Deconstruct, Reconstruct, Abstract Portfolio Course 2023 - 24
New course dates and fees are listed below. Do get in touch if you are interested.
Overview
My Deconstruct, Reconstruct, Abstract course 2023 – 2024 will be running for a third time from September. The course aims and objectives are all about the growth of your own art practice.
The course continues to develop from my personal journey as a landscape painter, my grasp, interpretation and analysis of ‘ways in’ to abstraction. For me, ‘Abstracting the Landscape’ is to work with aesthetic qualities and considerations of shape, colour, pattern, mark making, composition, while retaining an integrity to the subject matter. I hope to be able to share some of my working process with you.
Content
The content considers those basic principles of picture making. You will learn to apply these while working with your chosen subject matter and to learn to make objective decisions and judgements accordingly.
Each session will include an introduction with slides illustrating the month’s brief, a demonstration and a group feedback session in which we discuss the work you send to me. I will use both still life and landscape examples in the sessions.
Throughout the course reference is made to both esteemed and less well known artists’ work from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, particularly but not exclusively, abstract and abstracted images.
I enjoy the Essex landscapes of Simon Carter and can relate to the following extraction : https://www.messums.com/artists/view/325/Simon_Carter
We can’t know what was or is in the artists’ minds but we can learn from our own interpretation.
Practical Information.
How long will the course be?
The course is planned over 8 months from September 2023 to April 2024, one session per month. It will be delivered online via Zoom. Numbers are limited to allow for group interaction and for 1:1 feedback, usually by email. A WhatsApp group is set up for participants to interact.
Who can enrol?
The course is suitable for anyone with experience of painting and an interest in developing a personal practice. It is not suitable for beginners. If you have worked with me before, you may find some of the content familiar although it won’t be the same. Recap is a useful tool!
Contact me if you would like further info on this.
Do I need to know what my personal work will be about?
You will be expected to work from your own subject matter and to develop a body of personal work over the course. You do not need to be sure how this is going to look at the start! You do not need to have a clear-cut plan for your subject matter although a few ideas could help. And, of course, you are free to change your mind and move off at a tangent during the course! Nothing is set in stone.
Before a session
I will send you a plan for the session a few days beforehand with materials needed. You should send me your images from the previous month’s efforts, a day or so before too.
How will the sessions be planned?
Each session will run from 9.30am to 2pm GMT. This includes:
Group feedback relating to your month’s work (apart from the 1st session which will allow time for you to introduce yourself and your interest).
Introduction and demo by me for the session’s activity
Time for you to get started on this, during which time I will be on WhatsApp and email to give support where needed
Finishing up with a brief look at the results from the session, Q&A for going forward.
The session content will be recorded and available to all who have enrolled along with pdf copies of the slides.
After the session
During the month after the session ends, I will give you feedback on your progress in the form of questions, what to think about, or suggestions. Send me an example of your work with information on what you would like to discuss or ask. I’ll get back to you in good time.
What happens if I miss a session?
The sessions will all be recorded and uploaded to You Tube, so if you miss a session you will be able to follow this. This is a live recording of the session, unabridged, including interaction with the group. It is not a pre-recorded lecture. You will also be given the monthly handout which covers the session and follow up work and feedback by email.
Dates
Saturday September 23rd
Saturday October 14th
Saturday November 11th
Saturday December 9th
Saturday January tbc
Saturday February tbc
Saturday March tbc
Saturday April tbc
Fees
Payment can be made for the 8 sessions in total before the course starts in September or as two separate payments. The second payment is due in December. If you make two payments, the first payment will be more expensive but if you go ahead and enrol for the second part you will just pay the balance owed for the total fee.
If you do not continue you will not receive a refund. (See booking terms).
Fees:
Total payment for 8 sessions - £600
Payment for 1st installment (1-4) due by the end of August - £375, 2nd installment (5-8) due 16th December - £225
Payment can be made by cheque or bank transfer. Details will be supplied.
Overseas participants have paid with Paypal in the past. This seems the easiest way to do it.
BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Bookings are made on payment of the full amount. 50% of that amount functions as a non-returnable deposit. No refunds are available for cancellations 21 days or later before the course begins.
Places are limited and allocated in the order I receive them. If the course is already full, I will return your payment but keep your name on a waiting list. In the unlikely event that I have to cancel a course, whether due to insufficient bookings or otherwise, I will let you know as soon as possible and refund 100% of the fee paid, with no further liability.
Participants attend these courses entirely at their own risk.
Online courses - numbers are capped for these courses so that there is opportunity for some 1:1 feedback and support. Therefore, the payment conditions remain the same.