Courses

The calendar for 2007 will be available on the new website shortly.

Please come back soon.

Five day courses begin at lunch time on Monday with guests arriving around midday for lunch at 12.30pm. If you would like to make a week of it, why not book 2 courses together. Weekend courses begin on Friday evening and guests arrive around 5.30pm for dinner at 6.30pm. The tutor will then give an introduction after the meal and outline the programme for the course. Dinner is at 6.30pm, lunch at 12.30 pm and breakfast from 8 am. The tutors have been carefully selected and teach for a minimum of 27 hours on a 5 day course and 11 on a 2 day course. There is a maximum of 8-12 students on each course so each receives all the attention he or she needs.

A typical programme for a 5 day course might involve 4 hours on Monday afternoon followed by 3 days of 6 1/2 hours, and on the last day a 3 hour morning with an end of course exhibition and appraisal after lunch. Students will then leave after lunch about 2pm on Friday. Weekend courses begin on Fridays about 5.30pm and finish at 4.00pm on Sunday afternoon.

Tutors will provide individual course programmes and a list of all the equipment which guests will need to bring with them and these will be sent to you after booking. The programmes will vary depending on the tutor and the course. If you can only take part of a longer course it is always better to join in from the beginning.

The workshop will focus on all aspects of writing fiction: plot, themes, settings, characterisation, dialogue, pace, presentation, getting started, beating the block, and a session on '10 ways to get rejected'. Participants are invited to bring work in progress, as there will also be an opportunity for one-to-one tutorial. All sessions will have a practical bias - participants will be encouraged to write and to experiment with technique. The course content will relate both to novels and to short stories, but if you are particularly interested in one rather than the other, please indicate this in advance, so that your personal writing programme can be tailored accordingly.

The great players - their crazy lives and their wonderful music, featuring: Bix Beiderbecke (Impressionist Hot Cornetist), Django Reinhardt (Greatest Guitarist of all Time), Duke Ellington (Jungle Jazz at the Cotton Club), Sidney Bechet (Romance & Blues on the Soprano Sax), Fats Waller & James P Johnson (The Epitome of Stride Piano and Comedy), Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang (the First Hot Violin and Jazz Guitar), Billie Holiday (The Lady Sings The Blues). The music of these jazz greats and their contribution to jazz will be discussed at length with all the relevant, important recordings played. The tutor will suggest exactly what the student should be listening for and point out particular passages of great interest. Discussion will be encouraged. Playback will be digital, slides and DVD film will be shown to provide students with a complete feel for the genre, the musicians, styles of the period, and just what they all looked and sounded like. A jazz film will be shown during the weekend.

Picture framing, designed for beginners, but having something to offer those with some experience. Roy is an experienced hobby framer who sees the framing of a piece of artwork as an extension to the work itself. Using traditional methods, and basic hobby tools, you can produce professional-look framing at a fraction of the cost of commercially framed pictures. The course will cover the techniques required in a step-by-step, hands on approach.

Come and explore the fascinating world of botanical and miniature painting and drawing. Jenny's approach to her teaching enables her students to develop an understanding of the creative skills required when drawing or painting from observation. Beginners and Improvers will all enjoy and benefit from Jenny's individual tuition in line, tone, form and watercolour techniques. Her own portrait miniatures and botanical studies in pencil and watercolour on paper, ivorine and vellum have won many awards.

Come and spend a few days painting and drawing with Jenny Brooks in our beautiful country house. A sound foundation is given on the basic skills required to begin and develop drawing and painting. The use of line, tone, texture, colour, watercolour techniques, composition and proportion will be covered. More experienced painters are very welcome as well as beginners. The course gives confidence to beginners and the more advanced have the opportunity to experiment further with paint and surface and all enjoy the process in our idyllic surroundings.

These courses are suitable for beginners and for improvers who have some previous experience of drawing and painting from the nude model. On the weekend courses everyone will have the opportunity to develop a life study from a single pose and tuition will be geared to individual needs and levels of accomplishment. The 5 day course allows for more than one model and students will benefit tremendously from this. Each student will be encouraged to extend his/her vision and technique by setting their own challenges. For anyone interested in Portraiture, most major poses will also be suitable for head-and-shoulders' close ups.

How often have you thought it would be lovely to have a go at drawing but thought you weren't good enough? Well, this weekend is an opportunity to find that hidden talent with help from a very experienced tutor. The emphasis will be on looking - learning to observe, and experimenting with drawing materials

A course with an art historical connection for those interested in experimental colour and energetic, lively painting. Students will be introduced to methods of painting and ways of seeing that will involve some reference to artists such as Van Gogh, Modersohn-Becker, Kirchner, Derain, Matisse, Mathew Smith. Painting will be from still life, landscape, the human figure and imagination.

"A joyous practical excursion into the world of creativity". A five day course for beginners and improvers. Get started with watercolours and with Bill's help and enthusiasm enjoy painting images of the beautiful Wye Valley. This is your chance to be guided through the landscape with your brush to discover the garden and beyond. Working in line, tone and colour, the problems of composition will be considered and you will learn to resolve them with balance and positivity.

This course provides an opportunity to discover the creative possibilities of painting with acrylics: a versatile painting medium where pigments are suspended and bound in a water-based emulsion of polymer resin. Practical demonstrations by the tutor give a clear understanding of the preparation and basic techniques used. A course for beginners and painters seeking new techniques, ideas and inspiration, covering knowing what can be achieved and how to get started.

Set amongst the wooded hillsides of the Wye Valley we have the most beautiful and inspirational subjects right on our doorstep; delightful villages, spectacular river landscapes as well as those of a smaller scale in our own grounds, with streams and waterfalls. If it's raining we can work from our conservatory studio overlooking the gardens. Beginners and experienced artists welcome and please bring your preferred media. We shall explore proportion and perspective, creating reflections, trees and shadows, making the most of your brushes.

Mary says, "I have been continually amazed at the progress made and the fun had by all on these courses which are designed to encourage people of all levels (and especially beginners). You explore your own potential (almost always more than you ever dreamed) to master methods of discovering and expressing what you want to achieve in the medium you want to use".

At the beginning of the course we work with both oil pastels and soft pastels, using different techniques to explore and develop a range of subjects. Starting from a sound drawing basis we move through stages towards a complete composition. For beginners and advanced students alike pastels are an ideal medium, combining the fluency of drawing with the vibrancy of colour. As the week progresses we use the knowledge and confidence gained through working with pastel to develop our acrylic or oil technique. Individual tuition and group critique create an atmosphere of mutual learning and encouragement.

A chance to work in a traditional setting for English painters - directly from the land and seascape. Through observation, working towards creating finished compositions in your chosen medium. Tuition given in all watercolour, acrylic, oil paint and pastel techniques.

The idea behind this course is to have the option to work in a traditional way using watercolour or using acrylics that can work like watercolour or as an opaque medium. It is a change to try both, sometimes changing mediums can demonstrate the strengths of both approaches. Suitable for beginners or advanced students, Ann specialises in using a structured approach to help students gain confidence.

There is a great tradition of portrait painting and many approaches to it, ranging from the photographic to the expressive. What all portrait studies should have is an attempt to render the particular study of a particular person. Sometimes this is achieved through great draughtsmanship, other times by expressive or atmospheric colour. Both approaches are valid but the underlying structure of drawing is important. All media can be explored on this course.

This versatile and exciting art form can be enjoyed by artists and craftspeople alike and is also suitable for complete beginners. If you have an eye for colour and pattern but have never had the confidence to paint and draw, have fun experimenting with silk painting. If you are already painting and drawing, try silk painting as a new and liberating medium. Almost immediately you will be able to produce original scarves, ties, cushions, covers, paintings and wall hangings.

A mixed ability short course offering tuition in drawing and painting using your favourite media. Observation, technique and the emotional characteristics conveyed by the human form will be incorporated into these lively sessions.

Various pathways to abstraction will be explored, and students will produce works derived from experimentation and sound instruction. We will refer to the methods and philosophies used by some of the greatest abstract artists as our inspiration. All abilities welcome.

Kim will encourage you to make an individual response to flower painting through lively demonstrations of her direct and colourful style. Her paintings of flowers, animals, birds and still life combine a bold approach to watercolours which are often quite large, with strong, vibrant colours and a sharp attention to detail. For the flower painting courses, some work will be produced from cut specimens or photographs in the studio, as well as from stunning surrounding gardens.

Kim’s informal approach to teaching lends itself to discovering what can be achieved with pen and ink. Realise hidden talents in a warm and friendly atmosphere, working at your own pace. Develop new techniques and experiment with pen, ink and washes to create and produce unusual effects. Beginners and more experienced artists are encouraged to release their own potential, have fun and learn at the same time.

The intention of the weekend course and the five day course is to introduce both the absolute beginner as well as the more accomplished practitioner to a range of oil painting techniques in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. The pace and content will be dictated by the needs of the students and great care is taken to ensure that the course is entirely inclusive. Students are encouraged to bring examples of their own work and positive feedback is offered during the initial session. If, however, you do not have any work to bring, that is also perfectly acceptable especially as the course is suitable for complete beginners. Above all the course will be fun as well as stretching the students to achieve their full potential.

Creating a figure in clay is one of the most absorbing and satisfying of processes. Just the feel of the clay touches a deep chord in many of us. Students who attend life classes say that learning how to sculpt improves their drawing skills tremendously. You learn to look at the figure with new eyes. Dan takes a straightforward intuitive approach hoping to catch the humanity of the subject and to discover underlying emotional currents. Complete beginners and those with some experience are welcome on the course.

This workshop gives students the opportunity to develop their work further. We proceed at our own pace and share progress in a sociable atmosphere of friendly criticism with the group. Some of our best work is achieved working alongside others so please come and join us.

Please telephone 01594 530214 / 01291 689 463 or e-mail us at wyeart@cwcom.net to arrange a booking.