ABOUT THIS wORKSHOP

Painting the colour of flowers!

What better way to celebrate summer than by immersing yourself in the colour of flowers! During this summer course, we’ll explore the how to use flowers as a main subject in your painting. Painters have painted flowers for centuries, from Manet’s late floral still lives to Alex Katz’s large scale stylised works, and we will explore the different ways a painter can approach this wonderful subject.

Starting with small, simple setups and studies we’ll explore overall composition, tonal composition, colour relationships, and an alla prima painterly approach. As the week goes on you will have the possibility to expand onto a larger format and explore your own personal vision. Emphasis will be on a direct approach, using large brushes, but with a focus on the essential preparatory work. You will be encouraged to find a personal response to the subject of flowers, from a contemporary standpoint. 

During this workshop we will;

·       Look at how flowers as a subject have been handled by different artists throughout art history

·       Learn how to begin to translate colour effectively

·       Look at composition with highly coloured still life subjects

·       Explore colour theory and colour mixing

·       Focus on looking abstractly

·       Build images, from the general to the specific, using big brushes

Participants will be required to bring their own flowers and vases. Weather permitting some work might also be done outside.

Materials needed

• TO BE CONFIRMED

Meet Bairbre

To make a painting you need a starting point. Mine happens to be in the real world, usually a person, place or living thing.  

- Bairbre Duggan

Based in Amsterdam, Bairbre is a figurative painter and art historian. She trained at IADT, TCD and at the Wackers Academie in Amsterdam where she now teaches. Her approach to painting combines both direct and indirect techniques and she is interested in making paintings that follow in the traditions of painting, but also reflect the modern world. Alongside technical skills, in her teaching she focuses on helping the student to see the strength in their own work, work out what they need to work on and find a personal direction in their work.

Bairbre paints predominantly still lives and portraits.   She exhibits regularly, takes part in festivals internationally and her work is in public and private collections. She has exhibited at the RHA Annual , the Dutch Zomerexpo  and has been twice shortlisted for the Dutch Portrait Prize. 

Other work by Bairbre below; want to see more check out bairbreduggan.com