Image 1 of 4
Image 2 of 4
Image 3 of 4
Image 4 of 4
“I really loved the Impressionist Plein Air Painting Workshop with Helena and could not recommend enough! It was super inspiring to see how she approaches her work and apply her insights and advice on my own painting. 10/10!” – Recent workshop artist, August 2026
Spend a day exploring Impressionist painting, limited colour and expressive brushwork. We begin in my studio, before heading out together to paint one Bristol city view. The focus isn't on perfectly reproducing what's in front of you. Instead, we'll explore how to capture the feeling of a place through colour, tone and movement.
We start in my studio
We'll meet at 10:30am at my studio at Willway Yard, Bedminster, where we'll spend the first hour together. I'll give an informal Introduction to Impressionism, sharing paintings and ideas that have influenced my own practice.
We'll look at:
How the Impressionists approached light, movement and colour
My inspiration, from Monet to Morisot
Simplifying a landscape into tonal values
Choosing whether a painting feels warm or cool
My favourite limited colour palettes
How restricting your colours can actually give you more freedom
Using brushwork to create movement and atmosphere
I'll also show you my own materials and plein air setup before we head outside.
Then we paint Bristol together
We'll leave the studio on foot and walk approximately 30 minutes towards Bristol Harbour. I'll choose one Bristol city view for the whole group to paint together. We'll start by looking and sketching before choosing our limited palettes. I'll then paint the same view alongside you, demonstrating my process and giving individual guidance as we work.
Everyone starts with the same landscape – but the aim is absolutely not to produce eight identical paintings. It’s always great to see everyone’s different paintings at the end of the day.
Who is it for?
Beginners and experienced artists are both welcome.
For beginner artists: A limited palette is a brilliant introduction to oil or acrylic painting because it reduces the number of decisions you have to make and helps you really understand colour mixing.
For experienced artists: It's equally suitable for experienced artists who want to loosen their painting style, simplify their palette or move away from faithfully copying what they see.
What you'll need
You'll need your own oil or acrylic plein air painting setup, and a canvas or board to paint on (around 8 x 10 inches, and no bigger than A3). I will send a kit-list in advance and can supply any spares, or missing items. Please get in touch if you're unsure what to bring.
You'll also need comfortable shoes and a bag you can carry for the walk from my studio to our painting location.
You'll leave with
Your own original painting of Bristol, my limited-palette approach to take into your own practice, and hopefully a slightly different way of looking at colour and landscape!
