Ref: S5D41810
Still life could be thought of as a kind of testing ground for ideas and approaches to painting. The still life is, after all, a subject constructed with artmaking specifically in mind. This course is about going beyond representation, by exploring how the processes of drawing, collage and painting enable you to see your subject afresh and give you confidence to strip away the superfluous and reveal the essential. The aim is to produce several works in series, enabling comparative judgements to be made and learning to be clearly achieved.
Abstraction is a broad and slippery term, but through daily slide shows looking at the historical development of abstraction from still life, a clear path from Paul Cezanne, through Cubism and the works of St Ives artists to the present day, will be charted.
Acrylics are preferred due to their fast-drying qualities and their compatibility with other water-based mediums, PVA and collage.
Day 1: You will be making observational drawings with charcoal, cloth and eraser from elements of the still life. Simplification of form and focusing on specific visual qualities will produce images that transform the subject and reveal new possibilities. Editing, materials handling and mark quality, composition, space and pattern will be key components of the day.
Day 2: Working with paper that you have coloured at the beginning of the day, you will make collages in response to both the still life and the drawings of the previous day. Collage will allow a new focus on shape and edge qualities, placement and compositional decision making and maintaining clarity and simplicity. The relationship between collage, still life and abstraction in the works of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Ben Nicholson will be examined.
Day 3: With your studies as a starting point, you will continue the process of abstraction through the production of a series of ten small paintings on board, which you will work on for the remainder of the course, exploring the material and handling properties of paint, only using the actual still life for occasional reference, if at all. You will push the simplification of form to line, stripe, block and blob, as in the works of artists such as Nicolas de Staël, Patrick Heron and William Scott. The work will progress with the help of comparative critical judgements, made possible by working in series. Individual support and evaluation will be provided at key points.
Day 4: You will spend the day working on your increasingly resolved series of ten paintings. Importantly, you will learn how to make dramatic and substantial changes to paintings whilst maintaining freshness and simplicity. The principle of holding onto your best work whilst taking risks with your worst will be established. The tutor will provide individual support with evaluations and discussions at key points.
Day 5: In the morning, you will continue to develop your paintings, holding onto the successes and taking risks with the less so. After lunch, we will put up a display of works and finish with a group evaluation.
The course fee includes the cost of providing the following materials:
A good variety of art and craft materials are available from the Garden' Gatehouse Shop.
Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio. This includes stout covered footwear, i.e. no open-toes or sandals.
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.
Nick trained at Worthing and Wolverhampton art colleges, has taught at many UK schools, colleges and universties at all levels up to MA. He exhibits with St Annes Galleries, Lewes. Zimmer Stewart Gallery, Arundel and the Porthminster Gallery, St Ives. Nick's work is held in many public and private collections including, The Contemporary Art Society, The Landmark Trust and the Government Art Collection. He is a Trustee of Fabrica, Brighton's leading Contemporary Art Gallery.
Residential option available. Find out accommodation costs and how to book here.
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