Valerie Briggs

Artist Details

Artist Name: Valerie Briggs
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Tuition

ART SOCIETIES AND GROUPS - DAY WORKSHOPS WITH VALERIE BRIGGS (Please scroll down)
FOR BEGINNERS AND IMPROVERS IN WATERCOLOUR, PENCIL AND PASTEL
PRICES
Travel is included in the fee
Under 35 miles £175 per day
Over 35 miles £200 - £250 per day

Valerie runs workshops covering various techniques in watercolour, pencil and pastel. These are tailored to suit all levels except absolute beginners. Valerie enjoys teaching beginners but prefers to hold separate days to cover the basics of a medium.

Because the day is usually run from 10am to 4pm the subject or technique has to be specific and Valerie recommends that only one is covered so the following subjects give you an idea of what, from experience, she feels can be comfortably achieved during the day.

WATERCOLOUR

Wet into wet backgrounds.
Basic fur technique, eyes, ears and noses.
Basic feather technique.
Skies
Water

DRAWING AND PASTELS

Valerie teaches her drawing techniques in separate workshops using pencil, graphite and coloured pencil hard, soft pastels and pastel pencils to create fur and feather details, flora and fauna and landscapes.


TWO DAY WORKSHOPS - WEEKDAYS OR WEEKEND

Valerie Briggs - Ideas for 2 day workshops 2013
Fee £500 (including all expenses)
Distances under 35 miles the fee is £450 for the weekend

Two day workshops are ideal for Art Societies or small groups to create a finished piece of work. Valerie can supply a list of workshop ideas to suit most palettes in watercolour, pastel and pencil.


2013 SPRING, SUMMER AND AUTUMN WORKSHOP DATES
THE GALLERY AT BEVERE
WORCESTER WR3 7RQ
Valerie is a well-known artist of flora and fauna. An enthusiastic teacher, she holds small friendly workshops upstairs in the Bevere Gallery. There is a maximum of six students of all ages attending the workshops with a minimum age 18 years.

These workshops are designed to help the keen but hesitant student get started with the basics of watercolour and drawing and also for those who have some knowledge of the basics and would like to improve their skills.

Unfortunately at present the workshops are not suitable for the disabled.

WORKSHOP DATES 2013

FEBRUARY

Wednesday Watercolour 6th 13th 20th & 27th
Thursday Mixed Class 7th 14th 21st & 28th FULLY BOOKED
Saturday Watercolour 23rd
Saturday Drawing 9th
Saturday Pastel 16th

MARCH

Wednesday Watercolour 6th 20th & 27th FULLY BOOKED
Thursday Mixed Class 7th 21st & 28th
Saturday Drawing 2nd
Saturday Pastel 9th

JULY

Wednesday Watercolour 3rd 10th 17th & 24th
Thursday Mixed Class 4th 11th 18th & 25th
Saturday Watercolour 6th & 20th
Saturday Drawing & Pastel 13th & 27th

OCTOBER

Wednesday Watercolour 2nd 9th16th23rd & 30th
Thursday Mixed Class FULLY BOOKED
Saturday Watercolour 5th & 26th
Saturday Drawing 12th
Saturday Pastel 19th

NOVEMBER

Wednesday Watercolour 6th 13th 20th & 27th
Thursday Mixed Class FULLY BOOKED
Saturday Watercolour 16th
Saturday Drawing 2nd & 23rd
Saturday Pastel 9th & 30th



SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR SMALL GROUPS MAX OF 6 PEOPLE - A DAY WORKSHOP AND LUNCH WITH VALERIE ON A DAY SUIT YOU DURING THE ABOVE TERM TIMES. PLEASE CONTACT VALERIE FOR DATES AVAILABLE.
6 People £36 each

All day classes run from 10am am to 4pm and cost £40 per day with a 10% discount for 4 or more classes booked. Liquid refreshments and a light lunch are provided.
Valerie will teach you her techniques in the medium and subject of your choice, animal, vegetable or mineral.
Valerie always has spare materials and reference material, but will provide a detail list of drawing/painting materials upon request.

A list of local B & B accommodation is available on request.
For more information or to book a workshop contact Valerie

Fur in Watercolour Detail 'The Hare'
August 17th and 18th 2013
WEEKEND WORKSHOP AT NATURE IN ART, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
CONTACT www.nature-in-art.org.uk Telephone 01452 731422


WEEKEND WORKSHOPS AT THE SANDPIPER STUDIO, THE WIRRAL
Tel. Julie McLean 07788 412 480 or Email info@thesandpiperstudio.co.uk

Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March 2013
Working with watercolour
Swan Portrait - creating a luminous watercolour of a mute swan using a limited watercolour pallete.

Friday 20th and Saturday 21st September 2013
Working from life - Penquin
Workshop sketching and photographing penquins at Chester Zoo then creating a portrait in watercolour on the 2nd day.


"Through demonstration and individual tuition, Val will gently guide students from initial drawing stage to detailed painting in watercolour. Her workshops have proved very popular in the past so early booking is advised. Lunch and refreshments are included."

 

Biography

For the last 30 years Valerie has dedicated herself to recording the flora and fauna of the British countryside in the demanding and challenging medium of watercolour. Valerie loves working in graphite in which she finds complete relaxation and the perfect tonal exercises for her watercolours. Pastels are another favourite medium and she uses them regularly when sketching from life. Valerie is a completely self taught artist.
 
Living in the city of Worcester she is surrounded by the beautiful Worcestershire countryside and its wild, and not so wild, inhabitants, which are her main inspiration. She is especially drawn to the natural and man-made waterways, which provide green corridors for a wildlife population under the constant threat of urbanisation. Throughout the year they provide much of the background material for her paintings.
 
Details of birds and animals are taken from dead specimens usually found on the roadside, she then spends time in the field and rescue centre’s to study her subjects in the flesh. Valerie feels that just watching animals and birds after all the detailed study is the most important and rewarding element to her work.
 
Valerie has been influenced from very early age by the watercolour work of Archibald Thorburn and the natural history work of Charles Tunnicliffe, the drawings of Aubrey Beardsley and the paintings of the Pre Raphaelites, especially the drawings of Burne-Jones. Although her work has a very illustrative style she strives to create space and luminosity in her finished pieces.
 
Valerie’s work can be found at home and abroad in books, on greetings cards, fabric and china. She exhibits in galleries around England and is regularly invited to Nature in Art in Gloucestershire as an artist in residence. Valerie’s work can be seen at The Gallery at Bevere where she also teaches throughout the year. Besides running her own classes in her home town of Worcester Valerie is in demand around the country as a teacher and demonstrator.

 

Exhibitions

Valerie will be artist in residence at Nature in Art from 2nd to 7th April with watercolourist Trevor Smith.

 

Awards

2011 Highly commended for Surprised TWASI Annual Exhibition

2010 The Wildlife Art Society Internationl Annual Exhibition the Ken Stroud Founders Award for British Wildlife

2008 The Wildlife Art Society Internationl Highley Commended

The Wildlife Art Society Internationl Best British Wildlfe Award at Annual Exhiobition at Bristol Zoo.

2007 National Wildlife Art Exhibition winner of The David Cook Drawing Award

2007 Highley Commended The Wildlife Art Society International Annual Exhibition

 

Media

Coloured Pencil, Drawing, Mixed Media, Pastels, Pen And Wash, Pencil/Charcoal, Watercolour

 

Subjects

Animals, Botanical Illustration, Colour Mixing, Flowers And Gardens, Illustration, Landscape, Pet Portrait, Seascapes and Water, Skies, Still Life, Trees and Foliage, Waterways and Canals, Wild Flowers, Wildlife