ARTISTS UNITED – AUTUMN TERM 2025
14-WEEK ART COURSE
Dates: 04 September – 11 December 2025
Times: Thursdays, 10:00–13:00 or 14:00–17:00
Venue: Flaxmill Maltings, Shrewsbury, SY1 2SZ
Event Organiser: Clare Harvey (Chantilly Grey).
Tutor: Heather Parry-Williams
EXPLORE ART THROUGH HISTORY, INDUSTRY & NATURE
Join us for a unique and inspiring 14-week art course set in the heart of the world’s first iron-framed building — the iconic Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings. This historic site played a pivotal role in the Industrial Revolution, and we’ll be using its remarkable heritage as a source of creative inspiration.
Designed for both beginners and those with some experience, the course will explore the contrasting worlds of industry and nature, using a wide range of materials and techniques. Each week introduces a new focus, skill, and medium — from drawing and painting to mixed media and collage — allowing you to build confidence, creativity, and a personal body of work.
COURSE AIMS
Experiment with a wide variety of media and materials
Explore both observational and imaginative approaches
Build confidence in creative thinking and visual storytelling
Connect your artwork to themes of industrial heritage and natural beauty
Engage with others in a supportive, like-minded creative group
Each session features group demonstrations, one-to-one tutoring, and plenty of opportunities to share and discuss your work.
COURSE THEME: "Natural and Manmade"
Inspired by the Flaxmill's industrial legacy, the first half of the course focuses on manmade forms, textures, and historical references — from rusty ironwork to factory skylines. Then, in a deliberate and striking contrast, we shift our gaze to the natural world: trees, plants, insects, and organic forms that offer richness, colour, and calm.
WEEKLY BREAKDOWN – “Natural and Manmade”
Week 1 – Glass Bottles (Introduction to Form & Tone)
We begin with a timeless still life subject: glass bottles. Focusing on form, proportion, and light, you’ll learn how to render transparent and reflective surfaces using graphite pencil. This session introduces essential observational drawing skills and sets the foundation for the weeks ahead.
Medium: Pencil
Week 2 – Rusty Metal & Wrought Iron (Industrial Elegance)
Drawing inspiration from the historic ironwork at the Flaxmill, this session focuses on the beautiful decay of rust and the ornate designs found in industrial metalwork. You’ll explore colour mixing and expressive brushwork to capture texture, tone, and aged patina using watercolour.
Medium: Watercolour
Week 3 – Manmade Textures (Layers & Surfaces)
This week takes a tactile approach. Using materials like plaster, cardboard, sandpaper, and fabric, you’ll build a surface that mimics industrial textures such as concrete, brick, and metal. Then, using drawing tools and washes, you’ll create an abstracted study full of depth and contrast.
Medium: Mixed Media
Week 4 – Beer in Glass (Colour, Transparency & Reflection)
A nod to traditional working-class imagery, this session teaches you how to layer colour and build subtle gradients using coloured pencils. You’ll observe a glass of beer — bubbles, light, and amber hues — and learn to replicate the glowing, reflective surface with care and precision.
Medium: Coloured Pencil
Week 5 – Tools & Texture (Inspired by Jim Dine)
You’ll choose from a range of industrial tools — spanners, hammers, pliers — to create a bold, graphic composition inspired by artist Jim Dine. We’ll build textured backgrounds with collage and acrylic before layering a drawing of the tool over the top for dramatic contrast.
Medium: Drawing on Collaged Background
Week 6 – Factories & Figures (Inspired by L.S. Lowry)
Pay tribute to the legacy of the Industrial Revolution with a Lowry-inspired cityscape. Learn to simplify forms, distort perspective, and convey emotion through stylised figures and architectural elements. This session embraces a naive but expressive style using acrylics.
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Week 7 – Floral Painting on Linen (From Steel to Softness)
We now make a deliberate shift into the natural world. You’ll paint a decorative floral composition directly onto linen, exploring soft colour transitions and botanical patterns. This session encourages loose brushwork and intuitive design.
Medium: Acrylic on Linen
Week 8 – Guy Denning Portraits (Expressive Faces in Charcoal)
Explore the emotional power of portraiture with dynamic charcoal techniques. Inspired by the raw, atmospheric work of Guy Denning, you’ll learn how to use smudging, erasing, and layering to create haunting, emotive portraits with dramatic contrasts and expressive lines.
Medium: Chalk & Charcoal
Week 9 – Trees in Ink (Mark-Making & Structure)
Venture outdoors (weather permitting) or work from reference to capture the solid elegance and detail of trees. Using only pens, you’ll experiment with different mark-making styles — hatching, stippling, and cross-contour — to define form, texture, and rhythm.
Medium: Pen
Week 10 – Knotted Wood & Bark (Tone, Texture & Detail)
This follow-up to Week 9 uses graphite pencils to capture the grain, knots, and weathered beauty of wood and bark. Emphasis is placed on tone, contrast, and composition to create richly textured and realistic renderings.
Medium: Pencil
Week 11 – Insects in Detail (Natural Miniature Worlds)
We turn our gaze to the miniature, studying the fascinating shapes, structures, and patterns of insects. You'll create detailed observational drawings that celebrate their complexity and delicacy, combining scientific precision with artistic flair.
Medium: Pen & Pencil
Week 12 – Pomegranates (Still Life in Colour)
A feast for the eyes, this session involves the expressive use of acrylic paint to capture the luscious texture and vibrant interior of a pomegranate. You'll explore layering, blending, and composition to bring this fruit to life on canvas or board.
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Week 13 – Costa Maragakis’ Shoe Designs (Surreal Colour & Pattern)
Step into the world of Greek designer Costa Maragakis and explore footwear as fantastical art. You’ll create vibrant, imaginative shoe illustrations using coloured pencils — celebrating bold linework, surreal design, and joyful creativity.
Medium: Coloured Pencils
Week 14 – Final Session: Completion & Personal Exploration
Use this final week to revisit unfinished pieces, refine your favourites, or start a new personal response to the course’s themes. With one-to-one support, you’ll have the freedom to experiment, reflect, and celebrate your artistic journey.
Medium: Open Choice
TERMS AND CONDITIONS – ARTISTS UNITED (CHANTILLY GREY)
Artists United, trading as Chantilly Grey, provides courses for individuals aged 18 and over.
Payment of Fees
Course fees must be paid termly, in advance. To secure your place, full payment must be received no later than 28 days before the course start date, and absolutely no later than 7 days prior to the course commencing.
This policy is in place to allow us to meet our contractual obligations with the venue, cover associated costs, and plan effectively. If payment is not received within this timeframe, your place may be released and offered to others on the waiting list.
Pay-As-You-Go Sessions
For those wishing to attend individual sessions, a fee of £35 per session applies. These sessions must be paid for in advance.
To ensure availability of resources and adequate preparation, please notify us by the Monday of the week you wish to attend. Booking is subject to availability, and confirmation must be made via email each week.
Please note that priority will be given to attendees who have enrolled on the full course, as this supports consistent planning and delivery for the group as a whole. We will always do our best to accommodate pay-as-you-go requests where space and resources allow.
Cancelled Sessions
If a session is cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control (e.g., illness, extreme weather, transport disruption) and a replacement session is offered, no refund will be issued. If a replacement session cannot be arranged, a refund will be processed at the end of the term.
If a class does not meet the minimum enrolment required to cover costs, we may offer to reduce the number of weeks without reducing the fee or alternatively adjust the fee to allow the class to proceed.
Refund Policy
- If the course is cancelled before it begins, a full refund will be issued.
- Refunds are typically processed immediately, though in exceptional cases may take up to 28 days.
- If you withdraw from a course once it has started, you will not be eligible for a refund.
We reserve the right to make reasonable changes to course tutors, timings, content, or venue (within a reasonable distance of the original location). No refunds will be given in these instances.
Attendance
Unless you are informed otherwise, please assume that your course will go ahead as scheduled.
We advise all attendees to join our WhatsApp group for the most immediate updates regarding class schedules or changes. If WhatsApp is not suitable, please ensure you check your emails in good time before setting off for your session to avoid unnecessary travel in the event of any last-minute updates.
Course Content
While we aim to deliver all courses as described, there may be occasions where changes to content, materials, or media are necessary. These adaptations will not impact the overall quality or enjoyment of the course. Suitable alternatives will always be provided.
General
All attendees must complete the required documentation and sign an Agreement form (either on paper or electronically). By signing, you agree to abide by these Terms and Conditions.
Artists United cannot accept liability for the loss of or damage to personal property, including project materials and completed work.
Disclaimer
Artists United makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of course descriptions and the availability of advertised sessions. However, we reserve the right to make reasonable adjustments or substitutions if necessary.
Participation in courses is at your own risk. Artists United is not liable for any personal injury or loss incurred during the course, except where caused by proven negligence.
Privacy Notice
By enrolling in a course, you agree to the collection and use of your personal data (such as name, contact details, and payment information) for administrative purposes related to your course participation.
Your information will be stored securely and will not be shared with third parties, except where required by law or for essential service provision (e.g., payment processing).
You have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data by contacting us directly.