Light, water, air: Watercolour landscape painting course

Event information

• Type: Courses: Art making
• Date: 16 July - 17 July 2026
• Tickets: From £324
• Location: The National Gallery
• Address: Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN, UK
• Official page: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/light-water-air-watercolour-landscape-painting-course-july-2026

Details

About

Join artist Jo Lewis for this two-day intensive watercolour summer school exploring the joy of working outside in nature.

Watercolour has long been the ideal medium for working outside – exceptional results are achievable with the most simple and portable of materials; water, colour and paper. Inspired by artists in the National Gallery such as Turner, Constable, Claude and Cezanne, we’ll explore techniques and approaches particularly suited to outdoor painting, from quick, spontaneous studies to more sustained and developed works.

Inside the Clore Art Studio at the Gallery, and outside in St James’s Park* (about a 10-minute walk from the Gallery), you’ll experiment with working at different speeds and scales, responding to changing light, weather and atmosphere. A series of guided exercises will focus on building a practical yet expressive colour palette for outdoor work, balancing restraint with richness. You’ll create small, portable studies in the traditional watercolour sketch style, to larger pieces that explore the physicality of flowing water, gesture and colour. As your own visual language develops, we’ll consider many of the enduring questions that have preoccupied watercolour painters for centuries.

Whether you are new to painting outdoors (en plein air) or returning to it with fresh eyes, this course encourages confidence, experimentation and a renewed relationship with watercolour.

*Please dress appropriately for working outside. In the event of poor weather, the daily structure will adapt to make the most of opportunities to work outdoors.

This summer school is suitable for all levels. All materials are provided, and your work is yours to take home. Handouts with extra resources will be provided in advance of the sessions.

Suitable for participants aged 18 or over.