An Introduction to Watercolour
Starting Thursday 26th April (1.30 – 3.30pm)
Paul Regan and Michael Kirkbride
Enrol now

For the past eleven years we have been teaching adults how to paint through our ‘Introduction to Painting’ courses for absolute beginners. Most people who enrol for these courses are looking to learn the basics so that they can produce a painting they are proud of to take home to show to their family and friends. This is where we pitch our beginner courses, initially assuming that nobody know anything about painting, then week by week introducing new techniques and subject matter so that by the end of term everyone has produced successful paintings.

The Introduction courses cover three different painting mediums; watercolour in the summer, acrylics in the autumn and oils in the spring. Most beginners choose to continue until they have learnt about each medium, but some people choose to move on to one of our subject specific mixed ability classes. Either way, students continue to enjoy being a part of our friendly creative community, learning more and becoming better artists.

Some of our past beginners have now even gone on to be successful selling artists, exhibiting in galleries and taking regular commissions. This is the story of Fiona Payne, who started at Insight School of Art and now uses our lower studio for practising artists. Last Wednesday Fiona was interviewed about her journey to becoming a practising artist on Three Counties Radio which can be listened to again for the next few days online on the stations website (Forward to about 2 hours and 8 minutes).

Our next introduction course is watercolour, so if you’re not currently painting and you would like to get started with other beginners, why not let us teach you? We give clear instruction through lots of demonstrations, individual guidance and all the materials you need for the course.

You can find out more about the Introduction to Watercolour course next term and enrol on our website or by calling us on 020 8441 6153.

At last year’s end of Level 4 course exhibition, the paintings of both Feza Erkeller and Helen Lee were very popular with visitors and attracted a lot of interest. They have now teamed up to put on an exhibition of their new work entitled London and Beyond at Lauderdale House in Highgate, from June 12th – 24th. Having seen their recent work I’d highly recommend that you put the date in your diary.

If you would like to meet them at their private view I’m sure they won’t mind if you email them via their websites for an invitation.

MaSS artists Fiona Payne and Helen Lee are being interviewed tomorrow (27.3.12) on Three Counties Radio by Nick Coffer at about 3pm. They’re talking about the 17@ArtVanGo exhibition in Knebworth. If you aren’t able to catch the show live you should be able to hear it for a few days via the stations website.

Congratulations to three Insight School of Art students; Judith Mackay, Annie Miller and Chris Pepperell who have all had work selected for the ‘Garden and Landscape Inspired Open Exhibition’ at Luton Hoo this weekend. Further details are available at www.lhwg.org.uk.

We have just put details online of our first ever Sunday Workshop. On Sunday 29th April, Di Roberts will be holding a chalk pastels day on the theme of ‘The Setting Sun’. Although this is a workshop for adults, children aged 14 and over who are serious about their art are very welcome to enrol too.

We have had two cancellations for the next chalk pastel workshop being held in three weeks time on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th April. If you would like to enrol for ‘The Mark of a Great Artist’ you can do so online or by calling the school. This is during the Easter holidays so once again open to children 14 years and over as well as adults.

The recent Egg Tempera workshop with Michael Kirkbride last month was an outstanding success as you can see from this beautiful painting on panel by 17 year old Perrine Davari.

Perrine has been attending classes at Insight School of Art for about five years now and is currently completing her A-Levels and applying to University. She has also been working as a classroom assistant with our Wednesday 6-8yrs class. Perrine, we all wish you lots of luck with your exams and interviews. You deserve lots of success.

I’m currently exhibiting a small series of oil paintings in the school gallery until March 23rd. Please drop by to have a look and leave a comment in the book. If you don’t currently attend classes at the school but would like to have a look at the paintings you are welcome to get in touch to arrange a time to visit.

There are ten oil paintings on show, all suburban scenes at night time from the Barnet area. I plan to enter most of them into competitions over the next year so they are currently not for sale, however if you are interested in a particular piece, please let me know and I will let you know where and when it will be next on show.

I’ve also included a signed limited edition giclee print of the painting ‘Park Rd I’ in the exhibition; the original of which will be appearing on the BBC2 programme ‘Show Me The Monet’ from May onwards. Signed copies of this print are available for £85 unframed or £140 framed. Please get in touch if you would like to order a copy.

The Show Me The Monet exhibition is being held at the Mall Galleries in London from April 12th – 14th if you would like to see the work that was selected. Further details about opening times and how to get tickets for the ‘big reveal’ on the 14th can be found on the BBC website.

MaSS artists Feza Erkeller and Helen Ryan, along with myself (Paul Regan) will be appearing on the next series of the BBC2 programme Show Me The Monet. Last week, after a number of nervous rounds, we were invited to take a painting to Eltham Palace to be filmed in front of the notorious Hanging Committee.

A total of 150 artists were filmed with their work from 3000 applicants with the aim of selecting about 50 paintings for an exhibition at the Mall Galleries in April. Despite all receiving a ‘Dragons Den’ style grilling from the hanging committee we have each learnt a lot from the experience and only wish now for some kind editing.

We’ve been asked not to post any of the judge’s decisions online but if you twist our arms when you see us we might spill the beans.
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The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea is coming up (March 15th – 18th) and we are proud to be able to announce that MaSS artist Christie Wagland is being represented there by bo.lee gallery. Christie only started painting three years ago after being encouraged by a very famous LA rock star who had read some of her creative writing online. Since that day Christie has been ambitiously committed to developing her contemporary iconography portraits using traditional Old Master oil techniques on our Level 4 course and more recently as a part of our mentoring scheme MaSS.

This is an amazing success story and very well deserved.

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More great news from our MaSS artists is that Julie D Cooper has been given the great honour of exhibiting at this year’s Childwickbury Arts Fair in July. Childwickbury is an annual event run by the wife and daughter of Stanley Kubrick, both who are painters, at their amazing family home near St Albans. The standard of art exhibited at Childwickbury is always of the highest standard and by established successful artists, so this is a fantastic achievement. Julie will be exhibiting new abstract work as well as being present to discuss her practice and demonstrate her techniques.

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Also, as mentioned in the last e-newsletter, 15 artists from last year’s level 4 course will be exhibiting recent work at Art Van Go in Knebworth between March 7th and April 7th.

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Finally, Lawrence Sparey and Naomi Ellis who attend our Wednesday evening Life Drawing classes are currently both currently exhibiting at the Mall Galleries until March 10th as a part of the Royal Society of British Artists. Lawrence, who is an RBA member is showing a sculpture, and Naomi is showing a painting selected through the RBA competition for young artists.

‘17 @ Art Van Go’ is the next exhibition by the group of artists who studied on our Level 4 course last year. The exhibition, which includes many new pieces, is being held at Art Van Go in Knebworth from Saturday 10th March to Saturday 7th April. I hope you will put the dates in your diary and head over to see their work. Art Van Go also has an art shop and an excellent framers and is close to lovely Hertfordshire countryside walks and pubs!

Did you get to see the Leonardo exhibition? Were you smart enough to get your tickets well in advance or did you brave the elements and queue from the crack of dawn to get in? Now that the paintings are flying back to their various collections around the world, which blockbusters are you going to visit now?

You’re probably aware that David Hockney’s Yorkshire landscapes, painted in Oil, Watercolour and Ipad at the Royal Academy has already started and causing quite a debate. Most people who have seen the show find it inspiring, uplifting and a celebration but a few people are not so sure.

Much of the talk is now turning to the Lucian Freud Portraits exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery which starts on February 9th and then six days later the Picasso and Modern British Art at the Tate Britain. The Lucian Freud exhibition was discussed on the Culture Show last week which is available online for just one more day.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss out on the next National Gallery exhibition then you might like to book now for Turner Inspired: In the Light of Claude starting on March 14th.

This is a great time for art fairs too. With the London Art Fair and Watercolour Works on Paper now over we can still look forward to three more in the spring:

16th – 19th February: 20/21 International Art Fair
15th – 18th March: Affordable Art Fair
19th – 22nd April: The London Original Print Fair

If you would like a free pair of tickets to the International Art Fair you can print some off here or two tickets for the price of one for the Affordable Art Fair by clicking here and entering the code: loveart.

The Mall Galleries also have some exhibitions coming up worth a mention. On now is the Love Pastels 2012 exhibition of work by the Pastel Society until the 25th, followed by the Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition from Wednesday 29th February to Saturday 10th March and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours 200th Exhibition from Wednesday 14th to Sunday 25th March. Congratulations to Sixth Former and Insight School of Art class assistant Naomi Ellis who has had her work selected to hang in the Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition.

The BBC programme Show Me the Monet will be back in April and this year they will holding their exhibition at the Mall Galleries too. Keep an eye out for the show as you might see some familiar Insight School of Art faces this year in front of the hanging committee!

A two day chalk pastel workshop: Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th April (10-3)

Book now

Using the top 10 most expensive paintings ever sold as her starting point, Di Roberts will be investigating the brush marks used by famous artists from the past, and looking at ways that they can be represented in chalk pastel. The two day workshop will start with technical mark-making and colour mixing exercises and an artist copy, followed by producing chalk pastel paintings of a similar subject in the style of the artist they have studied.

People wishing to do just one of the workshop days should register their interest by email or by calling 020 8441 6153 and a place will be offered during March if available.

No previous experience is required and all materials are provided.

Di’s pastels classes are always fully booked so early enrolment is recommended.

All materials will be provided.