EMILY BALL AT SEAWHITE | CONTEMPORARY DRAWING AND PAINTING COURSES |
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| Image: Emily on the studio with new paintings and works-in-progress |
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Two weeks to build momentum, confidence and a daily painting practice |
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“These two weeks will be productive and supportive, instilling a calm, creative logic that helps you make decisions and begin working each day with a real sense of purpose and confidence. It is my ambition to set everyone up to be able to work by themselves with more confidence in the months to come.” ~ Emily
Dear Visitor
Paint Fit is an online course that invites artists to make a two-week commitment to painting every day.
At its heart, the course is about building confidence in your decision-making, developing a language of paint that really works for you and your paintings, and establishing a daily painting routine that can continue long after the two weeks are over.
Paint Fit grew from a simple realisation: many artists have the time and studio space to develop their work, but can sometimes lack the self-belief and momentum needed to push through the difficult stages. It can be hard to keep going when a painting isn’t working, or when you lose sight of where the work is heading.
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| Image: Emily's work station at the studio |
| “All too often artists can feel despondent and lost. We are hard on ourselves and our work. What we sometimes lose sight of is the fact that we are having a conversation with our work. A big part of this is recognising the questions we should ask ourselves that will help us to see what matters within the work. Once we have identified this, our next painting decision becomes clearer, our language of paint becomes more articulate and courageous, the process of painting becomes easier and the paintings begin to flow.” ~Emily |
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Paint Fit is designed to help with exactly this. The course has a simple but powerful structure: before, during and after. You arrive prepared, spend two focused weeks painting with support and inspiration, and leave with the tools, momentum and community to keep going.
“It’s extremely exciting to feel refreshed and energised about my work at this time of year.” ~ Liz Meier, Paint Fit Participant Read on to find out more. Or, if you’re ready to give your painting practice a serious injection of energy and inspiration, click the button below to head straight to our website and book.
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Before the course: arrive ready to paint |
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Images: new drawings in preparation for Paint Fit, Emily Ball
Emily doesn’t provide the subject matter for this course — you bring that with you.
This means that preparation is important. To get the most from Paint Fit, you’ll want to have plenty of studies, drawings and perhaps paintings already in progress that you can build on, respond to and improvise from.
This year, there will be bonus preparation videos available at least one month before the live online course. These will explore ways of making studies that support and inspire your paintings, including drawing exercises and suggested approaches to research. |
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| Image: ink drawings that helped Emily resolve her Summer Garden paintings |
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Emily will also share how she prepares her own ideas and work before beginning a collection of paintings. The aim is to become thoroughly immersed in — and connected to — your subject before you start. That preparation makes the process of painting more rewarding and gives the work a sense of flow.
By the time Paint Fit begins, you’ll have a rich bank of material to draw from. More importantly, you’ll have begun to identify what really interests you about your subject and where you want to take the work. |
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| Images: 30 versions of a mark exercice, Emily Ball |
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Emily is also happy to offer an online tutorial a few weeks before the course, helping you prepare your studies and feel fully engaged with your subject before the two weeks begin. A one hour tutorial costs £70 and half an hour is just £35. |
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Paint Fit Two weeks of serious play
Monday 26 October - Friday 6 November (Mon-Fri each week) £250 |
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| Images: Emily demonstrtating Tai Chi Air Painting during Paint Fit |
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“During the daily hour-long workshops, my aim is to share my painting process with you: the subtle decisions and trains-of-thought that motivate which brush I pick up; what colours I choose; where I place my marks. From the comfort and convenience of your own studios you can then ‘follow’ me, completing the exercises but focusing in on your own subject matter; concentrating on your practice as an artist and reflecting on what helps you to engage with your work.
“Importantly, I also address what happens when painting is not going well. What do you do to turn work round and go forward again? Getting unstuck and re-inventing are things that I relish in my work.” ~ Emily
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| Images: Eating a Fig exercise, Emily Ball |
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"Thanks to the exercises Emily showed me, I realized which direction I need to work in…They taught me to listen to myself and to evaluate my actions more consciously." ~ Anna Khodorovich, Paint Fit Participant |
| | Image: Painting, Anna Khodorovich |
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Emily teaches openly, sharing both her challenges and her breakthroughs. She walks the path alongside you, drawing on more than 35 years of painting experience and sharing the learning and insight that has come from that practice.
The online tutorials and the independent studio time that follow are an invitation to immerse yourself in serious play: to experiment and stay open whilst remaining serious and committed to developing your own unique painting voice.
By the end of the two weeks, artists typically feel they have made significant progress with their work — and, crucially, have the motivation and confidence to keep going independently. |
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| Image: Painting, Carinthia Gibbins |
| “By the final Thursday afternoon I was painting with a confidence in my own judgement that I've never had before. It was a revolution and a most amazing feeling.” ~ Carinthia Gibbins, Paint Fit Participant |
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For more information and to book your place, Please click on the button below:
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Paint Fit
Building a community: you don’t have to do it alone |
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| Image: Emily's work station during Paint Fit |
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Painting can be an isolating activity. It can be tough to keep going on your own, particularly when the work feels difficult or your confidence takes a knock. Working alongside other artists changes that.
During the two-week course, there will be four afternoon breakout sessions, giving participants the opportunity to meet one another, talk about their experiences and share thoughts and inspiration.
“Thank you for a beautifully organised and smooth two weeks! Renewal and lots of surprises !! Plus LOVELY encounters with artists all around the world in the pre-class Zooms, and the break out sessions."~ Brenda Kelliher |
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Images: close up details of Emily's latest paintings
There is no individual feedback from Emily during these sessions. Instead, the focus is on connection: making space to talk, listen, exchange ideas and recognise that other artists are experiencing many of the same challenges.
Alongside the live course, participants can join a closed Facebook group, where they can share and discuss their work each day. Emily is also part of the group and can offer comments and suggestions if someone gets stuck.
The community is an important part of the momentum that Paint Fit creates. It’s wonderful to see artists share their wins, encourage one another and help banish the isolation and lethargy that can sometimes creep in when we work alone. |
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Paint Fit and Beyond
Keeping the momentum going |
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| Image: Painting in the studio, Emily Ball |
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The end of the two-week course isn’t really the end at all.
The Paint Fit Facebook group helps maintain the ripple effect and momentum of the course long after the live sessions have finished. Year after year, the group gives participants a way to stay connected with fellow Paint Fit artists — sharing advice, encouragement, ideas and support beyond the confines of the course itself.
For some artists, a tutorial after Paint Fit is also a valuable way to review their progress, reflect on what they have learned and plan the next steps in their painting practice. These follow-up tutorials can be booked individually. As mentioned earlier, a one hour tutorial costs £70 and half an hour is just £35.
The real ambition of Paint Fit is not simply to give you two productive weeks of painting. It is to help you establish a rhythm that lasts: to leave you with greater confidence in your decisions, a stronger relationship with your materials and a renewed sense of purpose — ready to keep painting. |
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| Image: Painting, Deborah Pugh |
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“I think that Paint Fit has helped me be more experimental in the studio and has given me multiple ways of moving my work on.” ~ Deborah Pugh, Paint Fit Participant
To find out more and to book your place, please click on the button below | |
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| Image: new drawing of Eve in preparation for Paint Fit, Emily Ball |
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