About This Event

This event will be bookable on Monday 3 August 2026. Create contemporary abstract pictures inspired by urban and rural landscapes. This 5-week course will combine a variety of painting, drawing and basic print media and techniques to depict our rural and urban landscapes. Everyone is welcome, from adventurous beginners to those with some experience who wish to develop skills, ideas, knowledge and approaches to making mixed media pictures. Each week the tutor will demonstrate a particular approach to creating an abstract picture and over the course we will explore the use of colour, composition and the application of various media to create particular moods and express qualities of particular environments. You’ll be shown different applications and uses of watercolours, acrylics, and a variety of graphic media such as charcoal, coloured pencils and pen/ink. We will also make use of collage and basic print techniques such as stencilling/masking, monoprinting and grattage printing. Tutor Peter will provide visual source material each week and you are encouraged to bring your own photographic reference images, or to use your memories and imaginations to make your work more personal. We will also explore the work of a variety of modern and contemporary artists for inspiration, including Paul Klee, Therese Oulton, David Blackburn, Ann Blockley, Kurt Schwitters, Jane Human, Andrew Bird, Mari French, Melvyn Evans, Hilke MacIntyre, Chris Harrison and Sarah Lees. About the tutor: Tutor Peter Clayton holds a Fine Art degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Over 40+ year career he has shown in over 160 solo and group exhibitions in commercial and public galleries. He has collaborated widely with artists of various disciplines, undertaken residences, painted murals and worked with local authorities, museums, interior designers and publishers. His personal work has encompassed a wide variety of painting and printmaking media. Subject matter has been inspired by the landscape (particularly woodland), architecture and family history. Pete is a member of Leicester Society of Artists and Leicester Print Workshop and has taught courses in Adult and Further Education at numerous venues, including Attenborough Arts Centre, for many years. Further information: All materials will be provided. This 5-week course will run on Wednesday afternoons, 2pm – 4:30pm, starting on 16 September with the final session on 14 October 2026. Participants must be aged 18+. If the course/workshop you’d like to book is sold out, we do operate a waiting list – simply contact our box office team on 0116 252 2455 / arts-centre@le.ac.uk and ask to be added to the waiting list. We’ll then contact you if a place becomes available, with absolutely no obligation to accept it if you’ve made other plans! Please ensure that you read and agree to our updated Terms & Conditions before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable if cancelled within 21 days of the start date for any reason. We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome – just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you’d like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email arts-centre@le.ac.uk, pop in or call 0116 252 2455, open 7 days a week. We have four blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied. Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road. The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us (near De Montfort Hall).

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