“I did loved Nicolas work has a teacher, open and very knowledgeable in every aspect of Art, and he did magic within the short resources provided from the school itself.”
“Julian Le Bas was an excellent tutor and I learned a lot on my two day landscape course at Firle with him. As The Beanstalk Cottage Cafe didn't open until 11.00 it would have been good to have been given water on arrival, both for painting purposes and for drinking.
I would be interested in any other courses with him.”
“Paddock studios is a nice art space to work in with a lovely garden, although it can feel a bit cramped as there is limited room to stand back from your easel.
Great teacher with lots of imparted knowledge and one to one tuition. More effort could be made to start the course on time and ensure that the equipment list distributed reflects what the tutor requires the students to have.
Overall a good experience and I would return on another course.”
“Michael is an excellent teacher, both gentle and incisive, who creates projects within students' reach and is able to balance positive remarks with constructive critiques in a rare balance. His classes are enjoyable and encouraging. The setting, a sunny studio in the heart of Brighton's Laines, is stimulating.”
“I had a great workshop with Nicolas Uribe, he was a brilliant tutor.
He was very hands on doing lots of little demonstrations for anyone that needed help
or advice. I would go as far as to say that he was the best tutor i've experienced on
any workshop i've been on.
The only draw back was the lack of spotlights for the models, we were virtually painting in the dark when the sun went in! I really think this needs to be addressed asap.”
“Nice workshop. Good faculty. Good models. Limited group of students. Helpful staff. Facilities ok (extra light would be convenient). Location so so (travel time not insignificant)”
“I enjoyed the one day workshop with Alex Fowler. I felt i learnt some things.
I however have to point out that the list given to us for the items to be brought to the venue was very misleading.
Alex is a very good tutor. I ould come back to another of his courses.”
“The NSOA offers an broad range of interesting artist teachers, it's hard to chose! The lovely locations in both Lewes and London certainly add up to the experience. This time I enjoyed the skill of Robert Dukes, giving very adequate feedback and instruction (and nice catalogues of his works). Small group size make it even more intense.”
“Nick Bodimeade was brilliant and the course was exactly as advertised. If he should do a different course with you I would certainly appreciate being told about it.
As we were working substantively on trestle tables along the middle of the studio the question inevitably arose as to whether we felt too cramped. I didn't think so since Nick was able to tour and the closeness of the students engendered exchange of ideas. Of the 10 booked 9 turned up. In my opinion any more would probably have been too many.”
“A good course, well organised with clear objectives and guidelines.
I learnt how to use shape, tone and colour in order to create a composition; to look at the marks I had already made to decide what to do next and assess as I went along, and the value of having more than one painting on the go to prevent overworking. There was plenty of tutor input and a chance to look at other abstract artists work as examples.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed my day. The course was excellent. The size and general layout of the room was comfortable.
My only recommendation would be that the cleaning facilities provided were extremely inadequate and that they be improved. It was difficult cleaning brushes, palettes and other instruments used in the process.
Also...I understood the necessity of not putting turps down the sink but to leave it in unmarked containers on the surface is not prudent .....it creates health and safety and fire risks.”
“Very good course, I learned a lot. A lot was packed into 2 days. My only criticism was that we had to arrange with the Mall Galleries to leave our canvases to dry as it was awkward to travel home with wet oil paint. If they couldn't accommodate us it would have been a problem. The actual course was very good. I'd take another one sometime”
“The admin wasn't very efficient but the actual course was incredibly useful. Louise Balaam was an inspiring tutor who gave much encouragement. She was very generous in sharing her working methods, pointing towards artists she admired as well as introducing us to new materials and suppliers. The studio was well placed for ready access to rural views and well equipped with a studio easel , table and field easel for each student.
I had a great time and came away with a couple of paintings which took my work in a new direction. The course was everything I had hoped.”
“Camilla, as tutor was very welcoming, as was Anna who allowed her house to be used as an art base. Unfortunately the weather was not kind and if we had not been able to use the indoor space it would have been pretty disasterous. However Anna went out of her way to ensure we had all we needed and we were plied with refreshments. Camilla started us off with clear instructions and over the two half days came round regularly to suggest and review our work. This was very helpful.
I think it would have been good to collect us together at the end to discuss our work as a group. I always find that kind of critique helpful, and it also helps to bring the group together. But it was only a short course and I will certainly aim to come again”
“Really enjoyed the classes and the teacher was very good and I learnt a lot
Only suggestion is don't think you needed 4 large canvass to paint on as they are so hard to bring in
Half the size would have been ok
Also need to bring cloths
Thanks again great experience”
“I enjoyed the 2 day course at The Mall Gallery with Louise Balaan as our tutor. She was very helpful and enthusiastic. She gave us a quick demo of her painting method on day 2 and guidance on working quickly. She showed us her sketch books and stressed the importance of using them and painting en plain air.
The only criticisms I have were lack of soap/ fairy liquid and scorers and sponges to wash our brushes and easels. Also lack of coffee/tea facilities meant that we had to buy drinks at the cafe over the two days, which was quite an added expense.”
