COOMBE FARM STUDIOS
INTRODUCTION
Coombe Farm Studios is a residential art centre in the South West of England, with direct routes from London Paddington (our train nearest station is Totnes). Established for over 30 years, Coombe is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a large bright and airy painting studio, a pottery, a print workshop, courtyard & gardens. All our tutors are professional artists making a living from their art. They have a passion for sharing their knowledge and skills through tutorials and demonstrations, providing a relaxed and non-competitive atmosphere. With great food, fantastic company & talented artists to work alongside, Coombe is an ideal creative break. We run courses in painting (watercolour, oils or acrylic), ceramics (Stoneware & Raku) and printmaking. Each course is run for a long weekend (Thurs-Sunday) or a week (Sunday-Friday). All our courses, unless expressly marked, are very suitable for all abilities from beginners to more experienced students. Our lead tutor is internationally renowned watercolourist and author Paul Riley, Coombe is also Paul’s home with his wife Tina and together they opened Coombe Farm Studios in 1983. Other regular tutors include Bettina Schroeder (watercolours) Gerry Dudgeon (acrylics & mixed media) Laurel Keeley (ceramics) Tim Andrews (Raku ceramics) Kate Marshall (printmaking) and Laurie Steen RWA (drawing).
STUDIOS & DAILY STRUCTURE Our light and airy painting studio is well equipped with easels, boards and watercolour pans. The painting courses are held in the studio, or, if the weather is fine, on location in the stunning Devon countryside (by the beautiful river Dart, on Dartmoor National Park, in private gardens or out on the coast). Each course has a specific materials list, which each student is asked to bring with them, these details are listed alongside each course. For watercolour painters we have Saunders Waterford paper stocked in the studio which you can buy at ÂŁ5.00 a sheet if you would rather not carry it with you. Likewise you can borrow small lightweight stools, easels, watercolour pans, pots etc.
Residents arrive for each course between 5-7pm the afternoon/ evening before the course begins i.e. Sunday 5-7pm for our 5 day courses and Thursday 5-7pm for the long weekends. Each tutor works slightly differently, however a general daily schedule runs as follows: 8.30am Breakfast 9.30am Course starts in the studio with your tutor or we drive driving out to locations when the weather suitable. 1.00pm Lunch is served each day either at Coombe or a packed lunch is brought to you on location. 2.00-4.00pm Many of our tutors take a break (the exception being Bettina who stays with the group throughout the day) students can also take a break or continue to work in the studio. 4.00-6.00pm The tutor will then re-join the group to give demonstrations, support and critique. Visits to the local pub at 6.30 are offered & dinner is served each evening at 8.00pm. To book a course complete enclosed form/call 01803 722 352/ e. lara@coombefarmstudios.com www.coombefarmstudios.com
ACCOMMODATION We have on site accommodation, which provides a wonderful residential atmosphere for all the courses. The accommodation has single, double and twin bedded rooms. Participants are not required to share rooms unless they wish to do so. However, bathroom facilities are shared with 2 showers 2 baths and 4 toilets, which are shared between a maximum of 12 people. When courses are full the bathrooms and toilets are normally busy on the first morning. However, routines soon establish with facilities proving ample for everyone. All bed linen, towels and dressing gowns are provided.
“I was apprehensive about sharing the bathroom facilities, but once I arrived a realised it was just like staying at a friends house!� Lynn The living room has an open fire, plenty of art books, magazines, wireless internet access, TV & DVD and a long dining table for meal times. The shared bathrooms are situated on the same floor as the bedrooms within short distance from each bedroom. Food is an important part of life at Coombe with many vegetables grown in our vegetable garden and fresh eggs laid by the chickens. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and tea & coffee throughout the course are all provided within the residential course fee.
TIMETABLE FEB
18-23rd
Drawing/painting/printmaking
5 days
Kate Marshall
MARCH APRIL
25-30th
The Watercolour Workshop
5 days
Paul Riley
15-20th Powerful Pastels 4 days Sarah Bee 22-27th Yoga/Drawing/Ceramics 5 days Lauren/Laurie/Laurel
MAY 3-6th Oil Painting 3 days Paul Riley 13-18th Raku Pottery - SOLD OUT 5 days Tim Andrews 20-25th The Nature of drawing 5 days Laurie Steen JUNE 3-8th Pen, Ink & Watercolour Flowers 5 days Paul Riley 10-15th Thrown & handbuilt (ceramics) SOLD OUT 5 days Laurel Keeley 11-22nd Powerful Pastels 4 days Sarah Bee JULY AUG
1-6th 8-13th 15-20th
Painting & Drawing for BEGINNERS Unlocking creativity (acrylics) Watercolour Waterscapes by the Dart
5 days 5 days 5 days
Francine & Susi Gerry Dudgeon Paul Riley
29 July-3rd 5-10th 12-17th
Abstract Landscapes (Watercolour) Unlocking creativity (acrylics) Watercolours with Bettina Schroeder
5 days 5 days 6 days
Paul Riley Gerry Dudgeon Bettina Schroeder
SEPT
9-14th 23-28th
Watercolours with Bettina Schroeder 6 days The Magic of Watercolour Flower Painting 5 days
Bettina Schroeder Paul Riley
OCT
11-14th 21st-26th
Unlocking Creativity Mixed media - Release your imagination
Gerry Dudgeon Paul Riley
3 days 5 days
NOV 1-4th Pottery 3 days Laurel Keeley 8-11th Drawing & discussing the process in us 3 days Laurie Steen 15-18th Ceramics for the Garden SOLD OUT 3 days Laurel Keeley
NB if courses you’d like to attend are SOLD OUT please do contact us to join the waiting list and to receive information about future course dates.
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ONLINE, Click on the course title in the following pages and it will take you to our online booking or BY PHONE 01803 722 352 BY POST Use the form enclosed.
PRICES & TERMS 2018 DAYS ACCOMMODATION DETAILS PRICE 6 days Residential Tuition, accommodation, meals £670 6 days Non residential Tuition and lunch £510 5 days Residential Tuition, accommodation, meals £640 5 days Non residential Tuition and lunch £495 5 days Non-Participants Dinner B&B £395 * NB please note that the Yoga/Drawing/Ceramics 5 day course is £720 fully residential 4 days Residential Tuition, accommodation, meals £523 4 days Non residential Tuition and lunch £408 4 days Non-Participants Dinner B&B £331 3 days Residential Tuition & all meals £445 3 days Non Resident Tuition, lunch £335 3 days Non-Participants Dinner B&B £270 PAYMENTS A non refundable deposit of £100 is required with your booking and the non refundable balance of course fees are due 3 weeks prior to the date your course starts. CANCELLATIONS We do not refund course places, in the event that you need to cancel your course for any reason we offer to transfer you to another course within 12 months. In the event that isn’t an option for you we strongly recommend that you take out adequate travel insurnace.
We reserve the right to cancel courses if they are under-subscribed. However, because courses are kept small this happens infrequently and if this occurred we would of course refund all monies paid or offer you a transfer onto another course, whichever you prefer.
All our courses, unless expressly marked, are suitable for all abilities from beginners to more advanced participants.
BOOK YOUR COURSE
ONLINE, Click on the course title and it will take you to our online booking BY PHONE 01803 722 352 BY POST Use the form at the end of this brochure
COURSE INFORMATION PAUL RILEY Paul Riley has written four best-selling instructional books on watercolour painting, including several foreign language editions. His fourth book was published in 2015 titled The Magic of Watercolour Flowers. He has also written numerous articles for the Artist magazine and other titles. His images are reproduced as cards and posters Worldwide. As a practising professional painter Paul continues to exhibit widely in the UK and in Europe, Kuwait and the U.S. In addition to his teaching at Coombe, Paul also takes groups of students abroad, previous locations have included the Czech Republic (Prague & S Bohemia) Venice, Bali, Zanzibar & Croatia. His watercolour style is characterised by freedom of expression, colour and vitality, complemented by a deep understanding of draftsmanship and form. Paul is also accomplished in painting in oils, which he has a great passion for, in addition Paul is a competent potter, printmaker and sculptor. As our lead tutor Paul teaches approximately 30% of courses year-round.
MATERIALS LIST - WHAT TO BRING FOR PAUL’S COURSES There are specific materials lists for Paul’s oil painting & printmaking courses - see course details for those lists. The information below is the materials list required for all Paul’s watercolour courses. Essential course watercolour paints in tubes or pan - Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour 8ml tubes Cadmium Red, Permanent Rose, Cadmium Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Ulatramarine, Intense Blue, Purple Lake, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber. Essential brushes: Winsor & Newton Cotman Brush SER 333 Rigger SH No 3 , Winsor & Newton Artist Sable Brush Round No 3 , Winsor & Newton Artist Sable Brush Round No 5 Winsor & Newton Artist Sable Brush Round No 6 , Pro Arte : Connoisseur Flat Red Sable / Prolene Watercolour Brush Series 99 Size 1/2in Optional extras: Winsor & Newton Artists Watercolour 5ml Perylene Green, Opera Rose, Naples Yellow, Isabey Brush : Kazan Squirrel Quill Mop Series: 6234 Size 2/0 Other items: Natural Sponge 1 inch, W&N Watercolour medium 75ml colourless art masking fluid Low Tack Paper Masking Tape 1,5 inch, Kitchen Roll, Small lightweight stool if you have one (we have spare stools at Coombe if you need to borrow one), Sketchbook for notes and a 2B pencil & sharpener.
COURSE INFORMATION Painting/Drawing/Printmaking - Using Natural & Found Pigments Tutor: Kate Marshall Feb 18-23rd 2018 We are thrilled to announce this new combined drawing/painting/printmaking course using natural pigments led by Kate Marshall – an inspiring course to kick-start your year. If you want to get back into being creative, or if you are new to drawing/painting/printmaking, its a fantastic hands-on approach and if you are a more established artist, it’s a great chance to experiment with natural pigments & materials.
Gathering your own and using some of Kate’s collection of materials, you will explore ways to make art out of the physical world around you. Learn how to mix and bind pigments to make inks and paints. Experiment with alternative ways of mark making and printmaking. Finding oak galls and brewing oak gall ink (used to write the Magna Carter and Beethoven’s scores!). Making mud monoprinting ink and printing ink for relief and intaglio printmaking from soil, stones and charcoal. Making tempera paint form stones and soils. Collecting tools to make interesting marks; sticks, leaves, wool, feathers, hair and seaweed. It will be a week of exploring and experimenting, you might even use a tractor as a printing press (farmer availability reliant!).
You will draw from life including the things we collect, sketching outdoors if the weather is warm or working direct with the objects back in the studio if not.You are also weWlcome to abstract ideas or create imaginative responses or text based work from the materials and locations. Kate studied at Falmouth School of Art, gaining a distinction in MA Fine Art as Contemporary Practice, and a BA at Goldsmiths College, London. As an artist she exhibits regularly and teaches at Coombe, Plymouth College of Arts & the St Ives School of Painting.
The Watercolour Workshop Tutor: Paul Riley March 25-30th 2018 This great all-rounder course “The Watercolour Workshop” will help enable you to create vibrant, colourful watercolour paintings by working on a series of different techniques, taught and demonstrated throughout the week.
This is a great five day workshop because it deals with all the key issues of watercolour painting from tools and techniques. Which brushes are great for capturing different effects? How can I effectively using masking fluid? How can I mixing eye-catching colour with it getting ‘muddy’? How can I create light and mood. If you are an experienced watercolourist and want to advance your painting, this workshop can help you to develop a range of new techniques. If you are a beginner, you will be introduced to key issues & terminology and have the opportunity to try a range of subject areas, so you can start to determine what you enjoy. During the Watercolour Workshop week you’ll be painting flowers, still life and capturing the stunning Devon landscape. It’s effectively the course equivalent of Paul’s best-selling book ‘The Watercolour Workshop’ so each day a day a different subject matter will be explored, with specialist techniques and approaches experimented in each.
Paul will demonstrate extensively throughout the week, time will also be given to experimenting with your own work and for critical feedback if desired.
COURSE INFORMATION Powerful Pastels - a mixed media approach Tutor: Sarah Bee 15-20th April 2018 & 17-20th June 2018 *NB note these courses end after breakfast on 20th & 20th During this course Sarah will take students through her approach to mixed media and producing strong vibrant pastels. As with all Coombe courses Sarah has a hands-on approach so she will demonstrate throughout the week and there will be an emphasis on individual tuition. The group will paint in the studio after making sketches of the local landscape, do also bring any of your own existing sketchbooks if you have them to use as additional source material. Sarah Bee moved from working as a graphic designer into makeup and body painting for the film, photography and advertising industries. Later she studied watercolour at The Heatherley School of Fine Art in London and began to develop her individual style after she was introduced to pastels whilst painting with the Blockley Group. Whilst her methods and techniques are constantly evolving, Sarah’s work is always inspired by, and an interpretation of, colour, texture and light. Working on mount board Sarah builds layers of Gesso, acrylic paint and chalk pastel to achieve a lively and textured image of the landscape. A member of the Pastel Society, Sarah exhibits regularly at the Mall Galleries, London and has received several awards including the Caran d’ Ache award in 2014. She has completed corporate commissions and has her work in private collections in the UK and in Europe.
The Art of Attention - Drawing, Ceramics & Yoga Tutors: Laurie Steen, Laurel Keeley & Lauren Hill 22nd-27th April 2018 We are pleased to be launching a new course at Coombe, combining three of our loves: pottery, drawing and yoga. This special week will make space for the three practices, which in turn will guide and inform one another. Led by tutors who are experts in their fields, Laurel, Laurie and Lauren have a wealth of experience. They have also had a long relationship with Coombe, where they have run seperate courses, developing a passion for each other’s work, and a desire to spend more time doing it. So it came to pass, after lots of conversations, that we decided to design a course working together, and sharing with others.
Each day will begin with a pre-breakfast yoga practice to awaken and illuminate. After breakfast the morning will be spent exploring drawing mediums and mark-making. Using the power of play, the drawing workshops will focus on finding and nurturing each persons own unique line and intuition. After a delicious wholesome lunch, the exploration in clay will begin, grounding into the elemental material (making forms either on the wheel or by hand) working your drawing experiments into the clay with slips and a variety of techniques, each working to your own project. The day will close before dinner with a second yoga practice of stillness, space, and spring rhythms. The final day, Friday, is a shorter day, ending after lunch, it will include a morning yoga practice as well as time to complete your work in the pottery and the drawing studio.
COURSE INFORMATION Oil Painting Tutor: Paul Riley May 3-6th 2018 A lovely weekend course to get to enjoy oil painting tutored by Paul Riley. The course is perfect for anyone that would like to advance in their oil painting techniques and for beginners in oils. As with Paul’s watercolour courses guidance and demonstrations will be given in colour, composition and the techniques of brushwork, including in this course, impasto. Paul will be demonstrating his expressive oil painting style throughout including finishing techniques (glazing) with time given to experimenting with your own work and for critical feedback if desired. Subject matter will include flowers, still life and landscape (weather permitting).
“I learned so much & came away feeling relaxed, rested, inspired and extremely well-fed and cared for. You have created a small paradise in that beautiful valley and I feel very privileged to have been able to share it with you” Bethany.
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ONLINE, Click on the course title and it will take you to our online booking BY PHONE 01803 722 352 BY POST Use the form at the end of this brochure
Raku Pottery Tutor: Tim Andrews - SOLD OUT May 13-18th 2018 Tim is known internationally for his distinctive raku ceramics. He makes individual work -black and white with linear decoration or burnished muted coloured slips. The pieces are usually thrown, although some work is hand-built. During this exciting course, for the first two days we will concentrate on clay work, making finishing, burnishing using porcelain slip and terra sigillata. The second half of the ceramics course will concentrate on glazing, decorating and firing techniques with particular emphasis on using the resist slip method (often known as naked raku). Some of the processes we will be using are relatively slow: applying and burnishing slips for example – and especially the ‘naked raku’ which requires more glazing time. Obviously therefore it is difficult in the time available to raku all the pieces made on the course. To avoid the focus of the course being rushing to get work dry and through the kilns, Tim will bring a selection of bisque pieces for you to experiment on. Anyone attending the course is also encouraged to bring their own bisque-fired pieces. If possible, please bring a selection with you to glaze and fire.
We will raku as many pieces as we can in the time available, with the aim of everyone completing the week with at least a few completed pots each! Tim Andrews’ works have been exhibited in many group and solo exhibitions throughout the UK and abroad, including: Japan, China, India, USA. The Netherlands. France. Italy Germany. Belgium and Sweden. Works are in many public and private collections including: Stoke on Trent and Liverpool Museums. Ashmolean Museum. St John’s College, Oxford. Donna Karan, New York. Lord Chancellor Lord Irving. Imerys. The Royal Bank of Scotland (2006). Abromavich Collection. Coutts Bank. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. He is the recipient of several awards and has been featured in many books and publications on ceramics, he is the author of two books on ‘Raku’, the second published in 2005 by A&C Black. Tim also writes occasional reviews and articles for Ceramic Art and Perception and Ceramic Review and regularly curates exhibitions. He is a Fellow of the Craft Potters Association (CPA), a Member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen and Honorary President of the West Country Potters Association.
COURSE INFORMATION Drawing - Ignite Your Intuition Tutor: Laurie Steen May 21-25th 2018 Let your drawing medium guide your creativity…our objective for the week will be to draw without inhibition; with conviction, and to push the boundaries of our own practice; leaving the course with an idea of how to begin. By using the power of play, we will focus on finding and nurturing each persons own unique line and mark making ability.Through discussion, testing and play, with a variety of drawing mediums (ink, charcoal, graphite..) and surfaces, and using both wet and dry drawing techniques, we will experiment. By working to find the most naturally suited drawing medium for you, and by fully exploring drawing mediums that inspire each of us, you will be better able to explore context and scale in your work.
In order to fully understand the the basic skills of drawing, we will look at our awareness of drawing through the senses. We can begin this by learning the The perceptual skills of drawing; including the Perception of Edges, Space, Relationships, Light, & Shadow and the Whole of any given subject. In order to have a more intuitive understanding and insight into our physiological processes, we will better be able to acknowledge and interpret external stimulus and respond to the mediums we use. Much of the inspiration for this will come from our natural environment and discussing positive and negative shapes within our work, and by looking to landscape and sharing ideas on how we would respond to specific subjects and forms in nature as we come across them. By working through a series of excises such as movement and shadow drawing, emotive sketching, blind drawing and experimental mark making within nature; taking risks in your drawing practice, becomes easier. All of this ultimately helps to formulate a plan of approach in ones own practice. How to work through your intent, goals, discovery, concepts, development and ultimately the implementation of our your work! All artists are urged to bring a few pieces of work as well as any favorite drawing implements, mediums and tools for discussion, contemplation and work,; as there will be informal individual critiques throughout the course. There will also be an opportunity to explore a range of drawing mediums in the studio. “I have been drawing shadows of trees in my garden since I was a teenager. I think this was perhaps the beginning of my need to make. Looking back it was about capturing the fleeting nature of trees, positive and negative spaces and forms in the landscape.”
After studying fine arts at the University of Calgary, Laurie graduated with an Honors BID and thesis prize from the University of Manitoba, in the Faculty of Architecture in 1993, where she also taught sketch camps and drawing classes. A complement to the fact that she has been drawing throughout her life and that drawing remains the genesis of her work today. Laurie has also been involved in leading specialised adult drawing workshops with organisations like Dartmoor Arts and has also recently helped to found and run with a partner, an Art and Forest School for children during school breaks.
Laurie has been a part of many solo and group exhibitions in Canada, Switzerland, and England including collaborating on interdisciplinary, performance and design based projects. During the past year Laurie has shown at the Royal West of England Academy, the London AAF, the Mall Galleries, Badcocks Gallery, and CCANW, as well as being a part of the Dartmoor Arts Summer School. During this course Laurie will work with students during the week to look at different drawing methods, materials to draw on, ways to layer and capture the natural landscape, and all the glorious details within it. MATERIALS LIST – WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU Art materials: Please bring with you a selection of any and all drawings mediums as this course encourages experimenting and using multi mediums. These should at least include the following: • A woodless pencil, 8b, or 9b, • A selection of graphite pencils, • 1 or 2 kneadable Erasers (I find that Cretacolor are the best) • Sanding board is useful or sandpaper • Thin sticks of willow charcoal, (we will also have these at the studio) • Conte (black, white and any colour) • Chunky black charcoal (Cretacolor at Great art) and/or condensed charcoal • Any wet drawing tools including, favourite water soluble brushes. • Wirobound Sketchbook for multi media, preferably A4, in thick grade paper or watercolour paper. (approx. min. 200gm.+) see www.artway.co.uk/a3-wiro-xl-mixed-media-pads or www.jacksonsart.com • Paper Pad or Wirobound Sketchbook for dry media, preferably size A3 or A2 in a good quality and smooth grade paper • Some larger sheets of misc. good quality paper i.e. a smooth printmaking paper or heavyweight drawing paper with absorbs charcoal beautiful see www.atlantisart.co.uk/cat.html for a broad selection of smooth cartridge papers. Also good value are www.two-rivers-paper-at-frogmore.co.uk/our-products
COURSE INFORMATION Pen, Ink & Watercolour Flowers in Gardens Tutor: Paul Riley 3-8th June 2018 Flowers provide a great opportunity to explore a range of drawing and painting techniques. The variations in form and colour are endlessly fascinating and this course will provide you with the opportunity to explore drawing techniques in pen and wash as well as watercolour painting. Paul Riley, who leads this course, is well known for his love of flowers and his ability to capture them in fresh, clean and vibrant colour. During this course he will share his skills and techniques with you through demonstrations and feedback and you will have the opportunity to build your confidence painting outside within the sanctuary of a range of stunning private gardens.
Explore the myriad shapes and colours presented by nature both in the garden and through studio arrangements. From unusual perspectives, to mixing eye-catching colours, from creating light and mood to using abstraction and pattern, there are plenty of exciting ideas for being more adventurous.
There will be many demonstrations to indicate the use of appropriate brushes, pens, inks and how to deal with differing leaf shapes, wild-flowers, petal variations and composition. In addition to sharing a wealth of techniques Paul will also introduce you to some stunning local gardens (weather permitting!), painting in and around Coombe and in the studio.
Ceramics Thrown & Handbuilt SOLD OUT Tutor: Laurel Keeley 10-15th June 2018 This week-long course with established potter Laurel Keeley focuses on throwing and handbuilding, what you make is decided by each individual student with guidance from Laurel so it’s a great course for everyone from beginners to professionals.
Laurel is an internationally recognised ceramicist who works with coloured slips and drawn line in Stoneware and porcelain clays, with glazes and oxides applied, often enhanced with Gold Lustre.
Laurel graduated with BA Hons in English and American Arts and an MA in Commonwealth Literature. She studied ceramics at Exeter College of Art and Design and has been working as a potter for 30 years, selling work throughout the UK in selected galleries and exhibitions. Laurel has received two Arts Council England Major Awards for her work and is a member of The Devon Guild of Craftsmen. Her ceramic pieces are owned worldwide. This is a unique opportunity to work alongside and interact with Laurel through her work.
COURSE INFORMATION Painting & Drawing for Beginners Tutor: Francine Lawrence & Susi Hoyle 1-6th July 2018 This inspiring and enjoyable painting & drawing course for beginners is for people who have always wanted to draw and paint but just don’t know where to start. If you are familiar with the ‘fear of the blank page’ and that feeling that ‘I can’t draw’ this course is perfect for you.
Working in the well equipped art studio at Coombe you will work alongside other beginners, starting with pencil and charcoal, learning how to ‘see’ and draw simple objects, before venturing into colour with watercolour paints and watersoluble pencils. Each day there will be time devoted to show you to keep a lively sketchbook or ‘journal’. It can be daunting for beginners to work outside in the landscape so we’ll also take advantage of the glorious Devon countryside to expand the skills learned in the studio to sketch outside, in the lanes or by the River Dart, building your confidence as we go. Along the way we’ll collect items and show how to include leaves, feathers and ephemera into your sketching journal. By the end of the week everyone will have several black and white drawings, some colour sketches, a sketchbook journal- and increased confidence to continue drawing and painting.
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Francine Lawrence trained as a graphic designer and photographer and was the launch art director and later editor of Country Living magazine. She loves the countryside and never goes anywhere without her sketchbook – making watercolour sketches of food is one of her passions (sometimes to the annoyance of her husband who often has to wait for her to draw his lunch before he can eat it).
Susi Hoyle also studied graphic design and became a stylist for Roger Philips the well-known photographer and botanist. She then took her skills to Australia where she worked as production designer on feature films and travelled extensively in South East Asia. She spent several years in SriLanka where she developed her unique colourful style of artwork.
MATERIALS LIST - WHAT TO BRING Bring your sketchbook or buy one from us and it’ll be in your room on arrival.
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ONLINE, Click on the course title and it will take you to our online booking BY PHONE 01803 722 352 BY POST Use the form at the end of this brochure
COURSE INFORMATION Unlock your Creativity - Acrylics & Mixed Media Tutor: Gerry Dudgeon - July 8-13th 2018 - 5-10th August 2018 - October 11-14th 2018 Back by popular demand Gerry Dudgeon will be returning in 2018. Gerry’s courses are designed for students who are seeking ways to unlock their own creativity. Gerry works intuitively, albeit with references to the observed world. This way of working, which will be encouraged during the course, enables students to free up their self-expression and lose their inhibitions. This is a particularly useful course for people who feel that they want to find a new direction for their work or for those who have not painted for a while.
Gerry Dudgeon was born in India in 1952, where his father was a tea planter. Resettling in England in 1953, Gerry studied Modern Languages at Emmanuel College, Cambridge from (1970-74) following which he worked for the Museum of London as an archaeologist, developing an interest in uncovering the past by excavating layers of human occupation. Gerry went on to study Fine Art (Painting) at Camberwell School of Art from 1975-79, graduating with a First Class B.A. Hons degree, and continued his studies in painting as a postgraduate on the M.F.A course at Reading University from 1979-81, which he chose because it was run by Terry Frost and Adrian Heath. On graduating in 1981, he was awarded a Boise Travelling Scholarship from the Slade School of Art, and chose to visit New York to pursue his interest in contemporary American painting. On his return, he worked as an artist in London before moving to West Dorset in 1987.
Gerry has taught throughout his professional painting career and we are delighted to offer three courses with him annually. An admirer of the St Ives painters Peter Lanyon and Roger Hilton, Ivon Hitchens, the Scottish colourists, and 18th century Indian miniatures. Dudgeon’s experience of working on archaeological excavations manifests itself both in the scraping and wiping back of the paint surface to reveal underlying layers and in his fascination with Dorset’s ancient geological past. He draws parallels between Jurassic fossil forms and the shapes of the hills, and he enjoys finding rhyming shapes in man-made tracks, hedgerows, field systems and hill forts observed while walking high up along footpaths, often with a distant view of the sea. He likes to combine a scrutiny of close-up forms with a feeling for deep space in these acrylic on canvas paintings.
MATERIALS LIST - WHAT TO BRING Please bring paints in your preferred painting medium (e.g. acrylic, oil, watercolour, tempera or gouache). You may bring more than one medium if you like (e.g. oil paints and acrylic paints). - Bristle brushes in various sizes for acrylic and oil - Soft brushes for watercolour, gouache or tempera - Painting supports (prepared canvases, boards or large sheets of paper) - Graphic tools for drawing into the paint surface i.e. 2 or more of the following items; Oil pastels, oil bars, soft pastels, charcoal (medium size sticks) & coloured pencils - A selection of tools to make marks other than brushmarks i.e. 2 or more of the following items; Painting knives, chisels/screwdrivers, combs (homemade combs can be useful, cut out of hardboard or tin sheet, sandpaper & a small paint roller - Drawing materials for preparatory work including an A5 sketchbook, Graphite sticks (preferably soft - 9B grade) pencils of various grades, a Berol water soluble sketching pen or similar, eraser & a craft knife - Other miscellaneous items required are a sponge, cloth, cotton rags, kitchen roll, masking tape and a small lightweight stool
Waterscapes by the Dart - from Stream to Sea Tutor: Paul Riley 15-20th July 2018 This unique course makes the most of the stunning local landscape and allows participants to explore the tricky nature of water, capturing it in numerous states, exploring it’s reflective nature and it’s focal point in the landscape.
“It seems that watercolour painting was almost invented for waterscapes. Many of the peculiarities of water can be best expressed by it. Ripples, waves, scattered light and reflections are easily rendered. Like all aspects of watercolour painting the secret lies in sequences - what to do first” Paul Riley Paul adores painting waterscapes and the accompanying skyscapes that go hand-in-hand. Attention is also given to the rendering of boats and their elusive perspective. This course offers a great opportunity for you to get to grips with both as well as the chance to explore the stunning River Dart. This unique course follows the water each day starting with the stream flowing through Coombe Farm then on to the nearby creek, the village of Dittisham, the mouth of the Dart at Dartmouth and culminating at the sea at nearby Blackpool sands.
COURSE INFORMATION Abstracting the Landscape Tutor: Paul Riley 29st July - 3th August 2018 “The most joyous thing about watercolour painting is its transparency and translucency – watercolour paint works by allowing light to pass through the particles of pigment, the colour reflecting from the white of the paper.The paper in fact should become your white paint, which is where your negative painting comes in and the magic begins!” This course is designed to explore the process of abstracting from the figurative world of nature and to careful editing and composition to leave space for your watercolours to ‘breathe’.
The landscape tradition in watercolour has been long established. The methods and techniques are familiar to beginners and advanced alike. This course proposes a refreshing new way of tackling the much loved English and even International landscape. An exciting and adventurous new method of looking involves abstraction. To abstract needs a form of distillation a paring down to essentials whilst giving free range to individual expression. Many aspects of the process will be explored from the geometric to the passionate. Each individual will have the opportunity to discover their own interests from the simple to the complex relating to the environment in a new way that will excite beginners and provoke the advanced. Although there is an existing tradition in abstract painting it is not hidebound. Each individual has the opportunity to be themselves all be it as rebels. Paul has been experimenting with ideas for a long time he will demonstrate many of the techniques and methods needed to loosen up the mind. Analysis of student work will be constant and sensitive to individual development. Dive in!
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Painting with Bettina Schroeder Tutor: Bettina Schroeder 12-18th August or 9-15th September 2018 Bettina’s painting holidays are suitable for all, from beginners to accomplished painters. They are designed to help you to make the most of your abilities and to find a personal approach. The emphasis is on how to capture the initial excitement on first spotting a subject, without getting too bogged down in technicalities. Tuition will be in watercolour mainly but you can work in other media if you would prefer. Daily demonstrations (in the studio or on location) are tailored to the particular needs of the students and to help you to get started. The tuition will also deal with general painting problems such as basic perspective, choice of colour, composition, shadows and many other tricks of the trade. Above all, Bettina’s courses aim to enhance the pleasure of painting whilst improving your skills.
Particular attention is given to wet-in-wet technique as well as some of the ground rules for beginners. Groups are kept small so you can visibly advance within the course duration irrespective of your ability. For complete beginners Bettina teaches a simple, easy to follow a step-by-step approach. Tuition is typically arranged in day sessions lasting from 10.00am until 4,00pm, so there is time to relax before dinner and explore the locality. Timings may change slightly from day to day depending on the weather and excursions. If you are keen paint in the early morning, late afternoon or into the night, as with all courses at Coombe, you are welcome to use the studio, gardens and courtyard at any time during the course. Bettina is a huge advocate for painting outside in the landscape, this course, along with Paul Riley’s Stream to Sea course, is therefore an ideal opportunity to discover the heavenly river Dart, to explore scenic coasts, and to capture lush green Devon fields and hedgerows. During evening meals Bettina is also available for discussions about particular painting problems when you can be assured of individual attention and lively discussion! MATERIALS LIST - WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU A selection of good watercolour paints or oil paints turpentine and linseed oil. Watercolour paper and lightweight board or canvas/Daler board and rags. Sketching paper and pencils. A selection of watercolour brushes including, if possible, a large sable synthetic No 16 and a chisel top 1/2" wide brush or your usual selection of oil painting brushes. Masking tape. Water bottle, small jar / cup. Lightweight portable easel and stool if required [if travelling from abroad you can borrow these] We suggest you also include some sturdy outdoor shoes and waterproof jacket.
COURSE INFORMATION The Magic of Watercolour Flowers Tutor: Paul Riley 23-28th September 2018 Following a series of bestselling books on watercolour painting including “Flower Painting”, “Intimate Landscapes” and “The Watercolour Workshop”, Paul Riley published a new book & instructional DVD in 2015. The title of the book is the Magic of Watercolour Flowers and this is the accompanying course to the title. During the five days Paul will take students through the processes of painting watercolour flowers including brush techniques, colour mixing, the use of different paper, and the exciting aspects of composition. Studies will be made in the studio and, weather permitting, in the landscape. The purpose of the course is to acquaint beginners with the basic methods of depicting flowers and at the same time stimulate the more practised into new directions. Flowers mean different things to different people therefore the course recognises the different ways of seeing them. For example some people love the pattern quality inherent in flowers; others that extraordinary variety of forms. No particular way is the way; all the possibilities are explored.
The more advanced, or even the precocious beginner has the option to see flowers with figures a or portrait. This is a very interesting way a way of seeing flowers in context. Paul has a distinctively free, loose way of handling the paint using a variety of brushes with bold colour content. These techniques will be explained and extensively demonstrated. All work in progress will be analysed and sensitively assessed in order that students can progress at a pace to suit them. Come aboard and enjoy!
Releasing Your Imagination Watercolour & Mixed Media Tutor: Paul Riley 21-26th October 2018
“The aim is to release our imagination to find alternative ways of seeing the world around us and represent it in a new and original way.� Paul Riley leads this exciting course designed to release your imagination, so if you are interested in bringing some originality to your watercolour painting and release your imagination onto the page, this course is ideal. Although mainly aimed at watercolour painting you will be encouraged to experiment with, other media. Various methods of expression will be explored and demonstrated in detail including abstract and collage. The end results should be stimulating, provocative and exciting to work on, freeing your imagination and playing with a vast array of techniques. Paul will demonstrate throughout the weekend as well as ensuring plenty of time for your own experimentation and for critical feedback if desired.
COURSE INFORMATION Ceramics Tutor: Laurel Keeley 1-4th November 2018 15-18th November 2018 (SOLD OUT) Two lovely weekend intensive pottery courses with the internationally recognised potter Laurel Keeley. Laurel works with coloured slips and drawn line in stoneware and porcelain clays, with glazes and oxides applied, often enhanced with Gold Lustre. The slab bowls, plates and pots are vehicles for figurative designs of fish and fields, rivers, canals and glimpses of the world through windows. More recently she has been working with images of gardens and landscape, her method informed by painting. Having exhibited her work at Coombe many years, her courses are a natural progression to introducing Laurel’s work to an increasingly wider audience. With the number of students per course kept deliberately low (max 7) to enable a high level of tuition for participants of all skill levels, Laurel’s courses regularly sell out.
My first go with clay - what an enjoyable experience, what an inspirational teacher! Zoe
The course is designed to allow both experienced potters and beginners exploring clay for the first time to do slab and coil work, as well as throw pots on the wheel. Students will work in stoneware with coloured slips and drawn line. The scale of Laurel’s ceramics ranges from tiny pieces that fit in the palm of the hand, to coil built forms a metre high and students will have the chance to make and fire, both small and large-scale work according to their own ambition.
Laurel graduated with BA Hons in English and American Arts and an MA in Commonwealth Literature. She studied ceramics at Exeter College of Art and Design and has been working as a potter for 30 years, selling work throughout the UK in selected galleries and exhibitions. Laurel has received two Arts Council England Major Awards for her work and is a member of The Devon Guild of Craftsmen. Her ceramic pieces are owned worldwide. This is a unique opportunity to work alongside and interact with Laurel through her work. MATERIALS LIST - WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU If you have them, bring pottery tools, otherwise we will provide a basic selection. You will need a sketchbook and drawing materials. Please bring sources of inspiration such as photographs, magazine cuttings and drawings. There will be a charge of £3 per kilo of clay to include materials (clay, glazes) and firing to stoneware temperature in an electric kiln. Finished work can be sent on for a small charge.
Drawing Weekend - building your foundation Tutor: Laurie Steen, RWA 8-11th November 2018 This short intense course with Laurie Steen will use the Winter Landscape as our subject and the catalyst to explore a variety of monochromatic mediums. The course will also focus on how we find and translate inspirations in the shapes and landscape around us.
We will aim to work quickly exploring a variety of line and mark making media while focusing on the natural series of changes that come with pushing the boundaries of our own drawing methods. Thus leading us to discuss and work through how each of us become inspired and how we translate our inspirations from life as well as many multidisciplinary art forms into our own working processes. Our aim is to not only push our own artistic boundaries but to also inspire and challenge each other, and to have at the end a clear idea about the way in which we work and how to access that which inspires. With much focus on honing and nurturing each persons own unique line and mark making ability.
I would love for these few days to be a platform for ideas to germinate and grow. How do we best use that which inspires us and what is it that truly moves each of us to make work. We will also talk about different ways of working, and compare a variety of different styles of drawing, whilst working around a roaring studio fire.
All artists are urged to bring some previous work, as well as mediums and books for discussion, and contemplation. We all have specific methods and tools to the way we work and sometimes it is just figuring out how to use them! So before coming perhaps ask yourself what is the one tool that feeds your creativity and is essential to your creative process. If you aren’t sure then we will work to figure it out.
This course will focus specifically on drawing but can be used in to push your drawing ability within other artistic practices. There will be a wireless printer to hook up to if composing with the camera.
MATERIALS LIST - WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU Please also bring with you a selection of any and all drawings mediums as this course encourages experimenting and using multi mediums. Essential items include: A 9B woodless pencil as well as a selection of graphite pencils, a Kneadable Eraser (I find that Cretacolor are the best), Sanding board is useful or sandpaper, Willow or scenic charcoal, (we will also have these at the studio), Chunky, A5 sketchbook, a wire bound Sketchbook for multi media, preferably A3 or A4, in thick grade paper or water colour paper. (approx. min. 200gm.+) check out: Artway or Jacksons Pad or wire bound Sketchbook for dry media, preferably size A3 or A2 in a good quality and smooth grade paper, or larger sheets of misc. good quality paper that you like to use. Try a smooth printmaking paper by Sommerset or Stonehenge for a smooth surface which absorbs charcoal beautifully. Both available at Jacksons. For a broad selection of smooth cartridge papers at different weights and affordable prices check out Atlantis Art, Photographic printing paper if using the printer. NB I will have at the studio a selection of papers for testing.
#growingcreativity at COOMBE FARM STUDIOS In addition to our courses, Coombe runs an on site Gallery and a second Gallery space in nearby Dartmouth. We also run a number of projects to support artists and artist development. ASSOCIATE ARTISTS Through our associate artist programme we support local artists in dance, visual arts & theatre over an extended period of two years, providing them with studio space to develop new work as well as mentoring. COOMBE FUTURES PRIZE The Coombe Futures prize is run in partnership with the Devon Guild of Craftsman and Plymouth College of Arts. It supports Plymouth College of Arts graduates in ceramics and printmaking for a year after graduation. They too have studio space to make work, as well as the opportunity to work alongside our tutors to encourage a teaching career. THE PRODUCER FARM In partnership with Bristol Old Vic (theatre) Dance Umbrella, Fuel Theatre and In Between Time (festival) we support those who give so much to the arts - producers working with artists in theatre, dance, music and festivals. We offer a professional development retreat at Coombe annually in June. THE MOXIE PROJECT We run a residency programme for international and national artists.
Holidays & Short Courses Residential & non-residential Year-round Devon, UK Painting - Drawing - Printmaking - Ceramics #growingcreativity lara@coombefarmstudios.com www.coombefarmstudios.com 01803 722352