my first time on cvp

I’ve been busy recently enjoying an online painting course called CVP (Creative Visionary Programme) - a 12 week painting bootcamp with Nicholas Wilton of Art2Life.

Why CVP after doing a masters degree?!

After 3 years of my MA focussed on sculpture and art installation, my plan for 2023 was to dig deeper and further develop my 2D work (before connecting that back to my 3D as I move forward). The MA was never expected to be somewhere that taught painting theory or practice and I’d heard of many friends doing this course previously and getting a lot out of it.

What did I learn on CVP?

We started with inspiration/art/desire boards - it doesn’t matter how often I do this sort of thing, it always gives me more clarity and clearer focus! Asking questions such as: “What type of art would you make if no one was looking and money was no object?” “Imagine 10 years from now you have a solo show in New York where you’ve really pushed your boundaries and taken risks - what would that work look like?” Etc etc. Here are some sections of the boards I created.

We then covered topics such as play, colour, value, composition, texture and layers, and I loved every minute of it! There was a lot of teaching, with some exercises each week to help us try ideas out, as well as some super helpful coaching videos on how to engage with and push through all the different stages of making a painting. The biggest message was to paint with confidence knowing that you can always fix any mistakes, and we were shown innumerable ways of how to do this. Here are some examples of the exercises.

I feel I’ve barely started putting into practice what I’ve learnt but that’s just a matter of me showing up regularly in my studio and putting the hours in!
Over the last 12 weeks I’ve been teasing followers on social media with sideways and zoomed in peeps of the work I’ve been exploring, as I wanted to allow myself the privacy to try new things hidden away from view. Now the course has finished it’s time to share a few pieces with you, as I’d love to know what you think. It’s early days but I’m investigating a funfairs/ deckchairs /cat in the hat / 60s mashup and I’m having fun! The first fruits of a summer vibing with these ideas.