Art Tuition in Dorset- Find Your Own Direction

Many people learn how to paint but never discover what they truly want to say. My approach to teaching is different. I help artists find their own direction, develop confidence in their work and create paintings that have personal meaning.

Over many years as a pilot-instructor, manager and artist, I have learned that we grow when we are encouraged to find what we really want to do. Art is no different, with the right encouragement artists can find their own direction and make personally satisfying paintings.

Why my Art Tuition is Different and How it Will Help You

I will help you discover what truly inspires you and show you how to develop those ideas into personally meaningful paintings. We will identify and remove beliefs and habits that prevent artists from finding their own direction.

I will encourage you to be bold and take risks in your work. As a pilot instructor being bold and taking risks was strictly discouraged but it is the opposite in painting - it leads to new ideas and exciting opportunities.

You will after the work we do together understand how to find and develop your own inspiration and paint, not to a formula, but guided by a simple structure.

My Approach to Teaching Art

I have taught others since I was in my twenties and I want to continue forever. It is so rewarding when students "get it" and then develop themselves. I am passionate about helping painters to find their direction and see their art change from predictable to individual.

To achieve that lessons need to be structured and clear taking a step at a time. I prepare lessons carefully and present them in a professional manner. 

Personal attention is vital, art is about individuality after all. I encourage students to think differently, to try something unfamiliar, to experiment and not to be bound by a formula - art is not maths. 

Student pilots without navigation skills get lost just like artists without inspiration. I help artists to find their own map.

Great technique does not make great paintings. Most art courses focus on technique (the how to fly) and forget the vital piece (where to fly) - you dare not leave the airfield. I want my students to travel wherever they want, to navigate with their emotions, imagination and individuality, and create paintings that are truly their own.

If you would like to know more, you can read my full teaching philosophy.

Who This Art Teaching is For

 Any painter using any medium is welcome. Technical competance is not important but some basic technique is needed. 

My students are often frustrated and working hard at technque hoping it will eventually lead to great paintings - this course suits them well.

How the Art Teaching is Structured

You can choose a workshop or personal tuition.

Both have seven lessons which develop the three vital pieces of a painting

 Inspiration

This is central. Over the course students, with my help, release exciting interesting emotions from within themselves that drive them to paint.

Colour

Colour sets the feeling in the painting. You discover how your own choice of colour rather than the obvious sets you on the road to individual art. Bold muted and greys and their combination are all explored.

Shapes Not Objects

This releases students from convention. How different shapes create a feeling in a painting is explained and tested.

I am at pains not to overwhelm the student. These three pieces enable a painter to move forward to follow their own direction. Other pieces can be added when the student is ready for them.

Many experienced artists have unknowingly deep seated approaches that are barriers to their progress. They have absorbed rules and myths that are holding them back. I help students recognise those barriers, challenge them and regain the freedom to paint in their own way.

Seven lessons of two hours each works well for most students. By then they usually have a much clearer sense of direction and the confidence to continue their journey. Follow-up lessons are available for guidance and refinement, either through workshops or one-to-one tuition.

Location

I teach one to one lessons from my studio in East Dorset and run art workshops locally. I welcome students from accross Dorset, Hampshire and the New Forest. The address is Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 5HW U.K.

Availability and Enrolment

Please contact me via the form below to know the workshop schedules and one to one availability. I will reply quickly with the information you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may be interested in my blog post Getting Emotion into a Paintings  it takes you through the steps I took for a painting inspired by a cold lake in Canada.

Using watercolour is often a problem but it needn't be. This blog post Painting Strong Watercolours explains.