The Defining Practice course has established itself as an ideal platform for those who wish to create a body of work over a year through which they might gain a stronger sense of their artistic voice, create a deeper richness to their practice and find the methods, materials and processes that are most suited to their work.
Below on this page, you can find more information about the course such as who it is aimed at, how the sessions run, typical artists teaching on the course, dates for the next cohort starting in September of 2024 and a link to a blog article on the Defining Practice Course written by a recent participant.
Many artists struggle to develop ideas from initial studies into more resolved work using the most appropriate media. Sometimes this can simply be because they are not using the right materials, brushes, supports or primers to achieve the work they want to make. The Defining Practice course is designed to establish strategies for working that help you generate your momentum and inspiration. By connecting all the stages of your practice, from initial sketches or photos to resolved artworks and how they are displayed, you can build up an individual practice that is rich, diverse, organic, and cohesive.
The course combines practical sessions alongside one-to-one tutorials and is held over six two-day sessions each around eight weeks apart. Over the year we will help each of you to look at a wealth of artists that are relevant to you and how you can learn from different elements of their practice.
The course is led by artists Faye Dobinson and Caroline Pedler, supported by Marie Claire Hamon with visiting artists leading some of the practical sessions, including artists such as Jesse Leroy Smith, Maggie O’Brien, Anita Reynolds, John Howard, Jessica Cooper, and James Hankey, among others.
You will be introduced to the tutors when they will share their work with you, discussing their art practices and their experiences of exhibiting collaboration, and public projects. There will be lots of opportunities to have the Lead and Visiting Artists engage with your work giving you encouragement and support. The art school will provide a wide range of materials in the sessions to help you experiment with different approaches and processes to bring into your work.
Each Defining Practice group will have 3 tutors teaching at all times which means that there is an unusually high ratio of tutors to students.
Please find below the main themes of our two-day sessions.
- Experimental painting and source material
- Developing an image - Drawing, Print and Collage
- Research and themes - Place Visiting
- The Portrait and Self-portrait
- Colour - Processes and Materials
- Reflection
We offer everyone interested in applying for the course a free 45-minute one-to-one Zoom call with the Lead Tutor. Simply fill in our Application Form embedded below and we will contact you about arranging an informal interview. Alternatively, if you have any questions you can get in touch via Contact Us.
Course price for 2024/25: £3,150.
Applications are open for 2025/26, with sessions to be released shortly.
We have an excellent blog article on the Defining Practice Course written by someone who attended the course recently which can be found here:
Defining Practice year-long course blog
To view our other Year Long Courses, please click here.
