MAY 2025 - Seascape Semi abstract mixed media at Higham Hall
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Higham Hall, Cumbria
Sorry, now fully booked!
NEW FOR 2025, this short semi abstract mixed media seascape course at Higham Hall gives you the opportunity to explore lots of creative and expressive art techniques in a really exciting and contemporary way with SEASCAPES!
I will be teaching you how to engage with your subject with greater depth, meaning and feeling with a semi abstract approach both in the studio and along the Cumbrian Coast (weather permitting).
This art course is for art students who really are willing to let go of their painting inhibitions and are prepared to add more emotional expression in their paintings rather than try and create exactly what's in front of them.
Students who attend this course must be willing to push their own creative boundaries and willing to think differently about how they currently paint.
The emphasis on this course is on deeper understanding of composition values, colour relationships, mood and tone and when creating to balance controled mark making with creative expression.
You will also learn how to interchange between acrylic inks, watercolour, gouache, soft pastels and drawing media to develop paintings with real depth and exciting mark making.
On studio days students will work from their own photographic references and sketch books brought with them and physical references gained from painting on the coast. I will guide and teach you how to extract the eseential visual information within your reference to develop your paintings with greater depth and exciting mark making.
This course is not suitable for beginners as the techniques taught will be to advanced.
More than the basic level of drawing, colour understanding is needed to maximise your own personal creative direction out of this course.
Suitable for students with a good deal of painting practice who really want to loosen up, be more expressive and move on to the next stage in their own painting development.
Suitable for artists familiar with their materials, have plenty of them, have good colour mixing knowledge and practice and are above the basics in drawing and colour mixing - at the very least.

About Higham Hall
The stunning location at Higham Hall offers a unique ‘country retreat’ atmosphere. Just a stone's throw from the historic market town of Cockermouth and very close to Bassenthwaite Lake, Higham Hall is well placed to explore the dramatic landscape in the Western Lakes.
Complete with an on-site well equipped and modern studio, Higham Hall offers a perfect base for your enjoyable painting holidays, which explore both studio based painting workshops and fully engaging and stimulating en-plein air painting experiences with like minded artists.
This get away from it all art break allows you to immerse yourself in your practice, REALLY LEARN and delevop lots of wonderful and rewarding painting skills if you attent with an open mind to what is professionally going to be taught to you.

Further information about the course
The emphasis is on the experimental, chance and 'happy accidents' in this art course that become an integeral part of the expressive seascape interpretations we will create together. Utilising different surface qualities of paper throughout tis short and engaging art course you will see how each creates a different visual effect in your exciting paintings.
All in all, this is a very unique opportunity to learn a different way of painting with an expressive approach and will give you a fantasticopportunity to really develop as an artist.
What to bring
- Firstly - an open mind! Absolutely essential!
Secondly, your art materials in a nutshell consisting of:
- Acrylic inks,
- Gouache and Watercolours,
- Brushes of different sizes (the bigger the better) and painting equipment such as mixing containers and so on
- Different sizes, wights and textures of watercolour paper
- Hard and soft pastels
- Fixative
- Drawing equipment and media
- Outdoor gear to wear to keep you warm and comfortable on our coastal painting visit (weather permitting)
- A backpack large enough to put all your things in.
For a full detailed lesson plan and what to bring contact for this art course please contact Higham Hall - details below.
















Further information
With places limited to 10 students only on this unique mixed media art course, early booking is highly recommended to avoid disappointment.
For further information and to book please contact the administration team on
Tel: 017687 76276
admin@highamhall.com
Office hours 09:00 to 17:00
Higham Hall, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9SH
www.highamhall.com
Costs
- Full board residential (with ensuite bathroom + £10 per night) : £505.00
- Non residential : £350.00