Expressing the Landscape

Use a wide range of painting and drawing techniques and different media to create contemporary woodland, mountain, city or coastal landscapes.

During this ten-week course, you’ll discover how to use composition, colour and material application to convey ideas and atmosphere. The course is aimed at adventurous beginners or those with some art experience who wish to develop ideas or extend their skills.

Each week (or two depending on the project), tutor Pete Clayton will suggest a particular theme and demonstrate techniques and suggest approaches to use. We will explore the use and expressive qualities of graphic media (graphite, charcoal etc), paint (usually acrylics), collage and basic print techniques.

We’ll provide visual reference material as a source of inspiration but students will be encouraged to bring their own resources (photos, sketchbooks, previous work etc), memories and experiences to make their work more personal.

Being inspired by other artists, past and present, plays an important part of the course. A few names for students to explore (there will be more!) include John Singer Sargent, Haidee Jo Summers, Jenny Aitken, Lesley Seeger, Carry Ackroyd, Antoni Tapies, Kurt Schwitters, Jane Human, Ann Blockley, Melvyn Evans, Andy Goldsworthy and Paul Klee.

Tutor Peter Clayton holds a Fine Art degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Over a 40+ year career he has shown in over 160 solo and group exhibitions and has collaborated widelywith artists of various disciplines, undertaken residences, and worked with local authorities, museums, interior designers and publishers. His personal work has encompassed a wide variety of painting and printmaking media. Subject matter has been inspired by the landscape (particularly woodland), architecture and family history. Peter has taught courses in Adult and Further Education at numerous venues for 36 years and has been a tutor at Attenborough Arts Centre for 25 years.

All material

s will be provided.

This 10-week course will run on Wednesdays 1:30pm - 4pm, starting on 17 September with the final session on 3 December 2025.

Please note: No sessions on 8 October and 22 October 2025.

Participants must be aged 18+.

If the course/workshop you’d like to book is sold out, we do operate a waiting list - simply contact our box office team on / and ask to be added to the waiting list. We’ll then contact you if a place becomes available, with absolutely no obligation to accept it if you’ve made other plans!

Please ensure that you agree to our updatedTERMS & CONDITIONS before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable in some circumstances.

We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome - just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you'd like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email, pop in or call, open 7 days a week.

We have four blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied.
Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road. The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us (near De Montfort Hall).