Blog
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- Ashley Hanson
30 SEPT 2025
At low-tide in Porthleven, large chevron-shaped steps are revealed at the base of the pier outside the Ship Inn. An idea - and drawing - came, placing these chevrons at the bottom of a painting, 'lifting' the harbour upwards above, with a whoosh of water between piers (1). The clumsily drawn first marks (2) were covered by liqiuid yellows, scraped back the next day to reveal 'ghost-marks', with the orange and blue vertical streaks provoking the palette for the painting (4). Further refinements of line and colour led to the finished painting above which is joyous, animated and ctritically, different, capturing the spirit of the drawing,
A curiosity: consciously, subconsciously, after finishing my painting, I thought of this Terry Frost painting with its stack of boats...
'Green, Black and White Movement' 1951 Terry Frost
(4)
(3)
(2)
(1)
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- Ashley Hanson
'For me, abstract painting and figurative painting are not opposites. A painting should be both abstract and figurative.’ Nicolas de Stael 1952
As you can see from the gallery above, an exceptional group of paintings emerged during the recent Aylesbury 2-day workshop, responding to the work of Nicholas de Stael. In advance the artists were asked to make studies of landscape, still life or the figure to bring to the workshop.
The workshop began with an introductory talk, loooking at de Stael's influences, stylistic changes and legacy. This was followed by group exercises and demonstrations, exploring mark-making in both drawing and painting (with a palette-knife!) and translating and simplifying the studies in felt-tip pen. Now we had a way in to painting...
Paintings by Antonia Glynne-Jones
The ambition was not simply to imitate the 'style of de Stael', but to follow his ideals of a fusion of inside and outside, past and present, doing justice to the subject and expressing the feelings triggered by the subject. It's a philosophy that carries through all the 'Freedom in Painting' workshops and courses: paintings rooted in reality, a perception of reality but hooked on to the senses and allowed to develop and evolve as they are made.
The studio at Queens Park Arts Centre, Aylesbury
The 2 days were filled with one-to-one tutorials and further demonstrations, finishing with an invaluable group critique. Curiosity, bravery, hard work and the sprit of Nicholas de Stael certainly paid off during the workshop with some very exciting and inventive paintings produced. Hats off to the artists!
ARTISTS COMMENTS
'The course showed me a very different way of working. Very useful and inspiring. Very enjoyable and relaxed. I learnt a lot from Ashley and found his demos particularly useful' GUY ROSE
'Challenged me to explore new ways of looking at art, preparing for painting and including how to get back on track. Ashley is a kind, helpful and thoughtful tutor - method of teaching and feedback all help me develop my practice' KATY GARROD
'A great two days and thank-you.' JENNY LAW
'Very helpful - always wonderful to follow a specific artist - their style and techniques. Ashley delivers and 'homes in' to these methods which helps up learn and develop. Love the challenge of oils and abstraction - a little out of my comfort-zone!' JUDITH HARPER
'Reminded me that a palette-knife can be great!' PIPPA GREENSMITH
'A great teacher with always something new to give' KAREN MARTIN
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- Ashley Hanson
SUN 7 SEPT - FINALLY!
Take that man's paints away! With 'YinYang' I felt I'd acheived a breakthrough in my work, with the the tall blue mark on the left and the wriggling fat orange line redrawing the harbour transforming the painting. This week, I've been looking again at 'Echo', I wasn't sure about the shape of the harbour and the sameness of the edges and paint-handling and I felt I needed to be as brave and break the painting apart...
I'm happy now.
'Echo' is less polite now: it's moving, pulsating with colour and energy, with edges broken with new blues and purples, punched on with brush and knife. The orange harbour is now a more elegant, distinctive shape with a squeezed' 'waist' and framed by jewels of colour and piers that punctuate the dominant verticality. I'm proud of both paintings equally. Over to the clients!
Detail - 'Echo'
SAT 30 SEPT
Apologies for the low profile recently - I've been working on a commission for a new Porthleven painting, with a specified size and palette. Turquoise and orange - no problems there! I took the the decision to work on two paintings at the same time, which gives the client a choice and also ensures that I have a new painting for my portfolio. For the past few weeks the paintings have been rivals, each provoking the other to greater heights and I'm thrilled to present the finished works, complimentary but each with a distinct strength and surprise. Both have two harbours: orange and blue in YinYang - high tide/low tide? - and in 83, a linear echo of the harbour-shape.
THE STORY
STAGE 5 - Would you stop here? Love the blue square and rhythms of blocks and triangles in 82 but has it become too static? In 83, the wristy brushmark through the paint is a triumph but my gut says it can go further, with more flow and precision and a tuning up of colour.
STAGE 4 - The hot green shape in 82 transforms the painting, provoking the oranges, breaking the symmetry and balance of colour. 83 is transformed by line/drawing bringing in movement, depth and difference and giving me several options for the bottom of the painting.
STAGE 3 - Finding my harbour-shapes and balance of colour...
STAGE 2 - The race begins! 83 noses ahead: I've found a connection between the diagonal drips and the angled wall of the Fisherman's pier.
STAGE 1 - Early days. Markmaking, filling the canvas, finding equivalents in paint and colour for the opposing qualities of stasis and movement, solidity and transparency prevalent in Porthleven. But for me, of course, markmaking is never enough.
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- Ashley Hanson
Ever since I was introduced to his work at Canterbury College of Art in the early 80's, Pierre Bonnard has been a major influence on my painting, not just his colour and invention but a whole process of working from drawings and memory. I thought it was about time we had a look at his work in our series of 'Freedom in Painting' workshops!
“I have all my subjects to hand, I go and look at them. I take notes. Then I go home. And before I start painting I reflect, I dream.”
Pierre Bonnard was a master of colour, capturing transience and beauty in the domestic interior. Rather than working directly from the subject he preferred to work from small drawings that allowed space for the imagination, freeing his heightened and intensified colour and radical compositions from straightforward description.The motif of the window, appears in many of his most iconic paintings, flooding his interiors with the light and colour from outside.
In preparation for the workshop, the 10 artists were asked to make studies of their favourite window and the relationship between inside and outside. Also to prepare their canvases with a pink ground.
Barry Kellington - drawing into painting...
After a brief settling in period and a chance to say hello to the other artists on the ZOOM platform, the workshop began with a Powerpoint presentation of Bonnard's work, showing the development of his unique style and methods, including the important role of drawing in his process. We were all inspired by the dazzling procession of 'window' paintings!
This was followed by a group drawing exercise, designed to echo Bonnards fluid compositions, and a colour exercise, with acylics on paper, finding a balance between warm and cool colours and introducing pattern.
Then it was time for my first painting demonstration, translating the drawings with colour, working the whole canvas. Bonnard's paintings are filled with remarkable brushwork and the artists, including myself, were asked to give up their palette-knives and use the paintbrush exclusively during the workshop. The artists then began their own paintings, which were discussed in a series of individual tutorials after lunch. For the tutorials, we ask the artists to email a photo of their painting in progress 5 minutes before their slot, giving me time to edit before sharing the image on screen to discuss.
Anna Badar
Jane Crane
Day 2, began with another demonstration. Overnight, I had made a list of changes to make, which I followed in the demonstration. The painting moves on to the next stage...
Bonnard's process was a slow one, incessant reflection and adjustment, over months, years, even decades and of course, impossible to reproduce in a 2-day workshop but I encouraged his process of looking and adjusting until the painting is found. Most of the artists worked on a single painting and above and below are examples of the changes made over the two days, including Beryl Hawker's remarkable interpretation of mirrored reflections. A photo becomes an idea becomes a painting, a mirror becomes a window...
Carol Hayslip
Brett Cooke
Beryl Hawker
During the day, the artists had a second one-to-one tutorial before a period of 'silent working time' in the afternoon. The artists then emailed me the final version of their paintings which I put together in a Powerpoint presentation for our final Group Tutorial. A great way to end the course, reviewing and discussing the paintings.
The ambition was not to make a pastiche of Bonnard but to use some of his bravery with colour, his dazzling brushwork, his inventiion with composition etc to make our own magical fusions of inside and outside, sourced in our favourite places. As you can see from the gallery below, that individuality shone through in a group of exciting paintings. Hats off to the artists!
GALLERY
ARTISTS COMMENTS:
'What a great workshop - afterwards I could see painting possibilties everywhere - as though my eyes had had a spring clean - all very liberating.' Anna Badar
'As always, our ZOOM meetings are inspirational and thought-provoking and I really enjoy them.' Jenny Kellington
'Bonnard is an intriguing artist and his way of seeing the world stimulated a fresh approach to painting the interior. Working though this challenge with Ashley's excellent demonstrations and tutorials was very satisfying.' Beryl Hawker
'I really enjoyed the workshop and especially the tutorials with Ashley. His gentle guidance hepled me resolve the first painting' Hazel Crawford
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- Ashley Hanson
WED 23 JULY
In the Ship Inn of course, having a pint with Bonnard!
In the final session, the breakthrough came with a simplification of the window with lemon yellow - colour is light! - unashamedly referencing Bonnard's 'Studio with Mimosa'. 1939-46. A much more satisfying proportion now of yellow to blue, (with punctuations of pink). A second beermat was introduced... and rejected, a final Indian Yellow brushmark on the right of the blue bench/band instead. We're done.
Enjoying how the pint glass almost hangs from the canvas-divide...
In my notes, I wrote 'Too many verticals and too evenly spaced!' Much more interesting above, with the space opened up. At one point there was a figure on the left edge - very Bonnard - now we have 'the possibility of flowers', a first in my work!
The canvas I intended to use wasn't square so I swapped it for a twin-canvas I'd put aside for my next BOOK' painting, based on 'Brighton Rock'. Immediately, I knew I could use the canvas-divide as part of my window. A cool pink ground with a touch of green, followed by mainly transparent yellows, Michael Harding Bright Yellow Lake and Indian Yellow and a cool Cerulean Blue.
'Information' drawings on the left and drawings from memory on the right, with the idea emerging of putting my last painting 'Porthleven 80' in the window, instead of the view of the clocktower, continuing the diagonal of the table to the top-right corner. The painting takes elements from all the drawings.
