Painting as Practice - DAYTIME | Starting 27 October 2026

Forget everything you think painting should look like.

Painting as Practice is an immersive six-week studio programme for anyone ready to experiment boldly, think visually, and develop a genuine creative voice. Working the way contemporary artists work, you'll explore colour, composition, atmosphere, gesture and creative process through hands-on studio experimentation.

Hosted at The Stoneleigh Arms Arts Space in South Leamington Spa, this programme is designed for emerging artists, hobby painters, beginners and curious creatives who want to move beyond the traditional — and into something altogether more alive.

This is not a step-by-step painting course. You won't be copying still lifes or following along. Instead, you'll gather ideas, experiment rapidly, layer surfaces, disrupt compositions and build an evolving body of work that's entirely your own.

Inspired by Julie Mehretu, Cecily Brown, Helen Frankenthaler and Katharina Grosse.

What you'll explore

• Expressive large-scale painting
• Colour and atmosphere studies
• Collage and transformation exercises
• Experimental mark-making
• Layered surfaces and editing techniques
• Painting from memory, music and place
• Open studio experimentation
• Reflective discussion and mentoring

Throughout the six weeks you'll build an evolving painting wall — a growing collection of studies, fragments and works that develop week by week. The programme concludes with an Open Studio Showcase, where you'll share your process and creative development with invited guests.

Session Dates — Tuesday Daytime Cohort

Tuesdays, 10:00–12:30

• 27 October 2026
• 3 November 2026
• 10 November 2026
• Reflective Field Week Break
• 24 November 2026
• 1 December 2026
• 8 December 2026

Programme structure

Week 1 — Gesture / Release / Line
Movement, instinct and expressive mark-making through large-scale experimental painting.

Week 2 — Colour / Atmosphere / Emotion
Mood, atmosphere and emotional colour through layered contemporary painting approaches.

Week 3 — Borrow / Crop / Compose
Composition, shape and visual rhythm through collage, tracing, disruption and transformation.

✦ Reflective Field Week
A mid-programme pause to gather visual material, observe your surroundings and develop ideas beyond the studio.

Week 4 — Space / Place / Structure
Atmosphere, architecture, mapping and layered spatial relationships through painting.

Week 5 — Surface / Editing / Material
Texture, editing, layering, removal and surface transformation through contemporary painting processes.

Week 6 — Curate / Reflect / Share
Curating process walls, studies and evolving works for the Open Studio Showcase.

What to bring

Just your acrylic paints and a sketchbook. We'll provide brushes, palette knives, colour wheels, viewfinders, acetate, masking tape, rollers, sponges, spray bottles and tracing paper — everything you need to experiment freely from day one.

Your painting kit

Included in the cost of the course is a branded Stoneleigh Arms tote bag containing; viewfinder, colour wheel, tracing paper, masking tape, sheets of acetate, sponge, roller, spray bottle, selection of brushes, palette knife, A4 sketchbook.

Who is it for?

Emerging artists · Hobby painters · Absolute beginners · Creatives returning to painting · Anyone curious about contemporary painting and visual culture. No previous experience required. Places are limited to maintain an immersive studio experience.

£295 per person — includes studio materials, artist-led provocations, creative mentoring, Open Studio Showcase and access to an immersive contemporary studio environment.

Ready to make your mark?