I am an artist and teacher, running workshops in various venues around Bristol. My belief is that everyone can learn to draw well and enjoy making art even if they haven’t had a formal art college education. “Making an Artist’s Journal” and “Bad Art Nights” are both designed to help overcome creative blocks and sustain a daily creative practice.
Making an Artist’s Journal
I love painting, but I don’t like drawing. This is quite a common statement among beginning artists who are seduced by colourful paints and sensuous brushes. So, rather than this being an ordinary sketchbook where you can sometimes feel it is a bit of a chore to complete before you get on to the “exciting bit” of painting a huge colourful canvas or watercolour, the artist’s journal becomes a thrilling work of art in its own right which is just as exciting (and sometimes more exciting) than your major works. It is a way of tricking our easily distracted minds into “turning up” at the page every day with new wonder and excitement. As the emphasis is on observation and drawing (this is NOT scrapbooking), you naturally improve as you continue, while all the time focussing on the process of creating rather than the finished product.
For beginners and those who would like to get into the habit of drawing every day.
Bad Art Nights
This course tricks the logical, sensible, controlling side of our brains into going to sleep while the creative and intuitive side begins to flourish. With games and music, collage and painting and model-making, and permission to mess it up, get it wrong and have no expectations about the outcome, we relax and let go, have lots of fun and remember how to play. This has benefits for artists and non-artists alike, so is open to everyone who tries too hard to be perfect.
Check the What’s On page to see what’s coming up in the New Year, or go to my website.