DAVID HOWELL RSMA
PAINTING COURSES
David is tutoring on 3 courses in 2010.
ANGLES SUR L'ANGLIN 2010
Final week this year 1st - 8th of September
Information is available on the Sainte Croix website www.saintecroix.com These courses are run by Nicole and John Landers who have many years of experience in making people feel at home, feeding them well, and handling all those details that make a painting holiday rewarding and fun. Serious discussion topics include perspective, composition and how to produce sufficient backspin when playing boules. Next year's dates have still to be finalised but should be similar to this year with a week around the end of June and another at the beginning of September.
ANGLES SUR L'ANGLIN
The church and village centre - Angles (click to
enlarge) Watercolour painted in the tutor's rest period.
The courses at Angles sur l'Anglin is in the heart of the French countryside east of Poitiers. Angles is a delightful village well off the normal tourist trail, but is regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in France. Located on the River Anglin, the village climbs up away from the river on both sides and has a very interesting selection of old buildings including a castle, water mills, and a lovely old church that sits at the top of the village close to the village square. From a painter's point of view the village offers a choice of typical French street scenes, landscape, river views, and again the opportunity to work without being bothered by tourists, and the local inhabitants are also very used to painters working in their midst.
DEDHAM HALL 2011 May 28th - June 4th
Dedham Hall in located in Constable country on the borders of Essex and Suffolk. The location offers a wide range of East Anglian painting opportunities ranging from landscapes in Dedham Vale to nearby coast and riverside subjects. Bookings are now being taken for this week next year.
Wivenhoe from across the river. W/col 26 x 26 cm Currently on show at the Wykeham Gallery, Stockbridge, Hants
This watercolour was painted from a sketch I produced late in the afternoon when all the students were heading back to Dedham. One of the problems of being a tutor is that you see all sorts of painting opportunities but the students come first and so sketching opportunities have to be grabbed when you can. Learning to sketch quickly and with enough detail to work from later is paramount and is so much better than taking photographs.
TEACHING
First and foremost I am a painter and the studio is always busy with gallery demands and commissions and I view a week's tutoring as a pleasant change, and an opportunity to help others develop their ability and find some of the answers.
I'm passionate about my own work and the whole subject of painting, but I recognise that for many a painting week is about having an enjoyable holiday with good food and wine, good company, and having the opportunity to paint without the distractions of normal day to day life getting in the way. There will be more experienced painters who will want to get into serious discussion, and of course there will also be beginners. I paint in oils, watercolour and pastels and therefore I'm also happy to cope with these different media as well as all levels of experience.
I'm not into the business of standing in front of the class and producing slick demonstrations. I prefer to work with students individually, or occasionally with a small group of like minded painters, and in these circumstances I'll happily demonstrate particular techniques where appropriate. This means that everyone can progress at their own speed and with their own choice of subject matter and medium. I've spent more than 50 years experiencing the highs and struggles associated with painting, and as the years go by I realise there isn't time to learn everything I still need to know. However my aim is that students have an enjoyable time and that as a teacher I can open doors, offer encouragement and challenges in equal measure, and above all that at the end of the week they feel that they have learned something.