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If you’ve ever thought about trying oil painting but didn’t know where to begin, you’re not alone. Many people are drawn to painting but feel unsure about what’s involved, what materials to use, or whether they’ll be able to do it at all. The good news is that oil painting is far more accessible than it might seem - especially when you start in the right environment. Why Oil Painting Appeals to Beginners Oil paint has a unique quality. It moves slowly, holds colour beautifull

Starting oil painting is often simpler than people expect — but there are a few common mistakes that can slow progress and lead to frustration. Being aware of them early on can make the process far more enjoyable. 1. Trying to Do Too Much Too Soon Many beginners try to paint complex subjects straight away. Simpler compositions allow you to focus on understanding paint, colour and structure without becoming overwhelmed. 2. Overworking the Surface Oil paint can be reworked, but

When you first begin oil painting, progress can feel uneven. Some paintings seem to work, others don’t, and it’s not always clear why. Improvement doesn’t come from doing more complicated work — it comes from understanding a few key principles and applying them consistently. 1. Focus on Tone Before Colour One of the most common beginner mistakes is concentrating too much on colour. In reality, tone — the lightness and darkness of a painting — is what gives structure and depth

Starting oil painting can feel overwhelming at first. There are so many materials — paints, brushes, canvases — that it’s easy to think you need everything before you begin. In reality, you only need a few basic tools to get started. Once you understand how oil paint behaves, everything else becomes much easier to build on. The Essential Materials for Oil Painting If you’re just starting out, keep it simple. A small, well-chosen set of materials is far more useful than a larg

If you’ve been thinking about taking an oil painting class, you may be wondering whether it’s really worth it. Could you learn on your own? Do you need formal guidance? And what actually happens in a class? These are common questions — especially if you’re new to painting. Can You Learn Oil Painting on Your Own? It’s entirely possible to begin painting on your own. There are plenty of tutorials, videos and books available. However, many beginners find that without guidance, p

It does​ happen from Picasso to Beethoven that crucifying feeling of self doubt when the creative flow drys up and demotivation sets in. It is commonly called artist block and in some cases it can last for months. How to resolve it? Try stepping away from your painting and doing something else for ten minutes. Take a walk, read a book or if you are really desperate try a "spin session" in the gym as I have done more than once.. Most of us experience Artist block now and then

On Day Three in my London painting class our artists are learning there are no mistakes on the canvas. When we mess up, we know what not to do again. Learning all the time. If it doesn’t work, do not repeat. (Can someone tell world leaders please) We learn by our mistakes and there are no mistakes in learning and that should make us all feel better. A painting rarely turns out the way an artist envisages. No matter how hard the planning, how long or good they are at it! Chang

Life is very stressful and fast, especially here in our capital city London. With very little time for ourselves life passes us by before we realise it. Its more than daubing a few brush marks on a canvas or a a pretty picture, it can be a psychological journey and like Leonora Carrington in her painting "The Inn of a Dawn Horse" it can say a lot about what you really, really want? Do you want to sit on the fence all your life? walk in the centre lane and get knocked down in

Gesture is singular, highly subjective and can become a mere performance, unless of course the artist takes Gerhard Richter's stance and in his/her abstracts obliterates all mark making with heavy impasto paint, squeegeed and scraped onto the canvas, annihilating authorship and relying on that "chance" outcome for mark making. Squeegee Abstract Painting Allan Storer Now the canvas becomes the scene or stage with no known finale. If we are looking for "meaning" it is a mystery

says Mr Gradgrind, the hard-nosed, sharp-tongued Head Teacher in Charles Dickens' tenth novel," Hard Times". >I can imagine how tick boxer Gradgrind, disciple of Birbeck's Utilitarianism, objector to freedom of thought and deviation in class would react if an abstract squeegee painting landed in his Victorian parlour. No doubt he will ring his hands in despair faced with the prospect of it hanging it over his desolate hearth. At their worst Gradgrinds see imagination as

Its sweeping light and battered windswept coast caressed with a sub-tropical climate in the summer months is a famous factor having attracted artists and holidaymakers alike interested in St. Ives Paintings A stereotype image of artist with palette and brushes in hand poised to paint a picturesque scene advances little interest in the successful abstract painter reinforcing the modernist’s polemic that Britain has had little expectation from its artists with an emphasis on t

Take a dive into the Vibrant World of St Ives Art! and embrace the Bold and Boundless Spirit of British Abstract Art as we Celebrate the Pioneers who Transformed a Fishing Community into an Artists Dream #StIvesArt #AbstractArt #ArtHistory #Pioneers #Creativity #Innovation" Following WWll, a small group of visionary artists in the quaint fishing community of St Ives, Cornwall, pioneered British Abstract Art and made their mark on international art history! While St Ives i

Allan Storer’s impressive painting “Thunderous Sea” Impacts First Floor Restaurant Space. Charles Aston. Press Release. Opening 1st. May 2012 JD Wetherspoons, The Hain Line, St. Ives. Artist Allan Storer Somewhere in the Atlantic a Storm is breaking.... just off Cornwall's Lands End. "Thunderous Sea" measuring 140cmx140cmis one of Allan Storer's larger works. Its monumental size, gives the observer an impression they are standing not just beside but below the turbulent wave,

It was refreshing, writes Allan Storer, to hear Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate Art Galleries, speaking at the launch of the Tate’s annual report and urging the Government to teach the arts in schools; BBC News Education Report September 2012 Richter inspired “squeegee” painting, Allan Storer Education Secretary Michael Gove has put the Baccalaureate in place to be taught in schools in England from 2015. Initially covering English, maths and the sciences, it will later

Storer attacks the colour’s space dragging the colour this way and that. At first it looks like an amateurish mess, then he transforms it with his large squeegee, scraping complicating spaces and forms. He steps back, saying he needs to make it better whilst retaining the painting’s spontaneity. It looks good but Storer says, “It won’t hold up, may be a day or two then I’ll see” The squeegee is large enough to cover the width of the canvas and Storer drags it down across the

Unlike many artist’s I’ve interviewed Allan Storer can see no difficulty where artistic integrity may be compromised with the gap between art and commerce. A painter in St Ives and London UK he has created his own unique style. He rocks! What inspires him? Check out our cool chat … GREGG: Hey Al, Your work is imaginative and intriguing. Your style is so distinctive. It appears to be a variation on either colour or theme. What’s going on from your point of view? AL: I feel the

Allan Storer MA paints large abstract canvases for architects, interior designers and private clients. His influences include 20th. Century abstract artists and the squeegee paintings of Gerhard Richter. He is a Master of Arts, Chelsea College of Art and Design: Bachelor of Arts, University Wales and a post graduate of Kings College. Extra-Curricular includes studies at the Slade School of Fine Art: St. Ives Painting School and the Princes Drawing School, He is a member of th

“Now all I want is facts”, says Mr. Gradgrind the hardnosed, sharp tongued head teacher in Charles Dickens’ tenth novel, “Hard Times”. I can imagine that tick boxer Gradgrind, disciple of Birbeck’s Utilitarianism, objector to freedom of thought and deviation in class, will ring his hands in despair faced with the prospect of purchasing colourful abstract paintings" and hanging one over his desolate hearth. At their worse Gradgrinds see imagination as weakness and wholly unnec

The traditional view of the art in St Ives tends to focus on its landscape and nature as a source of inspiration. Its sweeping light and battered windswept coast caressed with a sub-tropical climate in the summer months is a famous factor for having attracted artists. The stereotype image of artist with palette and brushes in hand poised to paint a picturesque scene advances little interest in the successful abstract painter reinforcing those in the modernist camps polemic th

Hi Allan, so tell us about your inspiration? My prime motivation is Abstract Expressionism; 20th.C. Modernists Rothko and Neumann are important, but also the brilliant Squeegee's of Gerhard Richter and the heavy impasto work of Sir Kyffin William; so possibly Contemporary is more appropriate. What are your career highlights so far? I have devoted seven years in the academic study of the theory and practice of art, its psychology, therapeutic and practical application. Ever