Course Description

The aim of this course is to enjoy the materials and allow the painting to evolve as you work. You will be experimenting with the careful layering of paint, repetitive brush strokes and mark-making with varying rhythms to create densely constructed forms which shift and change through the process.

This course is about applying the wabi sabi philosophy directly into your work. Wabi sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that celebrates the beauty of the handmade, imperfections, nature, incompleteness. the ever-changing qualities of the materials and not having the outcome as a priority.

You will be discovering and exploring materials through deconstructing, manipulation and playing with fabric, pigments, paints and drawing materials allowing the work to make itself. This is very much an eastern philosophy connecting the inner to the outside world and its ever-changing qualities.

We will be looking at artists mainly from the east, namely Korea and Japan, including western artists too.

The course is structured in the sense that there are set techniques that you will be learning. Using different paints, inks and pigments in varying forms. This will be the starting point for making your work alongside one-to-one tuition from the tutor.

The natural forms from the West Dean Gardens will be used as inspiration, as well as looking at other artists’ work in books and via the audio visual monitor.

Working in a group helps generate the sharing of creativity and processes. Using the wabi sabi philosophy as a particular way of working can take the stress, completion and hard work out of the making of art.

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, 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

• 2 X MDF boards (40x30cm), some heavy weight (300gsm) cartridge paper and some lightweight (130gsm) cartridge paper, newsprint paper, glue and masking tape. Some Zest It, linseed oil, household gloss varnish, plaster, filler, primer, gesso, lining paper and a large roll of Fabriano 220gsm roll and rabbit skin glue to share amongst the group.

What students need to bring

• Sketchbook, brushes big and small, drawing materials – charcoal, pencils rubber.
• Paints – tubes of oil colour, acrylics. Ink. Pigments and glitter (suppliers Brodie and Middleton, AP Fitzpatrick) e.g. Prussian Blue, black, earth colours are cheaper, UV colours.
• Canvas 1 – 2 metres and linen 1 – 2 metres.
• Old pillowcases, fabric of any kind, cellophane, old bits of anything you have, clothes.
• Rags and yoghurt pots for mixing. The more you bring, the more you can experiment with.

Available to buy

• Available from shop:
• Oil paint, acrylic paint, paper, inks, canvas and linen, sketchbooks, charcoal, pastels
• Available from tutor:
• Pigments and any extra plaster

Choosing your own materials before you come is personal and will resonate in your work rather than relying on buying everything from the College shop.