Studio course – Oil Painting for beginners with Alison Harper: Wednesday Evening 19 Apr to 28 Jun 2023 (6-9pm)

Ten week studio based course (Half term 31st May)

Fee £300

Limited number of places available.

Come and learn step by step approaches to oil painting. We will cover materials and methods of oil painting including supports and surfaces, brushes and paint mediums. Students will learn colour mixing and ways of constructing images through contrasting tonal values, blocks of colour, line and texture. Much emphasis will be placed on the tactile handling of the paint. We will start by painting simple still life set ups.

Understanding colour

Beginner to Intermediate. Limited number of participants to insure you receive all the guidance you need to set yourself on the path to successful  oil painting.

Art materials provided with exception of canvas provided as a discounted rate.

About the tutor

Alison Harper

Alison Harper Artist,  Artistic Director and co-founder¹ of The Essential School of Painting. An exceptional multi-talented artist, Alison is a graduate of the prestigious Glasgow School of Art and is known as one of ‘The Glasgow Girls’. 

The holder of multiple awards including the Commonwealth Scholarship, Alison has exhibited widely both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

Selected exhibitions & Awards

Invited artist to the Royal Scottish Academy annual exhibition May 2016; The National Portrait Gallery, London; The Royal Academy, London; Leicester City Art GalleryStirling MuseumThe Boundary Gallery, London; The Compass Gallery, Glasgow; The Collins Gallery, Glasgow; The City Arts Centre, Edinburgh; The Graphic Museum of Tokyo, Japan;  The India Today Gallery New Delhi, India and The National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi. Alison is a recipient of numerous Scholarships and awards including the Commonwealth ScholarshipNorwegian Government Scholarship, the Cheltenham Drawing Prize, Ruth Davidson Memorial Award and The Prince’s Drawing School Bursary Award. Alison is included in the following publications, Who’s Who in Art and Who’s Who of Women in the World.

About Andrew Wamae

Andrew Wamae is the Director and co-founder of the Essential School of Painting (ESOP). He has a deeply held belief in the power of art to transform lives and society, and a particular interest in exploring new models for art education beyond school; championing the twin ideals of excellence and affordability in a highly pressurised sector when university fees are soaring and student/ tutor contact time is at an all time low. Andrew is particularly keen to ensure that the visual arts continue to be supported and thrive well. A creative, innovative and visionary professional, Andrew, in conjunction with his co-founder Alison Harper, has transformed the Essential School of Painting from humble beginnings to an established institution holding from one-day to year-long courses and workshops for all levels of experience; from beginners to postgraduate and professional artists. He has managed to enlist the support of a long list of celebrated artists from multiple fields in the creative industry to teach or lecture at the school or in their studios.