St. Ives School of Painting

09/09/2026

Restoring the studios and securing their future 👇

These photographs document an important chapter in the history of Porthmeor Studios as extensive work was undertaken to repair and restore the historic building.

After years of uncertainty and a campaign to protect the building, major renovation work began in 2010, securing its future as working artists’ studios and the home of St Ives School of Painting.

The restoration forms part of The Turning Point for St Ives School of Painting, our new short film exploring a period when the School’s future was far from certain - featuring the people who helped ensure its survival.

🎬 Watch the film:

📆 16 Sept | Royal Cinema, St Ives
📆 23 Sept | Porthmeor Studios, with walk-in screenings throughout the day
💻 Online release to follow

📸 All photos courtesy of Borlase Smart John Wells Trust.

08/09/2026

What could three days of looking, experimenting and painting unlock?

Tomorrow is your last chance to enter our competition to win a place on Landscape to Abstraction: Inspired by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

Over three days, you’ll see Barns-Graham’s work first-hand at the major retrospective at Tate St Ives, before heading into the St Ives landscape and returning to Porthmeor Studios to respond creatively to what you’ve discovered.

👉 Enter via the link below for your chance to win

Featured: End of Day, Porthmeor. © Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust

To celebrate the opening of Barns-Graham’s major retrospective at Tate St Ives, we’re giving one person the opportunity to join our art course inspired by her life and work.

07/09/2026

This week at St Ives School of Painting 💫

🗓️ Mon-Weds: Kerry Harding returns to the studio for her 3-day course, Contemporary Landscape. You can join Kerry for her final course of the year, Poetry of Process this November.

🗓️ Thursday: Our regular evening Life Drawing session, 18:30-20:30. Everyone is welcome.

🗓️ Fri-Sat: We look forward to welcoming Victoria Gillow for her 3-day sold out course, Expressive Landscape Painting.

🗓️ Saturday: Saturday Life Drawing, 10:30-13:00. All levels welcome.

🔗 Browse more courses: schoolofpainting.co.uk/art-courses

03/09/2026

What was your summer highlight? 🌞

If you joined us in the studios, we’d love to hear your favourite memory, or see what you created. Thank you to everyone who joined us, here's to next year! 💫

02/09/2026

A story of true resilience.

Coming soon: The Turning Point for St Ives School of Painting, featuring previously unseen archive material and interviews with those who experienced the School at its most vulnerable - and those who continue to help it thrive within St Ives’ artistic community today.

Part of St Ives Stories 🎥

Watch:
🗓️16 September | St Ives Cinema (ticketed)
🗓️ 23 September | Borlase Smart Studio (walk in)

The film will be released online following the screenings.

🤝 Made possible with funding from St Ives Town Council and the St Ives Town Deal.

01/09/2026

WIN A THREE-DAY ART COURSE IN ST IVES 🎨

To celebrate the opening of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham’s major retrospective at Tate St Ives this October, we’re offering one person a place on our upcoming course, Landscape to Abstraction inspired by Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, taught by artist Kitty Hillier.

Taking place in our studios from 30 Oct - 1 Nov, this three-day course draws inspiration from Barns-Graham’s studies of the Cornish sea, rocks and coastline.

Beginning on Porthmeor Beach, you’ll gather ideas through drawing and observation before returning to the studio to develop sketches, collages and paintings. Through mixed media and experimental processes, Kitty will help you discover more intuitive ways to respond to the landscape.

The course is suitable for all levels and all materials are included.

📥To enter, complete the short form below before Wednesday 9 September:
schoolofpainting.co.uk/win-a-place-on-our-wilhelmina-barns-graham-inspired-course

📩 One winner will be selected at random and contacted directly by St Ives School of Painting via email only.

👉 Please note that travel, accommodation and other expenses are not included. Full terms and conditions are available on the entry page. This competition is run independently by St Ives School of Painting and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Tate, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust, or Meta.

Good luck! 💫

31/08/2026

This week at St Ives School of Painting 💫

This week marks the end of our wonderful summer of workshops. Thank you to all 200+ of you who joined us in the studios - we loved seeing so many new faces alongside familiar friends.

Now, we’re looking ahead to the return of our Porthmeor Programme cohort and two exciting weeks of the St Ives September Festival beginning 12 September.

Here's what's coming up this week:

🗓️ Wednesday: Hilary Jean Gibson leads her final workshop of the summer, St Ives in Line + Wash.

🗓️ Thursday: Iona takes students on a liberating journey into the world of landscape on this one-day course. There are still a few places left for you to join!

🗓️ Thursday: Our regular evening Life Drawing session, 18:30-20:30. Everyone is welcome.

🗓️ Fri-Sun: David Webb returns to the studio for his final course of 2026, St Ives in Watercolour. Due to a cancellation, there is one place remaining on this course.

🗓️ Fri-Sun: Following the summer break, our Porthmeor Programme studio cohort return to St Ives, for an exploration into printmaking with Rachael Kantaris.

🗓️ Saturday: Saturday Life Drawing, 10:30-13:00. All levels welcome.

🔗 Browse more courses: schoolofpainting.co.uk/art-courses

27/08/2026

In under three weeks, St Ives September Festival begins - a two-week celebration of music and the arts 🎭

Join us in our historic Porthmeor Studios for a programme of short workshops led by 10 practising artists.

Book your places here:
schoolofpainting.co.uk/short-art-classes

25/08/2026

Remembering John Charles Clark, 1941-2026.

We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of John Charles Clark.

An esteemed local artist, John taught at St Ives School of Painting during the 1980s. He also designed the School’s very first brochure as a favour to his great friend Roy Ray, who went on to lead the School for 40 years.

John was one of the kindest, wisest and most knowledgeable people we have known. We will fondly remember the conversations we shared with him as he sat on the sunny bench outside his studio at Penwith - listening to his philosophies and putting the world to rights.

Our thoughts are with John’s family and friends. The world feels a sadder place without him.

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Image 1: School Principal Roy Ray (left) teaching alongside John Clark.
Image 2: Friends and fellow artist tutors outside Porthmeor Studios. From left: John Clark, Steve Dove, Liz Luckwell, Marion Taylor, Hilary Jean Gibson, Roy Ray and Alice Mumford.

24/08/2026

This week at St Ives School of Painting 💫

We’re heading into the final two weeks of our summer workshops - we can’t believe how quickly they’ve gone! We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone joining us, with a few opportunities still available:

🗓️ Mon-Wed: Kieran Stiles returns for his sold-out course, The Texture of Nature.

🗓️ Wednesday: Steven Buckler introduces the essentials of oil painting in a three-hour workshop. Just one place left!

🗓️ Thursday: Following in Terry Frost’s footsteps, Liz Hough leads students as they trace his “walk along the quay” series, making quick charcoal studies of the harbour before returning to the studio to create mixed-media paintings. There’s still time to join us.

🗓️ Thursday: Our regular evening Life Drawing session, 18:30-20:30. Everyone is welcome.

🗓️ Friday: Camilla Dixon leads our final summer workshops for ages 7-13, exploring coastal colour and collage. Places are still available for the afternoon session at 14:00.

🗓️ Fri-Sun: Woodblock practitioner Adrian Holmes returns for his brand-new, sold-out course, Abstract Horizons, where students will create their own painterly woodblock designs.

🗓️ Saturday: Saturday Life Drawing, 10:30-13:00. All levels welcome.

🔗 Browse more courses: schoolofpainting.co.uk/art-courses