Insight School of Art Newsletter

Book now for our Summer Art School for Children

Paul Regan — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:44:56 +0000

We’ve just put dates for our Summer Art School for Children online. This year we’re offering four day courses for 6-8 and 9-12 year olds and a two day course for 12-16 year olds. Children 14 and over are also welcome to book places on our summer workshops for adults.

Our aim has always been to provide a ‘grown up’ art school experience to children of all ages. Like our weekly classes, our summer school will bring together children who love making art and want to learn and achieve more. It’s not necessary for children to arrive with great painting and drawing skills but a passion for art is essential.

We’re planning a brand new series of artistic activities to make sure each day of our summer school is suitable for children who already attend our weekly classes as well as new and past students. Children will be using a wide range of drawing and painting materials and learning essential art skills, techniques and knowledge.

Children will take their artwork home with them at the end of each day.

All of our workshop teachers are highly qualified to teach art and have had experience teaching in schools or collages as well as running their own art practice. All teachers have up to date CRB checks which we apply for ourselves and will be supported in class by two studio assistants.

Places are limited to 16 and will be offered on a first come first served basis so early booking is recommended.

Summer workshops for adults

Paul Regan — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:50:48 +0000

We’ve just put the finishing touches to what we think is a very exciting summer workshop programme for adults, with something for everyone. Have a look online here to see what you might like to do.

(Click on the workshop titles for more information).

The summer workshop programme kicks off with two new chalk pastel days with Di Roberts, followed by a repeat of Michael Kirkbride’s very successful Introduction to Egg Tempera and a new follow up aimed at people who have tried the medium and want to develop their skills further. Michael is also running a watercolour workshop painting outdoors towards London from Alexandra Palace.

At the end of the summer, BBC art critic Estelle Lovatt will be holding a two day, oil on canvas, life painting workshop and a separate lecture on the figure paintings of Lucian Freud.

Children 14yrs and over are welcome to enrol for all adult workshops except for life painting (16+). Summer workshops for younger children will be launched online in about a week’s time.

Book now to make sure you have creative days on your calendar to look forward to!

Instagram Pinterest Artstack and Draw Something

Paul Regan — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:28:52 +0000

With Instagram being sold recently to Facebook for $1 billion, what’s next in line for artists to play with online? Two websites currently still in their development stages (you can send them a request for an invitation) are Pintest and Artstack. I’ve just started playing with them and find Pinterest an easy to use and effective way of keeping artwork that inspires me together for future reference, but Artstack at the moment is a bit more tricky to use for what I would like it to do. Both of them have a social networking side to them too which you can use as much or as little as you like, and apps for the iphone and other handheld devices.

If you have an iphone you may already be hooked on the Draw Something app. If you haven’t come across it yet be warned, it is addictive. If you want to Draw Something for me to guess, search for Pablo Regan!

Success!

Paul Regan — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:08:02 +0000

Last week was a very successful one for our MaSS artists:
Richard Greaves’s offer of a portrait commission for the Mayor of Barnet’s charity auction raised £850, which Barclays are doubling to £1700.
Feza Erkeller has had a painting accepted for the forthcoming exhibition at the Mall Galleries with the Society of Women Artists (28th June – 7th July).
Helen Lee is making good sales from her exhibition at Crocodile Antiques in Muswell Hill.
Carol Robson has taken on two new portrait commissions.
…. and Fiona Payne and Clive Patterson have both had paintings accepted for the Hertford Open (May 6th to 19th).

This is great news and congratulations to them all.

Robin Richards

Paul Regan — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:50:58 +0000

Currently showing in our school gallery is a fascinating exhibition of acrylic painting by Robin Richards.

Robin successfully isolates and enlarges small sections of nature; creating windows into fairytale-like worlds of overgrown wild flowers wrapped around stone walls, doorways and structures in churchyards. His work encourages us to look into his world, evoking childhood memories and nostalgia.

Having set up his first design and print company in 1976, Robin became Art Director for The Jam and designed for the likes of The Clash, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie. In 1983 he set up a design studio where he produced work for Channel 4, MTV and a large number of magazines. Robin uses flat shapes, enhanced colour, strong outlines and graphic motifs which relate directly to his design background.

Robin is currently studying on our Level 4 course ‘How to become a successful practising artist’ having previously had four years of painting tuition here with Di Roberts.

The exhibition continues until Friday 1st June.

Artsdepot Open

Paul Regan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:05:06 +0000

Insight School of Art’s staff and students have had a lot of success at the Artsdepot Open since it first started. In the last three years we have had two £750 winners and a £250 second prize. We’ve also had many artists and students who had their work selected to be shown, which is a great acheivement in itself.

The closing date for entries for this year’s selection is 5pm on Tuesday 12th June. As usual we are encouraging our artists and students to enter work, but this year particularly our 13-19 year olds for the second year of the young artists prize.

Information about submitting work is available on from the artsdepot website.

Updating our online gallery

Paul Regan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:58:30 +0000

In the next couple of weeks we’ll be updating our online gallery of artwork from our adult leisure painting classes. Anyone wishing to add to or update their work online should email a good quality photograph to us or ask their teacher to take a photograph for them by the end of week 2 of term.

Our shining summer term teachers

Paul Regan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:55:25 +0000

The summer term’s starting on Monday; new lessons have been planned, resources and equipment ordered and teachers recharged and raring to go. We’ve increased our staffing for next term, with Lara Sparey teaching the new children’s class at 2pm on Saturdays, and Estelle Lovatt and Mike Kirkbride, both who have had a great impact on the knowledge and skills of our Level 4 and MaSS artists already, will now be doing extra teaching on our weekly leisure painting classes too.

You may have seen Estelle recently talking about the importance of Picasso’s painting ‘Child with a Dove’ on the BBC but if you missed it you can still see it here online.

Information about all Insight School of Art teaching staff, new and old, with links to their artwork, can be found on our website, and if you haven’t enrolled yet for the summer term you can check availability there too.

Wanted

Paul Regan — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:22:15 +0000

Do you have any old mecanical or electrical items that we can have to take apart and draw next term? Old radios, walkmans, clocks etc? Please let us know if you do or drop them by. Thank you.

Waiting lists for children’s classes

Paul Regan — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:19:38 +0000

Over the past two weeks we have been contacting parents on our waiting lists to offer places on children’s classes next term. We have a few more parents to call but most places have now been filled. Sorry if we haven’t managed to find a place for your child yet; we keep the lists in the order that people contact us to be fair to everyone.

We do however have places available on our new Saturday 2-3.45pm class for 11-13 year olds next term. If you would like your child to join this class please enrol online or call us on 020 8441 6153. There is currently no waiting list for this class. Also, if your child currently attends a class and you would like them to swap to this new time please let us know.

Finally, anyone who wishes to be added to a waiting list should contact us by email stating the class or classes they are interested in.