Artist-Tutors: Guy Allott and Joana Galego
Format: In Studio — Saturdays, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Fee: £795 per term | Annual fee £2,175
Group Size: Maximum 12 participants — early registration strongly recommended
Please note: course fees will increase with effect from 5 July 2026.
About This Course
Painting Personal Projects is a full-year, in-studio programme for painters who want to develop a sustained personal practice — and who need to do so at the weekend. Running every Saturday across three terms, it is the only ESOP yearlong in-studio course that makes this commitment possible for painters whose working week leaves no room for weekday study.
The course is structured around each participant’s individual project. From the first session to the final exhibition, students are supported in developing work that is genuinely their own: motivated by personal experience, refined through rigorous critique, and given the time and space to develop with real depth. Guy Allott and Joana Galego bring to each Saturday the full range of their respective practices — Allott’s expansive, philosophically grounded approach to painting and sculpture, Galego’s European-rooted and materially precise engagement with image-making — creating a teaching partnership that is both intellectually generous and technically rigorous.
With a maximum of twelve participants and an intimate studio environment, every student receives sustained individual attention alongside the creative stimulation of a committed peer community. The course culminates in a group exhibition that brings the year’s development into public view.
Who This Course Is For
- Painters who work during the week and need a serious, structured Saturday programme
- Those who want to develop a personal project with sustained tutor support over a full year
- Artists at any level of experience who are ready to commit to individual project development rather than skills acquisition alone
- Painters who value a small, intimate cohort and the depth of attention that comes with it
- Anyone who wants the experience of building towards and showing in a public exhibition.
What the Year Involves
- Three terms of ten weeks — full in-studio studio days, 10am to 5pm, every Saturday
- Individual one-to-one tutor sessions and group critiques every week
- Personal project development from the first session through to exhibition
- A maximum of twelve participants — intimate, focused, high-quality group
- End-of-year group exhibition — the culmination of the year’s work
| Art Materials All art materials are provided as part of the course fee, with the exception of canvases, which can be purchased directly from the school studio.Over the course of the year, students are encouraged to build their own studio palette alongside the provided materials. We will supply a recommended list of paints, brushes and mediums to source — equipping you to work independently long after the course concludes. |
Course Timetable 2026–27
| Term | Dates |
| Autumn Term 2026 | Saturday 10 October – Saturday 19 December 2026 | Half term: 31 October |
| Spring Term 2027 | Saturday 16 January – Saturday 27 March 2027 | Half term: 20 February |
| Summer Term 2027 | Saturday 24 April – Saturday 3 July 2027 | Half term: 5 June |
| End-of-Year Exhibition | Summer 2027 — date TBC |
Academic Year Dates at a Glance
| Term | Start Date | Half Term | End Date | Wks |
| Autumn Term 2026 | Sat 10 October 2026 | 31 October | Sat 19 December | 10 |
| Spring Term 2027 | Sat 16 January 2027 | 20 February | Sat 27 March | 10 |
| Summer Term 2027 | Sat 24 April 2027 | 5 June | Sat 3 July | 10 |
Total teaching Saturdays: 30. | Exhibition: Summer 2027, date TBC.
About the Artist-Tutors
Guy Allott
A graduate of Central Saint Martins (1999) and the Royal College of Art (2002), Guy is a London-based painter whose practice spans painting, printmaking, sculpture and woodcuts. His work explores the intersections of landscape, science and cultural philosophy and is held in collections in the UK and internationally.
Joana Galego
Joana studied Painting at the University of Lisbon and brings to her teaching a practice rooted in the European painting tradition alongside a commitment to contemporary image-making. She lives and works in London.
The ESOP Pathway
Painting Personal Projects is designed for painters who are ready to commit to a sustained personal practice with rigorous support. Those who complete this course and want to deepen their engagement with painting at the highest level should consider the ESOP Advanced Painting Course.
