint. To invite chance, risk and opportunity into their daily practice and above all to enjoy the challenge.

This could serve as a single introduction course, or as part of an ongoing series of courses teaching the fundamentals of oil painting. Broadly, the classes develop around proportion, light and dark, colour and composition tailored to the needs of each individual. The vehicle for this would be still life or cast work, as both of these can be carefully controlled and kept very simple or made more difficult, depending on the ability of each student. This allows you to fully focus on the basic underlying principles, rather than be distracted by unnecessary complications.