Michael Major MA (RCA)

This course will cover a range of approaches to oil painting with practical work underpinned by the relevant methods, materials and historical information. It is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced students.

Course 1 Still Life (October): Students will explore the range and depth of colour made possible by transparent oil paint. Using a variety of still life set-ups you will produce vibrant paintings whose spontaneity is balanced by a more studied painting built up with glazed layers of colour.

Course 2 Figure Painting (January): Students will work from a nude model to investigate colour and technique. You will become aware of the emotional power of colour and how, through the tactile handling of paint, the expressive content of the painting can be increased.

Course 3 Landscape (April): Using drawings or your own photographs as the starting point. We will explore landscape painting in terms of colour, texture, rhythm and composition. This is not a  back to basics class rather one that develops your imaginative response and leads towards a more experiential approach. The journey we take will lead you towards a more physical and abstract painting that can bring you closer to the initial experience contained in the image. Students will be encouraged to make an  intermediary coloured drawing from which the painting will be based.

Michael Major is a painter living, working and exhibiting in London. Visit his website at www.michael-major.co.uk for more information.