Interpreting the Landscape: A one-day workshop with Jade Stout

A day of exploration and experimentation We are delighted to welcome to the Arthouse Jade Stout, one of Scotland's most exciting landscape artists. In her own words: 'I'm a visual artist whose work is rooted in landscape, horizon lines and the shifting tension between calm and movement. I grew up in Orkney, where the meeting of sea and sky became an early, instinctive language for me, something I still return to in my practice today. That sense of wide, breathing space sits quietly under everything I make.' Please look at the wonderful, lyrical work on Jade's website. In this practical, exploratory workshop Jade invites participants to look beyond the literal view of a landscape and consider how a place can be interpreted through memory, colour, shape, line and atmosphere. Participants will explore ways of simplifying landscape imagery and translating personal memories, photographs and impressions of places into more abstract compositions. Drawing on Jade’s own practice, which is inspired by the changing light, weather and atmosphere of coastal landscapes, the day will combine short demonstrations, guided exercises and individual experimentation. The workshop is suitable for adults with some or no previous experience, and offers an opportunity to experiment with materials, develop confidence and find a more personal approach to interpreting the landscape. The emphasis is on looking, noticing and discovering rather than producing a realistic representation. Through a series of guided exercises and demonstrations, you'll experiment with colour, line, shape, texture and mark-making to discover how a landscape can be reduced to its essential elements. The day will move from quick sketches and colour studies to developing your own artwork, with plenty of opportunity to experiment, try new approaches and receive individual guidance from Jade. Working with paint, drawing and mixed-media techniques, you will experiment with layering, mark-making, simplified forms and visual rhythm. Individual guidance will help each person find their own approach. By the end of the day, you’ll have a collection of exploratory studies, a developed abstract landscape and new ideas to take back to your own practice.