Cape brush and palette

One of the strange truths about painting is that a broken, loose edge can feel more real than everything being tight and defined.

We do not actually experience the world in perfect sharp focus.
Our eyes simplify, lose edges, and move selectively through detail.

Many paintings become static and less naturalistic because every hair, wrinkle, and leaf is given the same level of attention.

You notice this when you study great paintings in museums, and see how much is left unresolved, softened, or merely suggested.

Online, paintings are often photographically compressed and sharpened, so we miss this important lesson.

In strong paintings, detail is selective. One area receives clarity and attention while other areas dissolve into softer edges, simpler shapes, and suggestion.

Miss Beatrice Townsend (1882) by John Singer Sargent

Many beginners wants to start with the details—the eyelashes, the fingernails, the perfect edge.
I get it. Details feel like progress.

But here's what years of painting has taught me: If you want looser paintings precision too early can be a trap. You end up with a beautifully rendered eye... in the wrong place. A perfect leaf on a tree that doesn't belong in the composition.

Experiment working from chaos toward clarity. Big shapes. Rough masses. Let the whole painting exist as a blur before any single part comes into focus.
It's like sculpting fog until a figure emerges.

This approach is uncomfortable at first; it requires trusting that the image will resolve, even when it looks like nothing. But once you learn to see this way it can be a fun and exciting process.

Studying master paintings isn’t cheating. It’s how artists have learned for centuries.

When you really look at great art, you start noticing things no tutorial can fully teach:
Edges.
Lost and found detail.
Tonal simplification.
Brushwork and rhythm.

But there’s a trap: looking without doing.

Studying art online is not doom scrolling, but even “productive inspiration” can become another way to avoid the easel.

Take one thing you notice. Try it in paint.

Study and observe...Then make something!

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925)
Simplon Pass 1911
Oil on Canvas 71.8 × 92.6 cm

An introductory workshop into the mysteries of cold wax painting.

Cold wax is a medium that takes oil painting into a different world. It opens up new possibilities for texture, abstraction, and digging through layers of paint to reveal layers of history and colour beneath.

This workshop will teach the student how to approach cold wax technically. It will also deal with design, colour, layering, and ultimately throwing yourself at a host of new tools which will take your paintings into the unexpected.

Marcelle Lyons has been teaching for over 20 years, however over the last 5 she decided to open the doors and allow in new thought and experimentation.

While she still paints traditionally with oils, she has found that cold wax adds a new dimension.

She has dedicated the last few years into mastering cold wax techniques, and is now ready to share them with us.

Come join us for 3 mornings

Wednesday 15th March
Thursday 16th March

Wednesday 22 March

The break in the workshop gives your painting time to dry so mew techniques of layering can be explored.

Contact: [email protected]
cell: 0795233377

Our online art classes are starting next week, and there are still 2 places on a Monday morning. Wherever you are in the world, If you feel inspired and ready to reignite your oil painting passion and skills, or even stumble through the beginning processes then this class is for you. We always offer a free trial class. Perfect for beginners and more advanced painters. Either call, email, of feel free to whats app message directly from this post for more information.

Spotlight on the Artist!
This beautiful fish painting was created by
Art
The idea in this artwork was to make the scales of the fish shine and glow. Often a beginner student will simply use white paint to make something look bright. The key here is that there is a big difference between painting something “light” and making it look “bright” One way of achieving brightness is to create an optical illusion alternating very light warm and cool colours to get a “glowing” feel.
Keep your eyes out for a video demonstration further explaining this concept to follow.