The Unfinished Portrait with Amy Dury

About the Workshop & Tutor

Some of you may know of Amy Dury from her success on PAOTY 2019 where she reached the semi final, or you may have seen her portrait of Cornelia Parker video at the Tate, or ben following her on social media where we see the full array of her works, transforming images from family photos from decades ago……… However, Amy also has substantial experience in teaching, including at West Dean College as well as Draw Brighton. You can find more about Amy here.

As the title suggests, we will be encouraged to ask ourselves questions as to ‘when is the portrait finished?’, ‘am I allowed to stop now?’, ‘how can I make portrait paintings as fresh as a quick life drawing?’,‘Should I put more paint on to make it more valuable or can it hold its own as is…does it look strong as is?’

It will aid us in exploring what is of most importance to us.

Instead of chasing perfection we celebrate the allure of incompleteness.where the magic lies in the journey rather than the final product. We will look at techniques by renowned artists who intentionally left their portraits incomplete. Learn the power of suggestion and explore personal interpretation.

Day 1

We will commence the course with a variety of exercises designed to ignite our creative exploration of the sitter/model. We will be both drawing and painting as we generate new approaches and spark new ideas. There may be time to commence a relatively short first unfinished portrait during the afternoon.

Day 2.

We will begin with a talk about Amy’s own work and unfinished portraits.

The rest of the day will be one pose where we can create one or more unfinished portraits.

Day 3.

This will be a single pose for the session where you can create one or more unfinished portraits, with input and intervention from Amy.

As with all taught sessions, this course is more about learning that can be integrated into practice rather than on getting results and showing that which we can already do. Learning to record the most useful information about our subject, discovering something about seeing the structure of the head. Learning ways of describing. It's more about succumbing to being a student and being open to discourse, intervention, and learning, so we can then make informed choices about what is useful to us and incorporate into regular practice.

What is provided?

All equipment, paper, grounds for painting, and materials are provided but feel free to bring any favourites of your own. A selection of teas and coffee, organic milk and plant based milk, plus a selection of treats will also be available.

Terms & Conditions

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Course & Workshop Terms & Conditions

Portrait Gallery