There are many approaches to portraiture – we can create a likeness, or a more expressive version of the character we are portraying. We can also go deeper – finding ways of connecting with the person that are not always representative but that say as much about ourselves as they do the person we are portraying. An unearthing of the artist as well as our model or reference.

During this workshop, we will be using the fundamentals of shadow and light, colour, composition and expression to unearth and excavate a more emotional and expressive response to the face and head. We will be going further than a skin-deep approach and finding joy and expression in drawing materials and paint to unearth what is inside of us – the unique artist.

Each day will begin with a look at various master artists who will inspire us to find new pathways to expression, interpretation and unearthing the portrait and the artist within.

We will be working from a life model, building up lots of studies, sketches and expressive works before going on to develop these initial responses into highly expressive interpretations in paint on canvas panels for the remainder of the workshop.

The focus will be on working and reworking your portrait over and over, editing down, even destroying what has gone before to get to the heart of what you are trying to convey as an artist.

I have found a deep connection with the land and sea where I live and I believe each of us can find an affinity with our surroundings where-ever we may go. Since I started creating work inspired by my surroundings I have discovered a greater understanding of my place in the world and the way we are each a part of the landscape around us.

I find the edge between land and sea to be particularly inspiring and I am excited to be able to discover a connection with this magical border in a new-to-me place.

During this week, we will be exploring the landscapes in our sketchbooks focussing on colour and composition before working more intuitively on larger compositions in mixed media that portray our own unique response to the land and sea.

Each day will begin with a group gathering and a talk about how other artists have responded to their own chosen landscapes and echoed their surroundings in their work.

There are themes that resonate deeply – the way the weather has shaped the land, the ebb and flow of the tide, the wildness and unpredictability of nature or the mark of humanity on the landscape for good or bad. The colours and textures of a place can be a starting point for creating work that is truly a story of our own unique connection with our surroundings. One that can be explored in an intuitive way and echo our own unique nature as much as the nature and landscape that we see.

This grand adventure with Gillian Lee Smith and Judy Wise starts off with a bang in London as we begin our adventure overlooking the city from the London Eye. We’ll visit the National Gallery, Tate Modern Museum, and enjoy a play before climbing aboard a train for our journey through the English countryside on our way to Gillian’s inspirational Northumberland.

There will be visits to castles, gardens, and the coast – so much to see and absorb on what promises to be a visually stimulating Art Escape.

We cannot wait to share this scenery and atmosphere with you as we explore the local area with sketchbooks and camera in hand and take our findings back to the studio space to create our own interpretations in mixed media on paper and canvas.

Whether you are new to landscapes or a seasoned painter, drawn to abstraction or inspired to create more representational works you are sure to find something to spark a personal and expressive response to this rugged and inspirational landscape.

Since moving to the truly stunning, historic area of Northumberland, expressive and abstracted landscapes have become Gillian’s way of exploring her love of this coastal area in her artwork. She is very much inspired by the spaces between land and sea – these coastal communities, the heritage of the area and the way humans have made their marks on the landscape. Beautifully worn cottages, harbour walls crossed with ropes, ladders and the line of the tide and the incredible vast space of sea and sky. There are also quite a few castles!