Independence is a wonderful thing

Day at the Beach

In this case the Independent Art School.  Theirs is an excellent business plan; an art school with no buildings.  They hire out venues, often interesting and artistically focused venues, a tutor and you turn up.

I have been going for over a year now and it was indeed it was the school that got me so interested in painting. The class that I attend is call Creative Drawing and Painting.  I had been drawing on my own for a while and wanted to learn more but in the first session was introduced to paint and I was hooked.  The main London venue Cockpit arts, an arts and craft incubator studio in Holborn, it is quite an inspiring venue for such an activity.

The class itself is two hours where you are guided through projects you select.  The one I attend has two tutors, Hugh Mendes and Gala Bell.  Both of them are enthusiastic and knowledgeable and indeed Hugh is responsible for introducing me to oil painting.

I started from the base of almost a complete beginner and I am constantly amazed how far I have come in a year.  If you are interested in taking up or improving your artistic skill then I thoroughly recommend it.  The painting at the top left is the first one I did.  The one below it, I finished just last month, almost a year to the day of my first lesson.