We had around 300 wonderful paintings and drawings on show, all displayed together to create a diverse, colourful exhibition… a very well deserved CONGRATULATIONS to everyone. You should all be incredibly proud of what you have achieved! 👏

The People's Choice Award proved to be a popular event once again. All of our students picked an artwork they’ve created this season to display, and everybody at the exhibition voted for their favourite two. Big round of applause for our top five, and a super well done to our winners Gill and Jackie! 👏🏆🌟

We had beautiful weather too!.. it made the garden a perfect spot for everyone to relax, enjoy the buffet, and cool down with an ice cream🍦😎 And we have to give a special mention and HUGE thank you to the fabulous Tom Powell who did an absolutely wonderful job entertaining us all - Tom created such a happy, sociable atmosphere and his amazing voice completely made the afternoon 🎶 👏👏✨

And the final thank you goes to all of you who came along… our students, family and friends. It was wonderful to see everybody simply enjoying the event and being happy together.  A totally fabulous afternoon! 

Summer 2026 - Exhibition Day!

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Exhibition prep is underway! This week we looked back at all our paintings and drawings from the past 12 weeks and picked out our favourites. They’re now beautifully mounted and ready to display next Thursday. Then we still had time for coffee and cake, plus a fun quiz, a few prizes and plenty of laughs! The perfect way to finish our classroom sessions before exhibition day! 

Summer 2026 - Lesson 13 - Exhibition Prep

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Ahoy there! ⚓ This week, we’re creating charming little boats and all things nestled "in the bay". There’s been plenty of concentration in the room, but just enough chatter (and Jammie Dodgers!) to keep everyone afloat.

Summer 2026 - Lesson 12 - Acrylic

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Licence to Create! This week our group stepped into the glamorous world of 007, with classic cars, Mediterranean villas, and a touch of Bond-style sophistication.

Summer 2026 - Lesson 11 - Acrylic

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Who let the dogs out?... WE DID!! 😂  🐕 🐕‍🦺 🐩 🦮  They've all gone barking mad!.. swimming in the river, splashing on the beach, bounding through the grass, and simply doing what dogs do best – living their absolute best lives! 

Summer 2026 - Lesson 10 - Acrylic

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A great start to acrylics with our portrait project! Taking a bit of inspiration from PAOTY 2018 Samira Addo, we’re carefully observing expressions, features and proportions of faces from all around the world.

Summer 2026 - Lesson 9 - Acrylic

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🎶 How many kinds of sweet flowers grow 🎶 in an English country garden 🎶 — Well, we've got Peonies, Lavender, Cosmos, Foxgloves, Delphiniums, Hollyhocks...and that's only the beginning! Our watercolour gardens are full of colour and beautiful blooms 🌸🌼🌺

Summer 2026 - Lesson 8 - Watercolour

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Time to wine down🍷 … we’re taking things easy this week with a relaxing rendition of a Tuscan vineyard painted in watercolour. From sunset vistas to closely observed grape clusters, we have a lovely range of interpretations on the way.

Summer 2026 - Lesson 7 - Watercolour

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Moving on to watercolour this week, we’re trying our hand at urban sketching… no rulers, measuring, or grids allowed!.. It was all about capturing the atmosphere and character of the place and just enjoying the process.

Summer 2026 - Lesson 6 - Watercolour

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We’re continuing with oil pastels this week, and putting a touch of coloured pencil into the mix… a perfect combination to take on the wonderfully goofy Cairo Camel 🐪

Summer 2026 - Lesson 5 - Oil Pastels

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It’s time to swap our pencils for oil pastels. This week we’re starting with a touch of coastal charm, creating beautiful beach dunes inspired by the beautiful coastline here in the North East.

Summer 2026 - Lesson 4 - Oil Pastels

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Finding our rhythm with watercolour pencils. For the final week of drawing we’re playing with the grace and flow of synchronised movement - featuring athletes both human and animal.!

Summer 2026 - Lesson 3 - DRAWING

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