Our base will be in Bodmin, staying in very comfortable cottage-style accommodation. Bodmin’s central location offers easy access (maximum 30-minutes drive) to the north and south coasts, both of which we will be visiting.
The Freedom in Painting Concept
The idea behind Freedom in Painting is that rather than being in awe of the subject, or trying to imitate nature, we need to invent, challenge and surprise ourselves, and in doing so we instead transform nature into something that is ours.
With that aim in mind the course is designed in two parts, starting with a day and a half drawing and painting on location. We have deliberately chosen a varied and contrasting itinerary and guarantee there will be no problem with subject matter, whatever the weather!
This will be followed by two full days in the studio, transforming and developing the field studies and your ideas and finishing with one further morning out on location. Throughout the course, Ashley will be on hand to provide expert guidance and advice with both one-to-one tuition and group critiques. In the studio, Ashley will demonstrate colour, mark making and oil painting techniques. Other topics will include composition, space and the possibilities in painting. He will encourage risk-taking, analysis and invention, in order to take the paintings forward.
Day 1—Afternoon at Gribben Head
A beautiful clifftop location where the River Fowey meets the sea. On our walk we shall see the unique red and white square lighthouse, ‘The Gribben’ and visit the ruins of St Catherine's Castle, a spectacular location with its panoramic views of Fowey and Polruran. From this viewpoint we can be enchanted by the huddle of yachts at anchor and the constant movement of boats on the shimmering sea.
Day 2— Morning at Port Isaac
Situated on the rugged north coast this location may be familiar to you from the TV series ‘Doc Martin’. Cut into the dramatic granite cliffs, this working fishing village is littered with narrow winding streets and white-washed cottages. This visit includes both the harbour and its piers and clifftop walks where we can experience the power of the sea at first hand. Lunch will be provided in a homely village cafe.
Day 2—Afternoon, Rock to Daymer Bay
In complete contrast to the morning’s walk, this beautiful but gentler coastal landscape shows another side of Cornwall. The walk starts in Rock, situated across the Camel River from Padstow, proceeding along the grassy banks and sand dunes. You cannot fail to be inspired by the range of colours and the ever-changing light at this wondrous spot. Yellows and golds from the tidal sandbanks and flowers, and a myriad of blues and greens dominate from the water and the fields beyond. We finish our walk at Daymer Bay and we recommend that you climb Bree Hill with its stunning panorama including the whole of the Camel Estuary and the open sea, Bodmin Moor, Padstow and St Enedoc Church, where Sir John Betjeman is buried.
Days 3—4 In the Studio at St Breward
Our studio is at St Breward village hall (a 30-minute drive from the accommodation), an idyllic location on Bodmin Moor.The studio is situated next to the famous ‘Old Inn’ public house. A great place for real ale and good food at the end of a hard working day!
The workshop will commence at 9.30am through to 5pm.
Facilities include a large kitchen, toilets and a car park.
We will provide a buffet lunch and a free tea and coffee facility will be available throughout the day.
Tables will be available for use in the workshop but you will need to bring your own easels.
Light sketching easels can be provided, please contact us for further details.
At the end of our studio time we will be celebrating our painting achievements and hopefully an enjoyable holiday with a relaxing evening meal at Bodmin Jail Restaurant which has a reputation for excellent fresh, locally-produced food made to order. This meal is included in the price of the holiday.
Day 5—Morning at Charlestown
Our last morning will be spent at the small but perfectly formed, arrow-shaped Georgian harbour on the south coast. A working port, home to tall ships and a popular film location, (The Onedin Line and more recently Alice in Wonderland) Charlestown has been an inspiration for many of Ashley’s paintings!
Cost of Your Holiday
Prices vary according to the type of accommodation. For more details about prices please contact us directly.
How to Book
Places are limited to a maximum of 16 people, a small group ensuring that everyone gets equal benefit from Ashley’s tuition.
Booking Closed - Please see this years Holidays
To book please contact Denise or Ashley Hanson at
denise@ashleyhanson.co.uk
ashley@ashleyhanson.co.uk
or send a message from this website or call us on 01208 776566
What’s Included in Your Price
• 4 nights’ accommodation
• Ashley’s tuition over the 5 days
• Group critiques
• The hire and use of the studio
• Lunch on day 2 in Port Isaac
• Buffet lunch on days 3 and 4 in the studio
• Tea, coffee and soft drinks in the studio
(supplied on a self-service basis)
• Celebratory dinner on Friday evening
What’s Not Included
• All transport and travel costs and car parking fees
(We recommend car sharing to each location but arrangements
must be made on an individual basis)
• Food and drinks where not stated
• All drinks at the celebratory dinner
• All painting materials and equipment
• Travel insurance
Accommodation
Our accommodation is based at Coldharbour Farm on the outskirts of Bodmin. It offers com-fortable cottages within a 15-minute walking distance from the town centre, where there are a variety of shops, pubs and restaurants.
All cottages are on a shared basis:
Kingfisher 6 people
4 bedroom cottage (1 bathroom en-suite, 1 shower room /toilet)
2 Twin rooms
1 Double en-suite (sold as a single room)
1 Single room
Chough 4 people
3 Bedrooms (1 bathroom/ toilet)
1 Double (sold as a single room)
1 Twin room
1 Single room
Swift 3 people
2 Bedrooms (1 Bathroom/Toilet)
1 Double and single bed (sold as a twin room)
1 Single room
Magpie 3 people
2 Bedrooms (1 Bathroom /Toilet)
1 Double (sold as a single room)
1 Twin room
If there is a group of you travelling together we will do our best to book you into the same cottage, however we recommend you book early to secure your preferred accommodation.
All cottages have a well-equipped kitchen, microwave oven, TV and DVD players.
Heating is supplied by storage heaters and additional convection heaters. There is a laundry room and a games room offering table tennis, a pool table, table football, and darts.
Please note smoking is not permitted in any of the cottages.
About Your Tutor—Ashley Hanson
Ashley studied at Canterbury College of Art where he gained a First Class degree in Fine Art in 1983. He is a former prize-winner in the Hunting Art Prizes and was also a recipient of a Boise Travel Scholarship from the Slade School of Art. Since 2007 Ashley has been a visiting lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University and KHIB in Bergen, Norway. In addition his own workshops ‘Freedom in Painting’, ‘Creative Colour’ and ‘Introduction to Oil Painting’ and ‘The Painting Process’ have all proven to be very popular, with very positive feedback.
His work has been shown in galleries throughout the UK, in France and the USA, including Edgar Modern, Bath, the Belgrave Gallery, St. Ives, the Campden Gallery, the Cotswolds and Caxton Contemporary, Whitstable. He moved to Cornwall in 2005 to be closer to the coastal landscape that inspires his paintings.
And Finally....
The aim of this painting holiday is for you to both enjoy and respond to the landscape and make paintings that both challenge and surprise you and further your development as an artist. At the same time we hope you will gain benefits and support and even form friendships by working in a small group of like-minded artists.
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| Charlestown 5 by Ashley Hanson | 2008 |
Our approach is to be flexible, friendly and informal and to help out in whatever way we can to ensure this is both an enjoyable holiday and a memorable painting experience.
