About the Workshop

Skill level: All levels welcome

Materials used: Pastels only

The quest for perfection can bring with it fear of making mistakes and can result in a style which can seem inhibited. In this workshop we will concentrate on freedom and spontaneity to add elements of semi abstraction but keep association with reality. Sometimes when I paint Plein air I don't necessarily try to capture exactly what is in front of me. The weather, light and composition may not always be what I am looking for. My intention is to go out to make a good painting. If you ever wanted to bring a looser and more painterly feel to your work loaded with juicy colour and flooded with light? join me and I will share some of my working methods concentrating on painting the landscape that delight you and excite the viewer. Using our reference material and sketches we can bring some fresh colour and a more painterly feel to your work our aim is to break free from the restraints of perfection and give ourselves permission to capture the essence of the subject in an intuitive way with the freedom of ‘brushwork' that has its roots in the style of alla prima giving a lively and vigorous mark that is instrumental in expressing mood and atmosphere.

We will experiment and activate the potential of complementary, harmonious, and tertiary colours that will lift our work to another exciting level. We will look at ways of how to unlock your confidence and imagination in your own creativity. I will share some tips and methods drawn from my own way of working, where colour and light play a central and passionate part of my personal artistic practice. Artists use colour, values to express themselves and aim to make you feel something when you look at it in the four days of the workshop, we will cover subjects, including Looking at our landscape, The Sky above us, the many aspects of painting water and finally painting epic mountain scenes.

Day 1: Land

We will look at the entire process of recording trees in the landscape from conception through to thumbnails and value sketches, colour beginnings progressing through to the finished painting. Each day begins with a demonstration. The rest of the day students will work on their own paintings using their own reference material or reference supplied by me

Day 2: Sky

We will look at ways to bring a looser more painterly feel in our work which will be loaded with juicy colour and flooded with light. I will share some of my working methods concentrating on painting the sky to create interest and drama that delight you and excite the viewer. We will learn how to simplify our approach to achieve exciting impressionistic paintings that has a strong design with expressive marks that use direct strokes on our textured surface to emphasise ‘brushwork' exploring the quality of light, the colour of light and the direction of light.

Day 3: Water

We will look at the colour of water, reflections, moving water, shallow water, and everything in between! Today will see the students working on their own paintings using their own reference material, or reference supplied by me. There will be plenty of easel time As I go from student to student providing individual help.

Day 4: Mountains

Our final day will paint one or two 'blockbuster' mountain scenes. Join me if you wish to paint along, or just simply sit back and relax as I paint the first demonstration.

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