Dates: Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th June
Cost: £160Join us and local painter Alan Daysh for a relaxed, hands-on weekend exploring the beauty of the landscape in oils. This accessible two-day workshop focuses on capturing fleeting light, colour, and atmosphere — learning how to paint quickly and responsively while enjoying the process.
Day One – Plein Air Painting (10:30am–2:00pm)
We’ll spend the first day outdoors on location, painting directly from nature. Alan will demonstrate his process and materials, showing his quick, intuitive approach — often using cloth as well as brushes to apply paint. You’ll create a series of small, spontaneous oil sketches that capture the mood and energy of the scene, whatever the weather brings.
Day Two – Developing Studio Work (Round Tower Studio, 10:30am–3:30pm)
Back in the studio, we’ll build on Saturday’s work. Using your oil studies, charcoal sketches, and photos as reference, Alan will guide you through developing a more considered painting. Expect live demonstrations, plenty of individual support, and a friendly group atmosphere. The emphasis is on enjoyment — learning how to paint outdoors with confidence, to capture the big impression, and to have fun with colour and atmosphere without getting lost in the details.
Materials List
We recommend bringing:
Oil paints: Titanium White, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red Hue, Alizarin Crimson, Chrome Yellow Hue
A roll of kitchen towel
Vine Charcoal, Compressed Charcoal, Kneadable rubber, and a small sketchbook (around A5)
A variety of brushes and rags for painting
Portable easel and/or board with clips
A camping chair (optional)
Drinks and refreshments for your comfort
Painting boards with a pink ground will be supplied by the artist.
About Alan Daysh
Alan Daysh is a landscape painter based in Portsmouth, originally from the Isle of Wight. His work captures the feeling of distance — that quiet sense of space you get when looking out across a landscape. Painting mostly in oils on small wooden panels, Alan builds his images with a limited palette of primary colours, letting subtle tones and textures suggest something infinite and just out of reach.
Influenced by Turner, Constable, and modern painters like Monet, Matisse, and Rothko, Alan explores the balance between realism and abstraction. He works with brushes, palette knives, and even cloth to catch the fleeting changes of light and atmosphere that make each scene unique. His paintings have been exhibited with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at the Mall Galleries in London.
As Alan puts it, “The aim of the workshop is to teach a spontaneous, loose style of oil painting to create atmospheric landscapes. A technique that can be used to paint quickly outside, in the wonderfully changeable English weather! Or in the studio to create larger works.”