Summer Successes at Higham Hall

September and a great mornings adventure for all sketching, painting and drawing along the shoreline of Bassenthwaite Lake near Higham Hall

It's been a pretty busy Summer season for teaching and painting again this year for lots of different art courses far and wide. 

Some really exciting paintings have been created on all the different art courses by the students I've had the pleasure to teach, non less than those who have filled my classes at Higham Hall too.

Our carefully designed creative program allows students of mixed levels of ability to enjoy both studio and outdoor painting experiences in wonderful inspirational Lakeland locations - be they close to Higham Hall itself close to Keswick or a little further afield venturing a little deeper into the unspoilt regions of The Western Fells.

July Expressive Painting students and friends with me from Higham Hall enjoying the sunshine and inspirational views at Honister Pass 

Tumbling mountain waters and dramatic views at Honister Pass

The immediate and lasting effects of direct contact with nature - an amazing stylised painting created in the Higham Hall studio. well done - it looks amazing!

Honister Pass from above - another superb mixed media painting created in the studio at Higham Hall on the 'Expressive Art' Course

A further example of the importance of being out there amongst it'. Superb sunlight and shadows giving a really dramatic effect in this mixed media painting. Another successful painting - well done!

In July I took a group of 7 students to the shores of Buttermere and later in the week to the quiet village of Grange in Borrowdale to sketch, draw and paint as part of an exciting art week using mixed media in lots of expressive ways. 

Summer sunshine and shadows at Buttermere - our painting and sketching view

Christine's beautiful and colourful stylised outdoor watercolour painting - it positively glows!

The outdoor experience at the beginning of the week payed dividends with everyone's work for the rest of the course. Direct contact with nature gave everyone a real insight into the ethos of what the course was about and the results speak for themselves.

The serene Summer location at Grange in Borrowdale near Higham Hall - perfect with the gentle flowing river by our feet as we drew and painted - lovely!

John enjoying the sunshine whilst drawing at Grange

Johns 'first time' pastel painting at grange - a cracking result. Your a natural John!

A great little corner by one of the double arches of the bridge at Grange - a perfect choice for painting those lovely reflections

A great days painting had by all at Grange in borrowdale. A rewarding experience for everyone

A lovely colourful and stylised painting again from Christine focusing on the still reflective pools and contrasting flowing waters at Grange in Borrowdale

Lovely freedom of brushwork in this lovely outdoor watercolour painting created at Grange. This captures the summer greens and location beautifully

Great pen, ink and wash with a difference - it's all done with acrylic inks! Superb feeling of the enormity of the mountain that dominates Grange village (Low Scawdell) with this portrait composition. lovely use of dark and light tones throughout

Another great painting by Christine. This time a studio painting using watercolour and pastel of Wastwater. A lovely feeling of space and light in this one. great colour choices too!

A confident approach to a dynamic abstract composition using lots of different mixed media in combination in this studio painting (created on a large scale). Love the variety of lines in this one  as well as the textured blocks of colour

In early September I returned to Higham Hall once more in to teach 12 students this time on my popular 'Expressive mixed Media' art course once again. This time I added a bit of a twist - more loose drawing getting students involved with mixing lots of different black and white media together with demonstrations using collage and liquid graphite! 

 Sketching along the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake

The expressive drawings helped everyone to really loosen up and create colourful layering in their work with a strong focus on clean colour mixing, tone, depth...and so much more!

Just one of the amazing sketches created paining outdoors along the shoreline of Bassenthwaite Lake - captures the break in the weather perfectly!

Honister Pass studio painting. A lovely stylised painting focusing on the 'less is more' lesson - great result!

Through the trees - lovely aerial perspective in this large format full imperial mixed media painting created on heavy weight watercolour paper utilising the texture of the paper perfectly

Close mountain view. Another great 'less is more' result full of atmosphere. This time from Rebecca using pastels on Canson mi-Teintes 'Touch' 350gsm pastel paper

The year at Higham Hall concludes with my final December course with an emphasis on 'all things acrylic' (just in the studio this time) using acrylic inks, acrylic 'flow' and 'heavy body' paints, texture gels, mediums and all applied to different surfaces creating some very unusual and exciting Lakeland paintings indeed.

There are only a few places left now to fill the class once again so if you'd like to get involved, create something out of the ordinary with a real contemporary edge, you'd better give the booking office a call ASAP!

For further information about this exciting acrylic mixed media art holiday rounding of the year visit  http://rdcreative.co.uk/art-holidays/December-2017-Higham-Hall-studio-mixed-media-painting-breakhttp://rdcreative.co.uk/art-holidays/December-2017-Higham-Hall-studio-mixed-media-painting-break
or call Higham Hall directly on 017687 76276 to book your place.