Description
“Painting the visible world is, at its essence, a matter of placing the right colour in the right place.”
Join Alex Fowler NEAC for a richly informative and inspiring course that explores the fundamentals of painting through the intelligent observation of colour. Designed for artists of all levels—from complete beginners to the more experienced—this class offers a structured, insightful approach that demystifies the painting process.
- Learn a powerful and effective way of painting
- Mix colour accurately and without fuss
- Build vibrant pictures easily using logical principles
- Allow your personal language to emerge
- Work from still life and a nude model
At the heart of Alex’s teaching is a simple but transformative idea: the visible world can be understood as a jigsaw of opaque colour shapes. By learning to observe and place these shapes with precision, you begin to unlock the language of painting. So much of what we recognise as “likeness” lies in accurate colour relationships. Drawing, above all, becomes a matter of shape and proportion seen through the lens of colour.
As the influential painter and teacher Charles Hawthorne put it: “Once you understand colour, you have something with which to draw.”
Working from portrait, figure, and still life subjects—with set-ups that often continue over several weeks—you’ll be able to build paintings over time. Alex is meticulous in arranging these set-ups, carefully composing still lifes or figure motifs that allow rich and beautiful colour relationships to emerge.
A passionate communicator with a deep knowledge of art history, Alex frequently draws on examples from the past to highlight the strategies artists use, illuminate how paintings function visually, and inspire your own practice.
The Course Will Cover:
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- Understanding colour from a painter’s perspective
- Organising the palette and mastering colour mixing
- Brushwork, mark-making and confident paint handling
- Compositional design and picture planning
- Strategies for accurate drawing
- Depicting surface, texture, and light convincingly
- Establishing tonal values and colour relationships
- Managing detail, edges, and focus
The power of painting in a group for sustained periods of time cannot be underestimated. Giving yourself a whole day every week to focus on your painting is transformative. Whether you’re taking your first steps or refining a long-standing practice, Alex’s perceptive and supportive teaching will help you build confidence, hone your visual awareness, and deepen your engagement with painting.
Autumn term calendar:
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September 8th, 15th (Week 1, 2): Still Life
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September 22nd, 29th (Week 3, 4): Model
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October 6th, 13th (Week 5, 6): Still Life
-Half term-
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November 3rd, 10th (Week 7, 8): Still Life
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November 17th, 24th (Week 9, 10): Model
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December 1st, 8th (Week 11, 12): Model
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Materials:
Materials needed for this course can be found here.
Please get in touch at info@dulwichartgroup.co.uk if you need any clarification.
About Alex
Before becoming intoxicated with the act of painting Alex studied Art History in Edinburgh, which informs his painting and teaching. He trained as a painter at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art. His painting is about the act of perception: how it feels to see.
