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Painting the landscape – Turneresque

This course will take its inspiration from Petworth House and Park and the exhibition of Turner's paintings. Explore the use of acrylic paints to evoke atmosphere and space in your paintings.

  • Booking essential
  • Admission applies

The course will begin with a visit to Petworth House to gain inspiration from the gardens where Turner himself was inspired to paint. There will be a guided private tour by the curator of the Turner exhibition at Petworth House.

You will work outside in the gardens where you will gather a range of research materials through drawing and photography which will be used as a starting point to make a series of small scale Turner-inspired acrylic paintings. These in turn, will then be developed onto a larger scale back at the studio at West Dean College.

You will be exploring the different properties of acrylic paint to evoke ideas of atmosphere and space. There will be technical demonstrations as well as a lecture on the history of landscape paintings

At the end of the course you will have gained greater knowledge and confidence in the use of acrylic, colour mixing and compositional devices.

Times

Prices

Event ticket prices

Ticket typeTicket category
All £369.00
Check admission prices

The basics

Booking details

Call 01243 818300

Suitability

Not suitable for children

Meeting point

West Dean College

What to bring and wear

Please see Course Materials section on the West Dean course information page.

Other

This course runs over several days. Please see the Timetable section on the West Dean course information page for more information about the daily timings.

Upcoming events

Event

Turner's Vision at Petworth 

For the first time in 20 years, a specially curated selection of JMW Turner’s artistic studies of Petworth will be exhibited in the very place that inspired him. These rarely seen works give a fascinating insight into Turner’s methods.

Event summary

on
2 Jul to 16 Nov 2025
at
10:30 to 16:30
+ 137 other dates or times
Event

Archaeology in the Park Guided Walk 

Find out about some of the archaeological findings in the Park on this two hour guided walk.

Event summary

on
4 Jul to 11 Jul 2025
at
10:30 to 12:30
+ 3 other dates or times
Event

Changing Landscape Exhibition 

This exhibition tells the 900-year story of the landscape at Petworth, the people who lived and worked in it, and explores what landscape means to people now and in the past.

Event summary

on
7 Jul to 17 Aug 2025
at
10:30 to 16:30
+ 41 other dates or times
Event

Ship Ahoy! Family Trail 

Step into the world of J.M.W. Turner and set sail on an artistic adventure through Petworth House and Garden!

Event summary

on
19 Jul to 7 Sep 2025
at
10:00 to 17:00
+ 50 other dates or times