Capture a scene on a course at West Dean
Posted 20 March | Member News, Painting Tags: West Dean College, West Sussex
The City of Chichester and the surrounding area, with its stunning landscapes, coastline, and attractions is a magnet for summer visitors. Capture the essence of this special area by coming on one of West Dean’s renowned art courses where you can learn from experienced tutors how to interpret these settings artistically in your own individual style.
Many courses take inspiration from the award-winning West Dean Gardens, adjacent to the College. You can learn essential watercolour painting techniques and gain the confidence to produce strong and satisfying plant portraits on Sandrine Maugy’s course Summer colours at West Dean – botanical painting, August 19 – 23. Or learn botanical watercolour painting techniques with fruits and focus on their special features to achieve a likeness on Fruits from West Dean’s orchards – botanical painting, October 5 – 7.
Interpret the intense atmosphere of horse racing at Goodwood and learn the picture making skills of composition and perspective to convey your impressions in a vital way in Illustrating an outdoor event – horse racing at Goodwood, August 24 – 27. You’ll work freely, make reference drawings and paintings on site, then develop these images back in the studio.
If you long to paint landscapes in oils then Oil painting for beginners – the landscape, June 29 – 1 July, is for you, even if you have little or no experience. Tutor Tom Benjamin will help you explore the practicalities of outdoor work and ways of representing specific qualities of light, form and spatial relationships. More advanced painters might like to try another of his courses, Light in the landscape – painting in oils, September 2 – 7, where you will explore a range of approaches to the depiction of light effects in oil painting. Utilising the grounds of West Dean, the studio and trips to the sea, you can work on both quick studies and more fully realized paintings.
For those wanting to combine learning with a creative break, West Dean’s popular Summer Schools in Visual Arts and craft offer the opportunity to immerse yourself in a favourite or new subject over six days. Two new art summer schools include Drawing with watercolours, July 28 – 3 August, which has a focus on flowers and foliage and Painting in the landscape with unconventional and orthodox materials with Frances Hatch, July 28 – 3 August.
Create your own artistic interpretation of the architecture and summer-life of two of West Sussex’s most dramatic and beautiful towns, spending a day in each one. Back in the studio develop and work on your studies as you explore reportage art and learn techniques and methods for painting ‘on the streets’. Magnificent townscapes – painting Arundel and Chichester, July 2 – 6, with Christopher Corr.
Visit the Weald and Downland Museum to develop sketching techniques of crows, chickens and other birds in their natural habitat on the ground and in flight on this new course with Christine Forbes. Developing your watercolour brushstrokes – birds and plumage, August 28 – 31.
Learn to paint in the free and vibrant style typical of Chinese painting using the autumn landscape of West Dean Gardens as inspiration in Painting autumn landscapes with the Chinese brush, October 1 – 5.
Learn and practice the principles of good wildlife photography on location, including a bird of prey centre, with your digital SLR camera on Stephen Walby’s couse Digital wildlife photography, September 7 – 9.
Nestling in the South Downs National Park near Chichester, West Dean College, with its large country house style, offers a creative educational environment allowing you to escape the pressures of daily life and learn in an informal, relaxed atmosphere.
For more information on Art courses please see www.westdean.org.uk e-mail bookingsoffice@westdean.org.uk or call 0844 4994408.
Tags: West Dean College, West Sussex
