Advanced Abstraction — Alternate Sundays In Studio, 11 October 2026 to 27 June 2027

Artist-Tutor:  Johanna Melvin

Format & Frequency:  In Studio – Every other Sunday, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

Fee:  £545 per term  |  Annual fee £1,420

Group Size:  Maximum 12 participants

About This Course

Advanced Abstraction is the continuation of the work begun in Approaches to Abstraction — a full-year, in-studio programme for painters who have established a foundation in abstract practice and are ready to push it into more demanding, more individual and more professionally grounded territory.

Led by Johanna Melvin — a practising artist and curator whose career has encompassed seven years as Editions Manager at the Whitechapel Gallery, collaborations with some of the most significant figures in British contemporary art, and exhibitions at the Royal Academy and Flowers Gallery — this course operates at the intersection of studio practice, critical thinking and professional development. It is not merely about making better abstract paintings. It is about becoming an artist with a coherent practice, a clear sense of their own language, and the skills to sustain and communicate that practice in the wider world.

The fortnightly Sunday format is not a compromise — it is an invitation to a different rhythm of making. Between sessions, students are expected to work, to experiment, to fail, and to bring what they have discovered back to the group. The studio days themselves are intensive, generous and demanding in equal measure.

Who This Course Is For

• Painters who have completed Approaches to Abstraction at ESOP and are ready for the next level
• Experienced abstract painters from other backgrounds who want to refresh, deepen and reboot their practice
• Those who can demonstrate proficiency in abstract painting through an artist statement and portfolio of recent work
• Artists who want professional development as well as studio practice — understanding how to build a career in abstraction alongside building the work itself
• Painters who value a small, committed, high-level group and the depth of engagement that comes with it

What the Year Involves

• Three terms — alternate Sundays, 10:30am to 4:30pm, approximately 6 sessions per term
• One-to-one tutorials and group critiques focused on developing personal visual language
• Research and experimentation with a range of surfaces, techniques and materials
• Engagement with the history and contemporary context of abstract painting through presentations and discussion
• Gallery visits at key points in the year
• Professional practice: building resilience, creating opportunities, developing a professional profile
• A substantial body of work built across the year, culminating in a group exhibition

Session Dates 2026–27

Total sessions: approximately 18 across the year (6 per term, subject to final tutor confirmation). Sessions run 10:30am – 4:30pm. On the alternate Sundays, Approaches to Abstraction meets — the two courses interleave completely and never overlap.

About the Artist-Tutor

Johanna Melvin

Professional artist & curator with work held in many private and public collections, including the archives of the Whitechapel Gallery and collections at The Groucho Club; House of St Barnabas and Soho House. 

Jo on instagram click here

From 2006–15 Melvin served as Editions Manager at the Whitechapel Gallery, working with leading contemporary artists on the production of limited editions. She subsequently co-tutored with Bob and Roberta Smith RA OBE, and with Alex J Pollard on the Intuitive Abstraction Year. She is a board member of the Essential School of Painting.