Current teaching activities at Spencer Street Studios

This year I will be teaching 4 blocks of 8 or 10 weeks. Two of these blocks will be thematically focused, and will culminate in an exhibition of the work produced in the block.

The other two blocks will consist of open sessions where people under guidance can work on thier own themes and so develope their own personal artistic ideas.

Class Times

Wednesday and Thursday Mornings 9.30am - 1pm
Wednesday evenings 6pm - 9pm (one block only)
one day workshops 9.30am - 4.30pm throughout the year.

Block 1
Wednesday and Thursday mornings 9.30am - 1pm
Starts 28th/29th January 2009 and will run for 8 weeks.
This will be an open session block.
Fee: R800

One day Painting on Perspex workshop Wednesday March 25th.

Block 2
Wednesday or Thursday mornings 9.30am - 1pm
Starts 22nd/23rd April 2009 and will run for 10 weeks. This will be a thematically focused course culminating in an exhibition of the work entitled Painting People - an investigation into pushing portraiture to a new level.
Fee: R1000

One day Painting on Perspex workshop Saturday June 27th

Wednesday evenings 6pm - 9pm.
Starts 22nd April to 24th June 2009. Drawing classes focusing on materials and techniques.
Fee: R120 per session to allow for modeling and material costs where necessary.

Block 3
Wednesday or Thursday Mornings 9.30am - 1pm
Starts 22nd/ 23rd July 2009 and will run for 8 weeks.
This will be an open session block.
Fee: R800

Block 4
Dates to be arranged. This will be a focused course culminating in an end of year exhibition of the work. The theme will be Landscape based and will include a 2/3day component collecting reference and working directly from the landscape. We will as a group stay two nights out of town somewhere within 2 hour drive of Cape Town. Suitable accommodation will be selected.

Payment

Please note fees for each block must be paid for prior to the beginning of each block.

There will be a cost of R100 per session. Therefore an 8 week session is R800 and a 10 week session is R1000.

On blocks where exhibiting or staying overnight is part of the course an additional fee to cover exhibiting or accommodation costs will be required.

Participants must provide all their materials.

Occasionally specific material will be provided and charged accordingly.

Places are limited to 10 per session and 12 on full day workshops.

People wishing to join classes must enroll for either Wednesday or Thursday sessions. Please specify your prefered day of attendance.

There is an option to make up sessions missed, this is recommended on the themed blocks.

One day work shops must be registered for seperately and are not included. The studio is equipped with easels boards and tables, tea & coffee making facilities.

For further information contact me on 0823633046 or e-mail me at paul@spencerstreetstudio.com

Other teaching activities

University of Cape Town Summer and Winter School programmes
I am currently working with the Truworths Social Development Trust, teaching township children.

My ideas around teaching

For a number of years, I worked in a commercial art studio alongside a talented group of artists. The exchange of knowledge and practical techniques across all mediums has given me a wide base of skills to use in my own work and to pass on to others.
Combined with my more formal training at art school, I try to engage students in exploring both techniques and intellectual ideas about the images they create.

My experience of students in art classes has been one of frustration and unfinished work. I try to help students to fully realise their ideas.
I believe that even with a limited skills base, students can create interesting work by engaging their intellect with the learning process.

Most people that I have taught seem to think that they need to learn to draw before they can create something they might consider a finished art work.
Learning to draw is a discipline that takes many hours of dedication, trial and error, exploring different techniques. I was taught to draw in a very logical and practical manner, using the point and line technique. This has underpinned everything that I have done as an artist. From time to time, I run a structured drawing programme based on this technique. Anyone interested in finding out more can contact me at the above address.

What I try to do as a teacher is to enable students to combine learning skills with developing ideas and to make finished pieces of work.