Claire Blyth
ART
Creative Space Classes
Classes are fully booked and waiting list is currently closed.
Creative Space classes allow you to explore your creativity in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. They take place at the Scout Hall, Dean Park in Peebles on Fridays at 9.30 - 11.30am, typically in blocks of 4 classes at a cost of £50.
Suggested materials: pencil, pen or charcoal;
watercolour, acrylics or pastels (red, yellow, blue and white);
mixing palette;
paper;
brushes;
water pot;
collage materials and tools (optional).
Coffee and tea provided.
2026 DATES Block 1 January 16th - February 6th
Block 2 February 27th - March 20th
Block 3 April 17th - May 8th
Block 4 May 29th - June 19th
CLASS DETAILS
Block 1 16/1 - 6/2 UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Think about the formative influences on your decision to pursue art -- in the course of this block you might find they can strengthen and develop your work.
Such influences might be artists, art experiences, comments, workshops, successes, failures, family and friends, travel, activities and hobbies, health and illness, envy, ambition….
Preparation for week 1: Gather a handful of things that move you (to joy, sorrow, laughter, anger, etc – not necessarily just one emotion). Things like a song, a place, a person, a time, a memory, an activity, an artwork. You can bring things in or just have a mental list of them.
For Week 2: Do you have an artistic forebear?
Do you tell a story like David Wilkie
experiment with materials like Andy Goldsworthy
respond to nature like Barbara Rae
explore art theory like Bridget Riley
aim for realism like Gustav Courbet
use your art practice as meditation like Agnes Pelton
keep a diary or record like Frida Kahlo?
-WEEK 2 – Unique approach
What is your point of view of the things you paint? Awe, affection, fear, resentment, comfort, joy.
Use your toolbox to convey your point of view. Colour, tone, pattern, shape, line, composition)
For Week 3: Do you have an art family - a movement where you belong?
Does your work eschew a recognisable subject (Abstract Expressionism)
include dramatically posed figures (Neoclassicism)
feel magical or dream like (Surrealism)
have a strong sense of emotion (Expressionism)
include images from popular culture (Pop Art)
have thick, obvious paint and direct observation (Impressionism)
depict ordinary life without exageration (Realism)
look like a photograph (Photo-realism)?
WEEK 3 – Motivation
What do you repeat most?
Look at what you’ve been thinking about for weeks 1 and 2 to help you identify items, emotions, and methods that get you going.
For Week 4: Think about your Artist’s statement – bio, education, influences, subject matter, style.
WEEK 4 – Development
What have you been avoiding? Observational drawing, big pieces of paper, a certain colour, risk? Go where it’s scary, not pretty.
Describe your image