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.

ONLINE: Intuitive Abstract Painting: Exploring process and narrative with Alexander James Pollard and Johanna Melvin: Sundays 18 Apr – 27 June 2021

Prepare yourself for full immersive days incorporating experimentation, playfulness, technical guidance and discussion designed to develop you as an abstract painter. Continue Reading →

Dazzle – Hide and Seek painting with Vicky Wright: 20 Apr to 29 Jun 2021

The course will be conducted over 10 weeks in three hour sessions and will, amongst other things, look at artists who invented the dazzle technique. Vorticism was an art movement that broke with the past and expressed the dynamism of the machine age, exploring pattern and geometry as a means to make paintings. Continue Reading →

Painting People: The Figure and Portrait – Thursdays 7 Oct 2021 to 30 June 2022

This course aims to explore the elements of portraiture and figure painting and drawing in both systematic and creative ways. Continue Reading →

ONLINE: Contemporary Fine Art Practice: 01 Oct 2021 to 01 July 2022

The Contemporary Fine Art course is aimed at a broad range of artists and levels of experience and seeks to develop a community where practical and theoretical skills can be explored and established with emphases on making, presenting, talking and thinking about art. Continue Reading →

Dazzle – Hide and Seek painting with Vicky Wright: Tuesdays 9 – 30 Mar 2021 6-9pm

Vorticism was an art movement that broke with the past and expressed the dynamism of the machine age, exploring pattern and geometry as a means to make paintings. Continue Reading →

Online Course: Ordinarily odd; the everyday with Archie Franks – 13th Jan to 24th Mar: 6-9pm

In this course we will look at artists who examine the everyday such as Wayne Theibaud, Alex Katz and Eduard Manet. We will look at our own everyday, our immediate surroundings and situations. Continue Reading →

Painting People: The Figure and Portrait – Thurs 14 Jan to 25 Mar 2021

This course will be taught by Alison Harper and visiting artists including National portrait award winner Rosemary Beaton. The course aims to explore the elements of portraiture and figure painting and drawing in both systematic and creative ways. Continue Reading →

The Fundamentals of Painting: Materials, Methods & Ideas 11 Jan – 28 Jun 2021

(LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE) The Foundation Painting Year is a practical course which aims to fill in all the gaps you never knew you had in your understanding and practise of the age old activity of manipulating colour on a surface called painting. Continue Reading →

ONLINE: Weaving the Thread: Painting and the Imagination with Adrian Wiszniewski RSA – 11 Jan to 22 Mar 2021

First anachronism of the day by Adrian Wiszniewski RSA 2011

On this 10 week course, through guided exercises, Adrian shows us how we can access the resources of our imagination; Continue Reading →

The Painting Year I: 12 Jan – 29 Jun 2021 Tuesdays 10-5pm

The Painting Year is a practical course for those looking to advance their practise, developing their skills and content whilst being guided by two experienced and celebrated painters Dan Coombs RCA and Guy Allott RCA Continue Reading →