The Fauves! Workshop with Claire Western

Have you ever admired and appreciated the strength and beauty of the work of the Expressionists? This ground-breaking group of painters, derisively named the Fauves, or Wild Beasts, were responsible for liberating artists’ palettes and creating wonderful, vivid images of thick, brilliant colour. The main exponents were Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck. Their subject is often landscape and cityscape. They also worked on images of colourful interiors, often incorporating beautiful pattern and shape.

Fauvism is characterized by its radical use of intense, non-naturalistic colours, bold brushwork, and simplified forms to express emotion rather than reality, earning the artists the nickname “wild beasts” (les fauves) from critics for their shockingly vibrant, expressive works that paved the way for modern abstraction.

Following on from Claire Western’s demonstration in October, the workshop will draw on the history of the Fauves and give you the opportunity to paint with dynamism and great energy. It will be all about personal expression and experimentation.

All materials will be provided.

Claire Western was brought up by the sea in Exmouth, Devon. All of her work begins and is inspired by her love of the sea, walking the coast path and sailing off the coasts of Devon and Cornwall. She has combined painting and teaching throughout her adult life and has exhibited and sold her work widely in the southwest over many years.  She was Head of Art at Queen’s College in Taunton. Since leaving there, she has established a very popular and wide-ranging series of courses for adults, based in Wellington, where she now lives. These encompass painting, drawing, printmaking and mixed media work.