My Painting Practice

Course Description

A class for anyone to develop a creative experience into the act of art making. 

Raymond brings a lifetimes’ creative practice in virtually all painting and visual art forms to the classroom. Under his guidance, you will investigate different methods using paints, brushes, palette knives and colour mixing options. You’ll discover your own potential in art practice by referencing the success of established artists to expand an understanding of art and artists important in art making practices in Hobart. 

We use every available mark making material, particularly the popular use of acrylic paint, and also oils or other paint materials like pastels, watercolours, ink or charcoals - including acrylic or oil based mediums used to extend and improve these valuable materials.

The course is a 4 week (term one) or 10 week (term two), 2 hour per week session conducted in the Art Room @ Kickstart Arts in New Town. You’ll look at images of a traditional subject chosen by Raymond to demonstrate how the artist accomplished a successful painting and to mimic and learn technique and process - most often a landscape, a figure or portrait, still life study and also wildlife.

The level of expertise is tailored for everyone from beginner to an experienced creative practitioner, because in the company of others all our skills will naturally improve, giving a better understanding of our innate creativity we engage within a wider expressive world.

About Your Tutor

Hi 

I’m a practitioner of decades of art making working in most art making vehicles but with painting as my personal, primary artistic activity. 

Today  I’m describing a class where I’ve arranged the tables and set up an easel with my A3 size paper or canvas on the easel in the classroom at Kickstart where I lay out my paints where I too stand alongside the easel ready to discuss in turn each of two images I’ve brought to the class. 

Most often these are photocopies of notable artworks from art history executed by interesting artists from historical periods but who are just as often contemporary painters, both local and internationally. Sometimes I include myself.

Mostly I select one landscape and one figurative image. Most students gravitate to the landscapes but not always.

If a student wants to bring their own ideas into class I welcome it.

Some want to paint seascapes, others want to paint mountains. Especially I love it when they want to paint animals because I’m pretty good at wildlife, I think!

I give a quick discourse on the history of the images and the artist, the context and how the work might apply to the class and to current art trends. 

I emphasise creativity by identifying pigments, mediums, ideas and images within the essential discipline of painting but ultimately the students want a convincing technique. 

Two hours is not a long time so I demonstrate how I go about the task and verbalise my own approach, but often they’re already too busy. Time is short and for instance in my demonstration I don’t fuss about careful draughting. That could be a whole other drawing class as taught at Kickstart previously.

I demonstrate sketching the image with my loaded brush onto whichever surface, canvas, cardboard or paper and proceed to fill in the shapes I’ve pointed out as essential to the structure of whichever of the options offered and which the student has selected, and away we go.

From this point I visit each student individually to prompt or suggest thoughts and ideas.

As a human activity painting is a meaningful expression which coupled with discipline ought to have a process and good manners for students to express themselves with an image of their own, and which is achieved by the end of each session, or otherwise finished off later at home. 

There are no prejudices, mostly I instruct in acrylics but oils are integral to the conversation. Students can work on A2 size butcher’s paper or canvas, there is plenty of room in the classroom space at Kickstart to accommodate many options, working on the floor or on an easel, though my experience is with students of senior age who prefer table easels I’d like to encourage young people who might be more experimental and could do with some lateral thinking with alternative mediums and materials.

The system works.

Raymond

What to bring to the first class

• Apron, old shirt or painting clothes
• including tubes of paint of the three primary colours, red, blue and yellow (ideally this would be six tubes, one each of warm red plus cool red, warm blue plus cool blue, warm yellow plus cool yellow, and also a tube each of white and of black) in acrylic paint, or whichever you prefer of oil paints, watercolours paints, gouache, pastels and or charcoal.
• any single black pencil from 2B up toward toward heavier grades.
• a ruler and an eraser
• two to four art brushes of sizes from 2 to 8, bristle brushes will be best.
• a palette (a board or a slab) to mix colours on 
• a palette knife 
• a water container for water as a medium and for cleanup.
• a fresh surface to paint on, heavy grade paper or canvas board, A4 size or A3.
• a cleaning rag and/or paper towels

*Minimum 5 participants, Maximum 10 participants 

Important Information

Classes may be cancelled if minimum (5) participation is not reached. 

Adults only class, no children to attend.

Disability/Special Needs

Carers supporting participation can attend our classes free of charge. If you have special needs please contact Kickstart Arts so that we can make the necessary arrangements to support your participation in the class.

Refund Policy

Refunds available until 7 days before course commences. No refunds for missed classes except in extenuating circumstances. A full refund will be issued if classes are cancelled.