Colour Mixing, theory and application  Course

February 7th – 9th 2026

                                                                    (Saturday – Monday)

 

The Colour Mixing theory and Application  Course is ideal for beginners and a very good refresher for the more advanced. Whatever stage you may be at there is always something you may have missed or not realised

The course sets out to cover the  necessary essentials needed for most visual art practices. These include interior decorating and design, fabrics, textiles, ceramics, printing and painting.You do not need sophisticated drawing skills for this course. The course is purely about colour, how to mix it, observe  and understand how it works. You will not only produce competent abstractions but representational paintings as well.  You will discover how colour changes and interacts with its surroundings and contexts. You will also deal with blending, contrast, distribution of tones and light, complementaries, simultaneous contrast, discord and harmony. All materials are supplied. The course is highly recommended and please  visit the paintings and images on this page and in the Gallery

 

The first day starts with a few concentrated tasks in colour mixing and tonal matching- see below

 

If someone told you the above work was made by only using three colours, then that would probably  surprise you.  The three colours used were Red, Yellow and  Blue mixed with white. Then it’s another surprise to find the black was made from the three colours (without using white). Then optically the thin grey strip across the grid  is not dark at one end and light at the other. That’s a total illusion. The grey strip , is in fact, the same grey from i beginning to end.These phenomena and others will be something the course will examine and put to use.

Two Lemons

The above chart gives you  the fundamentals of  how to mix  colour and assess its tonal values.These skills are  then transferred to painting an actual object on a surface in front of you.  Below are two examples. To the naked eye  it is not obvious that these two paintings were made by only using the 3 primaries and white. In many ways these two  examples prove that  “less can be more”. In addition to this no brushes were used just palette knives.

 

 

Visit this Gallery ……      for further examples of  the course’s work

FEES

The fees include all materials and use of tools and equipment.

 

LUNCHES

Lunches are  included. They are outsourced  to an award winning chef called  Gavin Kellett , who provides us with very wholesome  and delicious vegetarian soups which are different on all days.  In addition to this fresh wholemeal bread, fruit and salads. If you have dietary requirements please let us know.The table is laid out pleasantly in our spacious dinning room. Lunch  provides a very welcomed break in the day. It is a  friendly and relaxing time away from the working studio

Refreshments. Coffee ,teas and biscuits are freely available through out the day.

Some  famous quotes :

“In visual perception a color is almost never seen as it really is – as it physically is. This fact makes color the most relative medium in art”.

Josef Albers
.
“In order to change a color it is enough to change the colour of its background.” –

Michel Eugene Chevreul

“The chief function of colour should be to serve expression.”

–Henri Matisse
.
“All colours arouse specific associative ideas…” –

Yves Klein

 

Accommodation