New 2015 Summer School courses online now!

With only a few days to spare, we have finally managed to get all of out new courses on the website before Christmas! The storms of last week delayed our progress after lightening struck, but we are pleased to report that all is now back to normal at the Bridge House Art office.

New 2015 Evening classes:

DRAW PRINT CREATE ILLUSTRATE
Mondays 5th - 26th January 2015
Tutor: Eleanor White
4 weeks. 7pm - 9pm.
Cost: £65
Come and try your hand at experimental drawing, then take the drawings on a journey into illustration using many mediums, then make a print as a celebration of all your ideas and gatherings.

An exciting 4 week course which will give you many different ways to be creative!  All materials provided. Course structured to be fun, fun, fun, and a deep learning experience!
All welcome, beginners or experienced!
Like to book? Please call Eleanor on 01854 612281 (answer-phone, please leave a message)








INSPIRATION EXPLORATION - Playing with Silver
27th January - 3rd March 2015
Tutor: Merlin Planterose
6 weeks. Tuesdays, 7pm - 9pm
Cost: £150
A new 6 week evening class where you will be taught the process of playing with silver as a material to design and make jewellery or objects that are hand fashioned through the practice of saw piercing, disc cutting, doming and soldering. A demonstration in chain making will also inspire.

Merlin will teach and demonstrate all the methods of making along, with individual tuition helping you to design your very own unique piece.
Like to Book?  Please call Eleanor on 01854 612281 (answer-phone, please leave a message)

New 2015 Bridge House Art tutor:

This year, we are delighted to welcome Jemma Derbyshire to our teaching line-up. Jemma is originally form the Highlands, but now lives and works form her studio in Edinburgh.
She didn't take much persuading to come and share her enthusiasm and expertise with our students. Layered Landscapes promises to be a fantastic addition to the summer school programme for 2015.

We are also very much looking forward to welcoming Kittie Jones back for yet another inspiring and creative week of printmaking. Last year, Kittie held one of the first summer school weeks in the new printing garage, what a success this new space proved to be,  look at the smiling faces of last year's group!

Well this summer has just got better and better! Our summer school courses have been full to the limits, so this next week we are having the first ever Bridge House Art Open Studio Days. If you are around and about in Ullapool towards the end of next week, why not 'Come and be Curious?'

Please spread the word if you know anyone that might be interested in seeing behind the studio doors, discovering some of the work created during our courses and generally finding out about us.

What a fantastic summer we are having! So far we haven't had a rained off day, so our summer courses have been somewhat al fresco. We are keeping a regular update on our Facebook page but realise that not all of our friends follow us that way so here's a quick resume of the last couple of months -

In June Eleanor was off for a somewhat less stressful trip than her last one to Spain, leading a workshop at Almuna, Adalucia, home of Arbuthnott holidays. A wonderful week of warm weather, inspirational surroundings and incredible hospitality was enjoyed by all, not least Eleanor!



Also in June there was another hugely successful Playing with Silver weekend workshop with Merlin Planterose.

But as the end of June approached, our minds were filling with thoughts of preparing for the oncoming summer school weeks. We were relieved to see Emily Wilkinson arrive, fresh and eager to get on with preparing the studios and stocking up on materials to last through the summer weeks.

Emily is a former portfolio course student that has taken up our offer of spending a summer in Ullapool. This rather contrasts with the winter she experienced living here to attend the full time course last year.




Windows on the World

Our first week of summer school classes. It was wonderful to be able to use the garage space that has now become another of the Bridge House Studio spaces. We have set up the printing presses and will be using it to its full capacity over the next few weeks, but for now Eleanor has set up some amazing still life installations of objects and artefacts left behind from the previous owner.

Object and Memory 
This was our second summer school week and the day spent painting on the beach at Achiltibuie was fantastic; overlooking the Summer Isles and Mainland hills, it doesn't get much better.
Everyone settled back into the studios and produced and incredible amount of stunning pieces of work.

Panoramas

Jacqueline Watt was the first of our visiting tutors and she pushed our students quite hard, but the end results were well worth the effort that everyone put in. 

What with the dazzling colour palette that Jacqueline uses alone with the strong sunshine, anyone would think they were in the Mediterranean, rather than in Ullapool!

Sketchbooks into Print
this was our second week of welcoming a visiting tutor, Kittie Jones. Kittie has been coming up to Ullapool form Edinburgh for quite a few years now, leading week workshops on Tanera Mor. This year she had the joy of using our new print shed / garage/ studio for her group of budding printmakers. Another hugely enjoyable and productive week.

Meanwhile, whilst the Bridge House Studios were full to the limits of their lovely walls, Eleanor was off down to Yorkshire leading a sketchbook course at Jack Beck House.
Everyone there worked away at creating small buy beautifully formed sketchbooks, aided by some great weather and home cooking!

And lastly, Christine and Emily were flying the Bridge House Art flag in the Art Tent at the Ullapool Skiff regatta.
Another amazing weekend of off-shore coastal rowers and their families descended on to the shores of Loch Broom to enjoy a weekend of frantic rowing and general fun in and around Ullapool. Lovely mono prints were made by artists of all ages to help the 'Scape' fundraising project for an Talla Solais!

Watch out for another update and latest news soon!

Well it's all go here at Bridge House Art! Eleanor has been dashing around the countryside in her usual manner, always leaving behind groups of exhausted but inspired students in her wake!

So far travelling workshops have been held at North West Highland Art in Kishorn,

Old Sleningford in North Yorkshire,

Upper Deeside Art Society took their inspiration from a misty and atmospheric Craigievar Castle.

Then we were off on a brief, sunny (and eventful) excursion over to Spain

This weekend the delights of Perthshire is the destination of choice. Have a look at our Facebook page for more images from the latest workshops.

Back at the studios, we are gearing up for the summer school courses. The materials have been ordered, the studio is having a shake-down and the garden is starting to look as wonderful as ever. The courses on offer this year have been very well received by the looks of the advance bookings.

Never fear though, there are still some places to be had;
Playing in Silver - weekend workshop with Merlin Planterose. 14th & 15th June.
Experimental Printmaking - a weeks printmaking course with Christine Morrison and Tiril Planterose. 4th - 8th August.
Bookforms - the curious life of objects a week with Eleanor White & Janis Breckenridge. 18th - 22nd August.

We are also still interviewing for the portfolio course starting in October. This is often referred to as 'life changing', so much so that we are wondering whether we should attach a health warning with the course information! Not only do we have applications from school leavers, wanting to develop a portfolio of work to help gain access into a degree programme at art school, but also mature students taking a sabbatical break from their everyday career or those wanting to explore and develop their art for a short and intense immersive period. If you're thinking along these lines, now's the time to get in touch.

Finally, if you are around any of the Scottish Art Schools over the next few weeks - Edinburgh (ECA), Glasgow (GSA), Dundee (DofJ), Aberdeen (RG) or Elgin (Moray), watch out for the current Degree Shows. We always have some ex-students graduating each year and it's always a joy to see their progress since leaving Bridge House Art. We have had another full house of successful applications with this years group of students, so we'll be watching their development over the next few years as well.

Please share with anyone you think may be interested in what we do, it's always the best recommendation.

Eleanor is just back from a wonderful travelling workshop in Airlie village hall near Kirriemuir where Oil painting was the name of the game! What wonderful work, and the best bit, according to Eleanor, was you could hear a pin drop the concentration was so good! Lovely little still-life table tops with intense patten and flowers inspired us all, even Eleanor managed to sit in a corner and paint! Have a look at what the group got up to....(More images on our Facebook page)

What an exhibition week!

Record numbers of visitors passed through the door of an Talla Solais and there were some extremely complimentary comments left in the visitors book. Visitors were genuinely interested and amazed at the breadth and volume of work developed over such a relatively short period of time.

"Wow! So much talent on display after such a short course. Congratulations to all"

"A well constructed and diverse show - excellent work"

"What a wonderful display of skill and talent. Amazing what has been achieved in such a short space of time and with such inspirational results. Well done all!"

The pop-up portrait studio was an inspired addition with Morven adding loads of additional portraits to her portfolio and the pop-up cafe was a huge success and gave the exhibition an entirely different feel with the gorgeous smells wafting through the rooms. There are plans for a continued yummy relationship for future projects.

But now the students have all said their farewells and the studios are empty :( There were lots of hugs, tears and promises of keeping in touch. Portfolios have been taken away, bulging at the seams with wonderful drawings and works that will take the college applicants onto the next stage of their artistic careers and those on a personal development journey, are ready to launch into their self directed routes.

Looking ahead, there are still places available for the next intake of portfolio course students. If you'd like any information please do get in touch or follow the links from the Bridge House Art website http://www.bridgehouseart.co.uk/p/portfolio-course.html

In case you didn't manage to see the exhibition, here are a few images of what you missed!

Following on from our previous post - now with only 2 days to go before the exhibition opening, the portfolios are safely mounted and stored away, the scrubbing, cleaning and painting of walls, starts to transform the studios into a wonderful exhibition space.

Just to whet your appetite further, here are a few more images of students work. Please see previous post for additional images

Elizabeth Sandie - painting

Sybil Moses - painting / collage

              

The pressure's building and the tension mounting in the Portfolio course studios! With only four days to go before the opening of Earthly Forms Heavenly Bodies, we thought it would be good to give you a sneak preview of some of the students work that will be displayed in the exhibition.

Erin Kish - jewellery

Helen Watt - mixed media drawing

Marion Back - painting

Catherine Lupton - printmaking

Portfolio Course Exhibition information released

Earthly Forms Heavenly Bodies

2nd - 9th March 2014

an Talla Solais, Ullapool Visual Arts

Latest newsletter

New 2014 Summer School courses online. 

We are delighted to announce that our new website and summer school courses are now available and can be booked on-line! Our new website now offers the chance to book and pay for courses on-line.

Now you can see at a glance, what courses we have arranged for this year and reserve your place in the fastest possible way. We have extended the number of summer school weeks and invited some new tutors to deliver exciting and, most importantly, fun filled, creative weeks.

Jacqueling Watt (painting), Kittie Jones (printmaking) and James Donald (textiles) are all eagerly waiting for their turn to inspire and challenge students with their unique courses. We are delighted to welcome them to Bridge House Art.

Not forgetting the travelling workshops that are also available - from the West Highlands to North Yorkshire and Andalucia, there are places available on these courses with Eleanor as the visiting tutor. Bookings for most of these courses are made directly with the organisers. Please go to our website www.bridgehouseart.co.uk for all course information.

Reserving a place and paying for all courses at Bridge House Art is now possible through secure on--line payments. No more worrying about cheques in the post, although, of course, we are still happy to receive payment this way as well.

Other News

Our portfolio course students have returned to the studio after their well earned Christmas break. This term they will all be developing their own projects and this is when they truly blossom! Watch out for updates on their progress over the next couple of months and for news of their end of course exhibition - a great time to spot the next generation of budding artists.

Please share our information with anyone you think may be interested.
That's all for now. All good wishes for 2014!