The Painting Year I: Materials, Methods and Ideas – Mondays 4 Oct 2021 to 11 Jul 2022

Mondays 10am to 5pm 3 x 10 week terms

Artist-tutors: Guy Allott , Johanna Melvin and Archie Franks

The Painting Year I is a practical course which aims to fill in all the gaps you never knew you had in your understanding and practice of painting. It is suitable for beginners (with some experience) to intermediate level in painting. If in doubt contact the school. We will cover materials of painting beginning with surfaces, from traditional canvas and wood panels to newer materials such as aluminium and linoleum, moving through a range of types of paint including oil, acrylic, watercolour and the mediums  and additives available for each, both traditional and recent developments.

Annual Fee £1925  Term Fee £710

This course is limited to 12 participants only. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

Guy Allott at the ESOP

Course timetable dates

  • Autumn Term: 4 Oct to 13 Dec 2021 – Half Term 25 October
  • Spring Term: 10 Jan to 21 Mar 2022 – Half Term 14 February
  • Summer Term: 25 April to 11 Jul 2022 – Half Term 30th May (Please this term has 2 holidays the 2nd and 30th of May)
  • Exhibition Week – Private view 29 June 6-10pm Exhibition open to public 30th June to 5th July 2022

About the artist-tutors

GUY ALLOTT

London based Artist Guy Allott was born in the market town of Hexham Northumberland  in 1972, a graduate of Central Saint Martins (1999) and the Royal College of Art (2002), Guy is a versatile artist who works across several disciplines from painting to printmaking to sculpture and woodcuts.

The Space Race (2)

As a young painter and sculptor Guy made playful cardboard maquettes of spaceships and paintings of surrealistic landscapes, sometimes combining the two in painted depictions of what he called Landscape Spaceships. By 2009 Guy work was exploring and subverting traditional representations of landscape in relation to man’s desire to explore and control nature.

His paintings and sculptures present a fantastical merging of the philosophies of science and culture, offering a critique of historic social beliefs alongside an investigation into the contemporary.

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JOHANNA MELVIN

Johanna Melvin was born in Limehouse, east London and worked for many years as a self-taught illustrator before studying BA Hons (Fine Art) at The School of Art, Architecture & Design, (London Guildhall University at that time).

Johanna Melvin
For MBN 2019 by Johanna Melvin Acrylic on canvas 73x73cms

From 2006 –15 Jo held the post of Editions Manager at the Whitechapel Gallery, working with leading contemporary artists, printmakers and curators to pioneer a programme of limited edition prints and objet d’art as fund-raisers for the Gallery. Throughout this time Jo continued to make her own work, exhibiting five times at The Royal Academy of Art and Flowers Gallery respectively, as well as The Contemporary Art Society among others.

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ARCHIE FRANKS

Archie Franks holds a post graduate diploma from The Royal Academy Schools, 2012, and a First-Class BA, Honours degree from City & Guilds London Art School, 2009. He is the recipient of various awards and honours including the Jerwood Painting Fellowship, 2016, the Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting, The British School at Rome 2013; Tooth Award 2012; Gordon Luton Award 2012; Richard Ford Award, 2011; and the Philip T Ribbon Award, 2011.

Recent solo exhibitions have been held at Salon London, 2017 and Welcome Screen, London 2015.

Select group shows include APT Gallery London, 2019; Narrative Projects London, 2018; Mall Galleries, London, 2018; Mercer Chance, London, 2017; Edicola Radetzky, Milan, 2017;

‘a delight in every bite’ 2021

The Jerwood Painting Fellowship Show, Jerwood Space, London, touring to the Arts University Bournemouth, Cardiff Bay Arts, and Norwich University 2016-17; Transition Gallery, London, 2016, 2015 and 2014; Block 336, London, 2015; Horatio Junior, London, 2015 and 2014; Transition Gallery at Sluice Art Fair, London, 2015; A.P.T Gallery, London, 2015; Riss(E), Varese, Italy, 2014; The British School at Rome, Italy, 2014; The Romanian Academy in Rome, Italy, 2014; Charlie Dutton Gallery, London, 2013-14; ICA, London, 2013-14; Spike Island, Bristol, 2013; Fort Gallery, London,  2013; Peles Empire, Cluj, Romania and London, 2012; Barbican Arts Group, London, 2012; Royal Academy Schools Show, London, 2012; Premiums Royal Academy of Arts, London, 201; Royal Academy of Arts, London 2011. 

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About The Essential School Of Painting

The Essential School of Painting (ESOP) is an alternative art school based in Wood Green, London, specialising in painting and drawing classes taught by leading contemporary artists. The ESOP offers exciting, intellectually rigorous courses with the intention of advancing painting. Classes are available for all levels of experience.