For many artists, the real subject of painting is light and colour. These two interlinked elements create the mood, space and form within a pictorial world. Mostly, this has been seen as a daytime practice, with the direct or ambient sunlight modelling highlights and shadows. However, there is an alternative nocturnal approach, which has fascinated artists such as Domenichino, Salvator Rosa, J M W Turner, Atkinson Grimshaw, Pierre Bonnard, Paul Nash and Paul Klee. For example, the lunar light of a full moon utterly transforms the usual perception of chromatics, and produces strange, unexpected relationships between tone and hues. Nocturnal light is obviously slight when compared to daytime lux levels but, as the pupils adjust, the imagination steps in to generate new sensations and interpretations, which radically liberate mark-making and colour sensibility.

During this course, you will explore working with the margins of daylight at dawn and dusk, as well as what it means to work in full darkness or by candlelight. There will be sessions reworking nightscapes from memory the following day. This is, in every way, an adventurous and experimental course that aims to produce extraordinary works of power and subtlety, ideal for people who want to find a new and unexpected side to their creativity.

You will be looking at specific aspects of colour theory, tonality and mark-making. The timetable for the course will be highly unusual, so it is unlikely that you will eat breakfast or dinner at routine times. There will be a rest period during each day to compensate for our extended sessions in the evenings and early mornings.

Please bring warm, wet weather clothes and boots/waterproof shoes, hat and fingerless gloves, as it is cold at this time of year.

TIMETABLE:

Arrival day - Friday:

From 4pm Arrival for residential students 7.30pm – 9pm First teaching session – attendance is an essential part of the course Practical sessions drawing outside with oil pastels, oil markers, pencils on black paper

Saturday and Sunday:

6.00 am – 7.30am Drawing

2pm – 4pm Afternoon class

7.30pm – 9.30pm Night drawing

Departure day - Monday:

(Residential students to vacate rooms by 10am)

5.30am – 7.30am Drawing

2pm – 3pm Final review of course work and individual directions – very important session

3pm Classes finish, please vacate workshop by 3.30pm

We appreciate that you will need to have periods of rest in the mornings and afternoons before the night time sessions, but you will be free between to continue working on previous projects.

Included

Black paper, oil pastels (gold, silver, bronze, copper and black), a set of metallic pencils, gold and silver marker pens

What students need to bring

Please bring:

• An assorted range of chalk pastels, oil pastels, coloured pencils, wax crayons, colours inks - please bring whatever colour range you have, i.e. some or all of these depending on what you work with
• Ten sheets of various A2 dark coloured papers i.e. black, maroon, navy, sap green, dark brown – do choose papers that have a good surface i.e. Canson Mi-Tients papers, Fabriano or Hahnemuhle
• Black and white Conté sticks
• A range of gold, silver, bronze, copper, brass drawing media to include Neopastels, pencils, oil marker pens – the greater the range, the better and more varied the results
• Waterproof (cheap) plastic portfolio to store paper in or finished drawings
• Glassine paper to put between finished drawings to protect them
• Very warm clothing, including waterproof trousers, hat and fingerless gloves
• We suggest wellingtons and a torch may be useful

Available to buy

A good variety of art and craft materials are available to buy in the Gardens Gatehouse Shop.

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio. This includes stout covered footwear, i.e. no open-toes or sandals, and safety boots, if specified.

Arrival day - first date of course
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm for registration  
Student welcome, followed by dinner: 6.45pm (dinner included)
Teaching session: 8pm-9pm (attendance is essential)

Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am-5pm  
Morning session: 9.15am-12.45pm including coffee/tea break  
Lunch break: 12.45pm-2pm (lunch included)  
Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm including coffee/tea break  
Teaching finishes: 5pm    
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Departure day - last date of course
Course teaching: 9.15am-3pm (lunch included)  
Teaching finishes: 3pm  

Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am.
Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.

Terms & Conditions