Sculpture-Painting.co.uk Newsletter 2006
Professional Art Courses at Extraordinary Places
Hello again!
Its time for my annual newsletter once more – and I can’t believe how fast the last year has passed again. This was a crazy one though! I thought I had been busy before, this year topped it all. The local school has expanded, I have recruited artist teachers to help with the increasing amount of courses, I have started to establish a course centre in France and appeared on TV, radio and in the newspaper, and had to travel a lot to get all of this done in a year. This is a long newsletter, with so much to tell…
There will be more information on all this as well as this year’s courses – and more freebees below.
I hope you will all have a very successful and creative New Year!
Below please find info on the following (with links to pages with info and pictures)
- TV APPEARANCE ON CHANNEL 4 AND LIVE RADIO INTERVIEW WITH BBC
- HOLIDAY COURSES 2006 - painting / drawing / sculpture- the 04 and 05 Spring and Summer courses at the ancient monastery artist retreat in the Andalusian mountains were so lovely and successful, I am going to do two this year again! Please see the new testimonials of my students added to http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/success.htm
- SPRING COURSE APRIL 2006 COURSE AT LA CARTUJA, ANDALUCIA and 2005 story and pictures
For story of 2005 courses read below.
For pictures: Andalucia 2005
Directly to course page: http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/la_cartuja.html
- SUMMER COURSE AUGUST 2006 AT LA CARTUJA, ANDALUCIA
Directly to course page with full information: http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/la_cartuja.html
- SCULPTURE AT LA CARTUJA
- SUMMER COURSE AUGUST 2006 IN ENGLAND, SUSSEX
- VISIT OF VERY SPECIAL NEW FUTURE VENUE IN ITALY: BUSSANA VECCIA
- EXPANSION OF LOCAL SCHOOL
- ARTIST TUTORS FOR NEW COURSES
- INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY COURSES: France
- “FREEBIE” SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM THE COURSE PACKS
TV APPEARANCE ON CHANNEL 4 AND LIVE RADIO INTERVIEW WITH BBC
Well, life got almost too exciting last year! I was actually asked By the BBC to be a tutor on “Art School”, a really good programme I would have loved to be on – but I had to teach in Spain at the time of filming. I would have loved the challenge to teach celebrities art basics in a proper art school framework. Then I was asked to run a master class for the series "A Brush with Fame" and went up to Manchester to be filmed for a whole day. Quite nerve wracking, I assure you, it has been a while since I was on radio and TV was a first. They wanted me to bring a painting along - but just a few days before let me know I should bring three! As they are all quite big, they paid for transport up there. Then I was suddenly supposed to bring a work in the technique that I was to tutor on the day, so I had to produce something, working though a couple of nights producing three so they could choose - and actually finishing it off during the night in the Manchester hotel loo as this was the only place with proper light! Naturally the local newspaper picked up on that and seemed to find this particularly interesting…
First thing I had an interview with Carol Smillie, a well known UK TV celebrity, - and she really eased me into it as she is lovely and very professional. Turns out that she also draws and paints. You never know, maybe she will pop up on one of my courses some time? After My class I helped with the afternoon project and was also a judge - and we really came to a controversial decision for a portrait, but the guy just had the most potential, he knew how to use paint and build a composition. I think he could easily have won the whole series but chose red and yellow for his final painting in the last part of the series and that is so hard to resolve in a painting, he had almost not pulled it off on our day. In a quite heated debate (I do get rather passionate about things like that…) I had to convince the other judges because they were inclined to let something win which, yes, had a degree of likeness, but was just not a good painting yet. So, after the initial nerves, I really enjoyed it and just forgot that cameras were there, as teaching and talking to groups of people is pretty much what I do anyway all the time. The director said he would ask me again another time, so I suppose I was alright!
I then had a live BBC radio interview and now have been asked again by BBC, to take a main part in a very exciting pilot for a series, so life remains interesting! The TV programme is too large to download, but you can listen to the radio show here: http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/radio2005.wma.(5mb windows media)
HOLIDAY COURSES 2005 – story
(pictures here: Andalucia 2005 )
As promised I did two courses at my favourite place, the mountain monastery in Andalucia and I have already written about the 05 Spring course and how beautiful and vibrant it was there in one of my last newsletters. Who missed it can read it here: http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/summer-courses2005.html
Already the drive from Sevilla airport is amazing. Hills, valleys, dark purple earth, bright yellow ochre grass under dark silver-green Olive trees, cork oak plantations, with bright sienna peeled tree trunks against glimpses of pristine blue skies, layers of textured hills, with rows of sap umbrella pines and dark green patterns of other tree plantations on others.
Arriving at Cazalla de La Sierra is a surprise, a clean, white Spanish village – Spain how we think it should be, without tourists and the friendliest people I have ever come across in Spain. Mules trotting through town, horsemen in worn leather coming home on amazing Andalusian horses, all the ‘real’ stuff.
One’s excitement keeps rising as one drives out of the village, another couple of km into the mountains to finally turn into a tiny lane which leads through olive groves and an eucalyptus wood past a stream to suddenly open out into a distant view with the monastery right there, on top of a hill. Glorious sunshine, lightness of space, magnificent!
The monastery is wildly romantic. (Continue to read here …..) Earlier course stories: http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/summer-courses2004.html
The summer course was a great success again as you can see from students testimonials (ratings of up to 15 out of 10 were common!)
“A striking, unusual, original venue. A marvellous course and very thoughtfully prepared. Babette Adrian has a gift not only for art but also for teaching – seldom have I come across a teacher who understands her pupils so well, and so quickly (I think she would also make an excellent psychologist…).
The course really was first-rate in terms of the theory of art. One student said that the range of Babette’s talks was like the reduced Shakespeare company’s plays – I agree! Fabulously informative and condensed. Her is an artist who really knows her stuff. Another student commented that Babette’s teaching was “streets ahead” of all of the other teaching he had received. Again, I agree wholeheartedly.
Importantly, Babette understands the need for students to be given positive rather than negative feedback at all times. A most encouraging course and teacher. Is a move to London asking too much??” http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/success.htm
We again had an extremely interesting mix of people from all backgrounds and levels of experience so if you like to meet interesting people – I certainly seem to attract those! Housewives, barristers, philosophers, lecturers, pensioners, students, artists, any age, I thrive in the challenge and excitement of a course like this! The experience of many years of teaching, a very well structured course with supporting comprehensive course packs to take away, and my joy in seeing people progress individually, heeding their personal point of development and context, their comments and suggestions seems to help to turn this into a real experience for everyone.
Carmen, the character owner of La Cartuja (with a hot temper but ever so helpful) had gone out of her way again to organise a concert with unusual Spanish music and two dancers, a ballet dancer and a Flamenco dancer who owns a famous school, improvising to the music. Carmen had again arranged a lovely dinner by candle light in the inner court yard of the monastery after the concert.
We had another concert by a pianist who happened to stay for his holiday there. The course happened to coincide with the local Feria and we were taken to a lunch at the Feria, accompanied by a couple of Flamenco dancers, so we had the opportunity to get a taste of dancing it, which was real fun! Its harder than I thought as one has to really know the hand movements and basic do’s and don’ts – e.g. one never should turn ones back to the other one. Two of the students started to take Flamenco classes after the course so I will see if I can get some lessons organised for this years course…Feria, Bullring and Flamenco pictures: http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/gallery2004/thumbnails.php?album=61
The monastery really is one of the secret places to stay, very special atmosphere, beautiful landscape, the ideal place to relax and make art.
Here are some links to recent publications about Cartuja:
"The Independent"; article about Cartuja http://travel.independent.co.uk/europe/article310487.ece
"The Guardian" article: http://travel.guardian.co.uk/countries/story/0,7451,881737,00.html
Cartuja was also in 'The Good Hotel Guide 2005' once more.
SPRING 2006 COURSE MAY AT LA CARTUJA, Spain http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/la_cartuja.html
The Spring course is 1 week all inclusive for a creative spring break with lasting memories and results! Link to story and picture page. http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/summer-courses2005.html
AUGUST 2006 AT LA CARTUJA, Andalucia
The two week summer course will be one week figure, one week landscape again, the ideal combination, tested by time and not available anywhere else. There is a close connection between the two subjects – not obvious to everyone at first – but the figure embraces everything in concentrated form that we find in nature, life energy, all manner of line, shape and form, textures, tone and colours existing in space. Because these are all “condensed” in a figure there is much to learn and one never becomes bored with it. It teaches all elements one needs to know to paint anything at all – and that is why it has been used for centuries in art schools teaching painting until it has almost dropped out since the 60ies and 70ies. The mistake was to think that one doesn’t need it for modern art. But: understanding all the elements one learns in drawing and painting the figure, one knows how to deal with any subject and any formal problem, no matter in which direction the artist develops. The landscape week is really relaxing after life painting and drawing as you have already become familiar with many elements which you will also encounter in landscape and the connection between the two becomes really evident. Everyone felt last year, as usual, that two weeks are too short – even the people that thought two weeks might be long! The first week figure and second week landscape proved once more to be the ideal combination. The practical instruction you get and the theory course packs to take away with you give you an extremely good foundation to work for years coming. The ground covered in the course is really comprehensive, beginners again produced good paintings right away – and artist reviewed their work and really benefited. The meals together, swimming in the pools, the fun and talks together, the outings to a local waterfall or the lakes, to Sevilla, Jerez, Cadiz and the coast on the weekend by some, are all part of the enjoyment. And- everyone fits in! The groups are always of mixed ability, age and background, so it is really interesting to meet people, everyone finds friends. And if you are the solitary type and like to work and relax on your own, also no problem. Course details page: http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/la_cartuja.html
SCULPTURE AT LA CARTUJA, Andalucia
If you are interested to do sculpture, please let me know. You can do life sculpture and use the model together with the painters or you can do more abstract subjects. I will be teaching with the assistance of the resident sculptor Alejandro, so there is plenty of individual attention for beginners or advanced students. There is clay and a kiln and the model will be shared with the painters for figurative sculpture.
SUMMER COURSE AUGUST 2006 IN ENGLAND, SUSSEX
There is also a non residential summer course this year again here in East Grinstead for people who don’t like to travel further afield. If you are keen to begin drawing or painting or like to improve your skills in a week of figure and a week of landscape painting in the beautiful West Sussex area, this is for you (one week possible). Please have a look at pictures of the area and student work produced on courses here before. There is a lot of information on my site, have a look: sussex course http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/sussex_painting_course.html and general course information
http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/summercourse.html#general
VISIT OF VERY SPECIAL NEW FUTURE (maybe 07) VENUE IN ITALY: BUSSANA VECCIA, San Remo
I have visited Bussana last year and found it to be one of the most unusual and interesting places I have ever been to. It is ideally situated near San Remo in Italy, only 1.5 km from the sea and very near the French boarder, the South of France, Nice, Montecarlo…It is a village left partly in picturesque ruin on top of a hill, with sea and mountain views. We stayed with an artist in the village and had a 90 m2 room, light-flooded by two huge windows with distant views to the mountains for a really good price. The beehive, cobbled labyrinth-like medieval village is breathing true ancient atmosphere as it is only partially restored and partly in romantic ruin. There are great views all around to the mountains and the sea, the 40 or so resident artists that moved there 40 years ago after the village was destroyed and deserted 100 years ago in a major earthquake (don’t worry, that was a real exception for Italy!) have added great flair to this place. There a few small galleries and shops, a restaurant with elevated sea views ideal for a morning espresso or a hearty Italian meal, all in a really relaxed atmosphere and decidedly Bohemian. A lovely, intimate beach is five minutes away, populated mostly by locals and really looking like a beach in a 50ies movie, with just a few old buildings by the beach, a church on the hill with church bells that add to the cosy feeling of being back in another time. San Remo, really laid back and elegant is also just a few minutes away. Beautiful buildings telling of another time - and strangely composed Italians, that don’t even hoot in the heaviest traffic – add to the feeling of (inexpensive) luxury and relaxation. We got some real Italian design bargains there in the sales! We ventured inland to the most breathtaking mountains and may ancient villages and I must say it turned into one of the best holidays ever. Bussana Veccia is great for courses and will definitely become one of my future venues.
See pictures of the place here: http://www.bussana.com/ and let me know if you are interested in a course there!
EXPANSION OF LOCAL SCHOOL AND STUDENT’S EXHIBITION
People dropped off the waiting lists because spaces rarely become available in my classes so I opened another class. I have now four classes with more than 50 students locally which is quite amazing considering that we are not located directly in London. There are so many people into art that are looking for professional courses, its surprising. The school has become a real alternative for people who can’t study art full-time, graphic artists and others who really always wanted to do art, beginners who don’t want to do just Adult Education courses – or artists that want to pick up some life work again or get fresh input to their work.
Three of my students (Richard Wombell, Nickie Todd and Lynn Warren) are going to have their own exhibition of paintings, drawing and sculptures at the Chequer Mead Art Gallery in East Grinstead, 28th April to 10th May 2006, Private View is on the 28th, 7 to 9 pm. I am VERY proud of them and please, all you locals, come and enjoy their work!!!
ARTIST TUTORS FOR NEW COURSES
I have waiting lists for my local school and a great demand for the holiday courses – and I can’t possibly apply quantum physics to myself yet and be in two places at the same time! So I have looked into the integration of established and experienced artists into my teaching activities. I am pleased that I found some great artists / teachers. William de Wilde has many years of experience as an exhibiting artist and teacher and has taken on my new local class. Jenny and Vaughan will let their students benefit from their teacher-team input during the Sussex summer course. Jenny Windle http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/sussex2006_tutor01.html, Vaughan Windle http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/sussex2006_tutor02.html and William de Wilde http://www.sculpture-painting.co.uk/sussex2006_tutor03.html. I am also talking to a really interesting artist from the US, Mary Massey, www.masseyfineart.com who is an amazingly talented painter in a traditional style but if you ask me, she could paint anything!
MORE INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY COURSES: France
Apart from having found some more exceptional venues for the future, I have started last year to establish a course centre in France, which will be ready for courses next year. It is located in the middle of a forest, the most peaceful and beautiful spot imaginable, on a clearing, surrounded bu pine and oak forests and near a small lake good for swimming. It is only 3 km from a small village with restaurants (and very friendly, helpful people), a couple of shops, a tennis court. Horse riding and large swimming lakes are not far as well as larger, picturesque market towns. Walks and bicycle riding can be done endlessly in the utmost peace, without hordes of tourists anywhere. The location is interesting because it is in a corner of the Lot-et-Garonne, Gascogne, which is only a short distance from the Landes with its massive forests and the Gers in the other direction, with again another completely different landscape and architecture. The Atlantic beaches and Biaritz, the Pyrenees and three airports are literally equidistant 1.5 hours away. I am very much looking forward to working and teaching in this tranquil and serene setting.
“FREEBIE” SAMPLE ARTICLES FROM THE COURSE PACKS
To let you have something to draw on for a long time after giving you the practical foundation on a course, you receive a course pack. The course packs you receive on your courses are very comprehensive and the result of years of writing articles of my own, researching books and integrating my own knowledge and experience as well as anything really useful from other sources. The painting pack consists of 76 articles and illustrations, the drawing pack of 66, the sculpture pack almost 100. They come as hard copy or on CD.
Please find samples at these links:
You can order one of these course packs by replying to this mail or contacting me through my site.
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