This course is designed to introduce and explore concepts of space, rhythm, composition and the possibilities of semi-abstraction and narrative from a starting point of the landscape and interior, which for centuries has been a major subject in fine art, from Corot to Cezanne, Matisse and in contemporary art. The term will begin with a short study of landscape and interior within the history of art, contextualising the themes we will explore and leading up to making a transcription of a landscape/interior.

The course will then move onto working directly from the interior of the main studio, incorporating interesting objects and fabrics from our collection; and, when possible, from local landscapes. The aim is to make drawings that are stand-alone, but will also serve to gather information with which to work from imaginatively and creatively on new pieces of work away from the subject. We will then return to the landscape/interior again for a couple of weeks and finish the course by making a large scale composition in oil and/or acrylics on canvas over several weeks. For this, students will utilise all previous work they have made, including their transcriptions, and perhaps also other sources such as photographs or further works from the history of art.

Colour theory is central and students attending this class are encouraged to respond in an experimental and imaginative way. Teaching is almost exclusively one-to-one and caters for all levels, with the aim for participants to develop a sensitive and personal response to each task set.

When working in the landscape (weather permitting) students will travel independently to a pre-arranged meeting point (which will always be near-by and entail no excessive walking, for example, Greenwich Park).