Fundamentals of landscape – painting and process with Nick Bodimeade

Ref: S3D31601

About this course

On this studio based, landscape painting course, learn how to use your materials and equipment to evoke the qualities of space, light, structure, mass, movement and direction, qualities shared by both landscape and painting.

Course Description

On this studio based, landscape painting course, learn how to use your materials and equipment to evoke the qualities of space, light, structure, mass, movement and direction, qualities shared by both landscape and painting. Make works that are evocative, pictorial equivalents for the subject, rather than just a depiction of it, and where the content is found in the act of painting.

Working from your own photographic sources, you will use drawing to find simple fundamental visual qualities and dramatic compositional structures. Then, working with acrylic paint and utilising a broad range of painting processes derived from both the history of landscape painting as well as from abstraction, you will produce a minimum of twenty experimental paintings on paper and prepared board.

The course will include daily slide lectures on historical and contemporary approaches to landscape. There will be technical demonstrations and lots of one-to-one and group tuition. As the course progresses, your personal choices and direction will increasingly become the focus.

By the end of the course, you will have produced a substantial body of atmospheric and expressive landscape paintings. You will have gained confidence in exploring the notion of equivalence between painting and subject, and the role of process as a powerful pictorial element. You will also have become increasingly comfortable in making personal critical judgements and taking control of the direction of your painting.

As well as the photographs you have brought along, you will be encouraged to explore and make use of the grounds and surrounding landscape at the college.

Timetable

Arrival Day - this is the first date listed above

Courses start early evening. Residential students to arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm.

6.45pm: Welcome, followed by dinner (included).

8 - 9pm: First teaching session, attendance is essential.

Daily timetable

Classes 9.15 - 5pm, lunch is included.

From 6.30pm: Dinner (included for residential students).

Evening working - students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with their tutor's permission and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Last day

Classes 9.15am - 3pm, lunch is included.

Residential students are to vacate their rooms by 10am please.

(This timetable is for courses of more than one day in length. The tutor may make slight variations)

Course Materials

Included

  • On this course, the College will supply each student with eight 28 x 36cm MDF boards for painting, plus some acrylic primer.

What students need to bring

  • Please bring with you as many digital landscape photographs as possible, so that you have plenty to choose from.
  • Camera or camera phone
  • Laptop or tablet to work from. This is to save printing out photographs and enable easy compositional exploration of images on screen.
  • A broad range of brushes, including some baker brushes (flat pastry types), up to 50mm wide - cheap and available at the shop.
  • A range of reasonable quality acrylic paint
  • Drawing materials – including charcoal and a plastic type eraser
  • A3 cartridge pad
  • Sketchbook

Available to buy

  • Available from shop:
  • A good variety of art materials, including a broad range of brushes, including baker brushes up to 50mm wide and a good range of acrylic paints; general drawing materials, including charcoal and plastic type erasers, A3 cartridge pads and sketchbooks
  • Available from tutor:
  • 370gsm Lambeth drawing cartridge, sold to students at cost price

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear i.e. no open-toed shoes or sandals.

Tutors

Nick Bodimeade

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.

Accommodation

Residential option available. Find out accommodation costs and how to book here.

Courses of interest

Further study options

Take the next step in your creative practice, with foundation level to Masters in Fine Art study. 

Depending on your experience, start with an Online Foundation Certificate in Art and Design (one year, part-time), a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design made up of 10 short courses taken over two years (part-time) or advance your learning with our BA (Hons) Art and Contemporary Craft: Materials, Making, and Place (six years part-time). All will help you develop core skills, find direction in your practice and build an impressive portfolio in preparation for artist opportunities or higher-level study. See all degree and diploma courses.