Gareth Reid

I am teaming up with Doranne Alden of www.gozopaintingholidays.com to provide two autumn courses in the Mediterranean sunshine. The first is a 3 day intensive portraiture course at the Malta Society of Arts from 9-11th Oct followed by Plein Air Landscape painting on the idyllic island of Gozo from 13-15th Oct. For more information, see below and to sign up, contact Doranne.

Portraiture, Malta Society of Arts, Mon 9th-Wed 11th Oct

Renowned portrait artist Gareth Reid will be teaching at Malta Society of Arts.

Gareth is the Winner of Sky arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2017, painting Graham Norton for the National Gallery of Ireland. His portraiture classes in Glasgow are highly sought after and this is a unique opportunity to learn both intensively and informally from him.

The course is open to those of all abilities. Whilst the focus is on learning, the atmosphere is one of fun and enjoyment. This relaxed environment promotes the sharing of ideas both during the course and over lunch and breaks.

Aims

The aim of the course is to improve observation in portraiture by looking critically at shapes and relationships, by focussing on the structure of the head, to loosen up, to learn how to deal with mistakes, to think of a portrait as not just an arrangement of isolated features but something more life-like, solid and convincing.

Structure

The course will run for 3 days, made up of one drawing and two painting. There will be a morning session from 10-12.30, followed by lunch then an afternoon session from 14.00-16.30. The students will work from the model throughout and Gareth will give two x 2 hour demonstrations: the first, a drawing on day one then a painting at the start of day two in order to break down the progress of a portrait into manageable chunks.

Gareth does not teach a prescriptive method, instead showing ways of improving looking which can be applied to the drawing and painting of all subject matter. Vitally, this allows for each individual’s interpretation of the sitter. He will also show a way to simplify the students’ palette to cut down on colour choice and avoid “muddiness”.

Setting

We will work from the model in the studio for the duration of the course. Gareth will talk to the class as a whole and give demonstrations, and as this course is suited to all abilities, he will provide plenty of one-to-one tuition as he circulates. During breaks and in the evening there will be informal discussions

of the day’s work and other relevant artists.

Materials

A definitive materials list will be sent out to students after enrolment. Easels and boards are provided.

Places are limited to 11 people. The cost for this course which includes use of easels, chairs, studio, 2 tea breaks, lunch and the model is €416.

Plein Air, Gozo, Fri 13th- Sun 15th Oct

This 3 Day Plein Air Landscape Workshop on the beautiful island of Gozo will give you another opportunity to meet and work with Master Artist Gareth Reid. 

Gareth is the Winner of Sky arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2017, painting Graham Norton for the National Gallery of Ireland. His classes in Glasgow are highly sought after and this is a unique opportunity to learn both intensively and informally from him.

Gareth does not teach a prescriptive method, instead showing ways of improving looking which can be applied to the drawing and painting of all subject matter. Vitally, this allows for each individual’s interpretation of the subject.

The aim of the course is to improve observation in the landscape by looking critically at composition, texture, colour and brushwork, by focussing how to loosen up and deal with mistakes.

Over the 3 days the group will travel to 3 beautiful, interesting locations on Gozo and Gareth will do a demonstration at each site for the group. We will look at composition, breaking down the order of work, keeping sketchbooks, mixing colour, simplification, mark making, brushwork, dealing with fugitive weather conditions, achieving depth and finding unconventional subjects. 

For Plein Air, Gareth works primarily in drawing and acrylics, but also sometimes in watercolour and pastel. Any medium is accepted so if you would like to use your preferred medium, Gareth is happy to help you with this. 

By closely observing his method and approach to painting outdoors and from his one-to-one tuition, you will be able to learn some masterly techniques to use when painting Plein Air . 

The course is open to those of all abilities. Whilst the focus is on learning, the atmosphere is one of fun and enjoyment on the idyllic island of Gozo. This relaxed environment promotes the sharing of ideas both during the course and over lunch and breaks. 

There will be a morning session from 10-12.30, followed by lunch then an afternoon session from 14.00-16.30, after which the students are welcome to continue with their work. 

The group is set to a max of 14 persons and the price includes the course only ie. the group will need to bring their own transport, easels, chairs, refreshments and food. They will also need to find their own accommodation. Ta Xmun can offer 2 rooms to share with 6 beds at 30euros per night, one room sleeping 4 persons and another sleeping 2. (Non painters welcome at the same price for accommodation). The cost for this course is €300 per person.