10.00am to 4.30pm

£120 Lunch included
Material Charges:  Please see materials list 

Contemporary Landscapes Painting in Oils ~  with Hester Berry

Hester's work and her stunning interpretation of landscapes is widely admired  - we're thrilled that she will be travelling up from her Devon studio in October 2023, to take this creative and inspiring workshop. Students will be looking at tonal values, colours and marks to create mood and atmosphere in your work.  As well as giving a full demonstration, Hester will encourage you to develop any ideas you may have for your own oil (or acrylics if you prefer)  landscape project. The course is suitable for all abilities.

Hester will vary the subjects for each of her teaching days, meaing those who wish can attend both workshop days.

"I really find Hester Berry’s painting quite mystifying. She creates stunning landscapes that capture a moment in time beautifully. Standing slightly back from her paintings you feel like you are in the landscape – you can feel the warmth of the sun, movement of the clouds, the stirring of the leaves. Take a step closer though and the painting is ‘just’ a small number of beautifully executed brushstrokes".  "Being able to deconstruct a landscape, distil it down and then reassemble on the canvas with seemingly effortless style is artistic alchemy my brain struggles to comprehend!"  (quote from Phoenix Studio - Towersley) 

Dates for this course - see the table below to book:

 Wed 28th May 2025  or  Thursday 29th May 2025   Hester will demo two different ppainting to accommodate those wishing to attend both days.

Please bring:  Your own prepared board as below ** A couple of your own photos of landscapes to work from, preferably on a phone or ipad, (and make sure you bring a charger!)  but prints are OK too.  Hester willl have some spare images if you get stuck. Don't forget to bring an old shirt / apron to protect your clothes and the materials you would like to use. For reference, here are some suggestions from Hester:

Oil paints: French ultramarine, burnt sienna, titanium white, a warm yellow (cadmium deep hue, but if not, any yellow), yellow ochre, Prussian/cobalt/pthalo blue, viridian, sap green /terra verte, a red (quinacridone magenta). Any additional colours would be useful, but these are pretty essential. Windsor and Newton is good and reliable.

Turps/Zest-it, linseed/poppy oil: Zest-it is good – it’s a dilutant and brush cleaner. She suggests poppyseed oil, but linseed is good too.

Palettes: Hester just uses a cupboard door, any scrap of smooth wood, or perspex or glass, or a plate.

Primed boards or canvas: Jackson's primed boards , or alternatively Ampersand smooth primed artists panel is a reliable brand. Size-wise, go with what you are comfortable with but if you’re not sure, 9 X 12″ up to 18 x 24″.   Please see BELOW** for what to do with these primed boards a week before the class.

Brushes and palette knives: A range of brushes, including some flat ones. Hester use a 3/4 inch chisel brush.

 About the Artist Hester’s practice is rooted in traditional representation and methods, but she constantly challenges her understanding of ‘painting’ and explores her technique to capture the intricacies of the landscape.  She studied at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth and went on to do a Masters in Wimbledon. In recent years she has returned to her native Devon where she lives and works whilst raising her family.

 **Please prepare your primed painting surface with a ground. This ground should be applied at least a couple of days before the course so that it is dry. It consists of a thin coat of brown oil paint (we suggest a mixture of Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine, or aim for a warm soily/sandy colour), thinned with Zest-it or turpentine. It doesn’t need to be neat, just to cover the naked white of the primer. ".