How often do we look at paintings in museums and ask ourselves: “How are the colours so perfectly balanced?” or “How can I achieve confident brushstrokes without everything becoming grey and flat?”

The answer is simple: colour theory.

In this course, we explore the fundamental properties of colour — hue, value, saturation, harmony, complementarity and contrast — applying them to oil painting practice. Focusing on the plastic qualities of transparency and impasto, we will work with subjects such as still life and landscape, developing volume, atmosphere, colour relationships and brushwork, bringing to life the vitality and expression painters so often seek to achieve.