The aim of the course is to show you, in an uncomplicated manner, how to approach different materials and techniques and through intensive individual coaching help you to discover additional, different ways of looking at things. This is done through working with light, colour, form and space, without affecting your own forms of expression. Furthermore, your view on art will be developed. The course is aimed at beginners as well as advanced participants. There is a special introductory session for beginners to give them a solid basis, ensuring that participants get over their initial inhibitions. Landscape is the main theme of the course. Every day we visit a different, quiet location, carefully selected according to the technique and approach of a particular day. When the weather is less good, work is carried out in the studio. Here special attention is paid to still lifes, portraits, and possibly interior decorating.
Numerous materials will be used, amongst which chalk, Chinese brushes and ink, gouache and acrylic paint, and watercolours. We take you from Egon Schiele’s line drawings, Japanese artists, the use of strong colour by the fauvists, to the quick sketches of Dufy. Everyone is free to browse through the many available art books.
The sessions are daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a short coffee break. Before lunch, which is delivered on site, a joint discussion takes place. The fortnight course is concluded with an exhibition. To ensure maximum coaching, groups are limited to 12-13 persons. For participants who have already participated in a course in the Auvergne, a continuation course is available, or there is the possibility to participate in the course individual painting. We advise beginners and first timers to come for two weeks, since the build-up of the course takes this into account (participants tend to find one week too short).
Individual painting
This course is very suitable for participants who have attended Artedu courses for a number of years and can call themselves very advanced. These participants will want to develop their own vision and style, learn to determine their own point of view and work method, if necessary with the coaching, knowledge and experience of the lecturer. You might want your own space, or maybe get very focussed assignments. Or you might want to focus on technique or experiment with different techniques from the ones you are used to. To try the abstract, to abandon form or to concentrate on form, to improve your composition skills, or to learn more about colour. You could work from a theme, in the studio or go into the countryside, with or without a group. The lecturer concentrates on your work, stimulates you, recognises the weaker and stronger sides of your work and in this way creates an individualised programme for you. In other words, a course programme developed specifically for you, in which, besides group discussions, demonstrations, evaluations and art evaluations, the lecturer aims to coach you individually for at least 30 minutes per day. In this way you will benefit as much as possible from this course. The lecturer will be familiar with all techniques. Maximum number of participants is six.
Materials
In the price of the course are included the use of: drawing boards, easels, and watercolour tables. Besides that, Artedu has a stool available for every participant, to which, and very practical, a bag is attached with a box filled with pencils, eraser, chalk, knife, some brushes and water containers, plates for paint and a coffee mug. Only the following materials are to be supplied by the participant: paper tape to attach the watercolour paper, 2 to 4 bulldog clips, and as regards paints it is important to bring at least the following colours: cadmium red or naphthol crimson, alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, ultramarine, cobalt blue, perhaps Prussian blue, and a large tube of titanium white. And for the 2-week course or for advanced participants perhaps yellow ochre and burnt umber. Furthermore, a Chinese brush of at least 1 cm and hog’s hair brushes of up to 2 cm in width. Every day you can purchase a palette of paint from us, should you not yet be in possession of good painting materials, so that you can experiment a bit before you purchase. Should you wish to buy materials yourself, you are advised to do so at a specialised retailer. Please take care to purchase the right colours, as mentioned above. You will be able to purchase paper at cost price on location in the studio. Oil paint: fine if you wish to work with these during the course, but please note that oil takes a long time to dry. With fast-drying paint, such as gouache or acrylic paint, you will be able to work with different approaches and studies, which eventually will lead to better quality assignments. It is advisable to bring a tube or artwork case (60/70 cm) to facilitate the transport of the paintings back home.
