“These trees are magnificent, but even more magnificent is the sublime and moving space between them, as though with their growth it too increased”
- Rainer Maria Rilke
Looking at artists such as David Hockney, Kate Downie and Van Gogh, this summer school will explore different approaches to recording the powerful presence of trees.
We will begin spending time outside, studying trees, making quick expressive sketches and sustained drawings with the aim of capturing the gesture and intricate shapes of tree forms. Students will use a variety of materials including pastels and charcoal and also take photographs for reference. During this course there will be a focus on making colour choices and simplifying complex forms in order to depict movement and shape.
Back in the studio, we will develop our sketches in other media before spending the last two days working on an oil painting.