Bringing Still Life to Life: Chelford’s First Oil Painting Course

At the start of our very first 4-week still life oil painting course at Chelford Village Hall, each of the 11 students was presented with the same reference image: a silver bowl of lemons 🍋, accented with leaves and warm autumnal tones 🍂. The idea was simple — by working from the same subject, everyone could focus on learning the fundamental steps of oil painting while exploring their own interpretation.

We began with a burnt sienna underpainting, a warm base layer that set the tone for everything to come and allowed the cooler blues and greens 💙💚 to really sing. From there, students developed their drawings ✏️, blocked in colour 🎨, and gradually worked from background to foreground — dark to light.

Week by week, new techniques were introduced: brush handling 🖌, thinning paint, oiling out, glazing, blending, and even wet-on-wet painting. Each stage brought the paintings further forward — from soft foundations to textured surfaces, from broad colour masses to the finer details ✨ that sharpened the image.

I feel very lucky to have been able to work with everyone in a one-to-one format at the end of each session, offering personal guidance to strengthen their paintings. This gave students the chance to ask focused questions, refine tricky areas, and feel confident about their next steps.

Throughout the course, I also made sure to include live demonstrations 🎥 — showing exactly how I begin a painting, build up layers, and bring it through to completion. These step-by-step demos gave students a clear roadmap, which they could then adapt and make their own.

What made this course so rewarding was seeing how, even with the same subject, no two paintings were alike. Each reflected the painter’s growing confidence 💛, personal palette choices, and developing style. For some, this was their very first time picking up a brush, while others returned to build upon existing skills. All 11 students created a finished still life they could be proud of — a huge achievement in just four sessions 🌟.

I want to thank every student for your dedication both in class and at home 🙏. Supporting your progression — from that very first burnt sienna wash to your final flourishes — has been such a joy.

I’m so proud of everything this first Chelford Village Hall group has achieved! 🌟👏

Looking ahead, our next 4-week course begins on 16th October at The Hall at Marthall, where we’ll turn our focus to landscapes 🌿.

Marthall Oil Painting