WORKSHOPS

Jenny lives on the edge of the Peak District in the UK. Since graduation in Art & Art History from University of Aberystwyth in 1998, Jenny has exhibited nationally and internationally and won many awards. She was elected a full member of the RSMA in 2023, and won the prestigious Baltic Exchange Award in the same year. She is currently represented by the Whitethorn gallery in Ireland, The Harbour Gallery in Cornwall and the Peter Barker Gallery in Rutland.

You can also purchase from her own online gallery. Jenny has a book on oil painting out with Search Press, and is a regular contributor to The Artist Magazine. She is also an online tutor, with a series of 25+ modules on painting in oils and acrylics. Teaching painting is a passion – her main aim is for students to be encouraged, informed and creatively enthused.

Website: jennyaitken.co.uk

Janet is an American artist who paints almost exclusively with pastels. Since 2019, Janet has studied with American master pastellist, Alain Picard. She’s a juried member of the Pastel Guild of Europe and the Pastel Society of America. Janet brings to the easel and to the classroom years of teaching experience, a breezy style, and clear instructions on how to navigate this interesting and colourful medium.  

This workshop is best suited for beginners and those with limited experience using only hard and soft pastels (NOT pan or oil pastels).  The workshop will explore a wide range of pastel-painting topics including how to make your own pastel surfaces and exploring the differences between hard and soft pastels and their mark-making qualities. She will provide practical tips and techniques on setting up for work both inside and out. 

Credit: The image of Janet above is from a painting by Trish Findlater.

Instagram: @janetbuellart

Following graduation from the Leicester School of Art & Design and working an Art Director in London advertising agencies Steve moved to Ireland in 1995. Inspired by the beauty of the Irish landscape, he began painting and in 2002, decided to take the plunge and paint full-time. Steve’s work has been shown in galleries in London and Belfast, and can be found in collections in the UK, USA, and Ireland.

Steve has become involved in the revival of the Plein Air movement, painting in the open air. As well as winning numerous prizes at Dublin Plein Air Festivals Wexford’s Art in the Open Festival he has also been a finalist in the prestigious Plein Air Magazine of America's annual art competition and won the best acrylic painting award in 2022.

Website: stevebrowning.net

Róisín Curé is a keen urban sketcher, and published author and experienced teacher, with three books on urban sketching.  She teaches both in person and online through Róisín Curé's Sketch Club. She has taught all over Europe and is Ireland's only instructor for Urban Sketchers, teaching in Porto (2018), Amsterdam (2019) and in Poland (2025) .
Róisín is the inventor of the SketchPocket, an artists' speciality bag made of cactus leather, which allows sketchers to capture the world in ink & watercolour wherever they are, standing or sitting. Róisín co-founded Urban Sketchers Galway in 2014 and it is going strong today, with the group meeting weekly in Galway City.

Website: roisincure.com

Desmond Downes is a plein air artist based in Co. Mayo. He has been working in the Animation industry since the 1980’s as a Background Painter/Environment Artist in Germany, Denmark and including 6yrs at Dreamworks Animation, California, using many different traditional and digital techniques, but prefers to use oils when painting outdoors. His painting style focuses on light and mood of a place in Landscape, Seascape and urban scenes throughout Ireland on a given day. 

From choosing your scene to getting your idea onto canvas, his workshop will cover: Design and Composition; Blocking in; Colour; linear and atmospheric perspective; brushwork, technique and texture.

Website: desd.ie

Trish gained her art training at GMIT Galway, the University of Ulster and the Academy of Antwerp, Belgium. On her return to Dublin, Trish moved into the world of interior design and engaged fulltime in Architecture, setting up her own practice. Trish then returned to fine art and is now fully immersed with a focus primarily landscapes and seascapes.

She paints in both oils and soft pastels a variety of subject matter whilst painting ‘En plein air’. Her solo exhibition ‘Grief’s dark seed and hope’s Blossom’ was inspired by her perennial and herbaceous garden. The book of the same title was published winning the Silver gilt award at Art in The Open, Wexford.  “My paintings often prompt emotional responses especially through the use of soft pastel with their highly pigmented colours along with light, composition and texture.”

Website: trishfindlaterartist.com

Originally from New York, Mavis Gormally has built a successful career as a fine artist and art educator based in South Galway. After earning her BFA from NYC’s School of Visual Arts, she spent her early years teaching in New York City, later relocating to Ireland. Known for her plein air and studio work, Mavis captures the nuanced beauty of local Irish scenes—landscapes, buildings, boats, and coastlines—allowing viewers a sense of place and connection. She has exhibited her work widely in Ireland and her work can be found in private collections in Europe and the U.S. Mavis’s plein air workshops are designed to demystify outdoor painting, inviting beginners and those seeking more confidence to develop their skills in inspiring outdoor locations. Her workshops focus on building essential techniques: simplifying complex views, selecting a focused compositions, dealing with changing light, and colour mixing tips. 

Website: mavisart.com

Tony Robinson is a full-time artist. He studied fine art in the UK to postgraduate level before being employed as Community Visual Artist at Wexford Arts Centre. His main areas of interest are in portraiture and plein air landscape painting in oils. He is a founder and current chair of Art in the Open, Ireland's premier plein air festival, which has attracted an international following for 17 years. Tony seeks the challenge of different atmospheres and landscapes and he has won awards for plein air painting at international invitational festivals.

In 2021, Tony took part in Sky Portrait Artist of the Year. His teaching engagements regularly include portraiture and plein air landscape painting courses at Artform Studio in Dunmore East, County Waterford.

Website: tonyrobinsonart.com

Sebastian Thommen hails from Ireland and has been painting in watercolour since his early teens. After a successful career as a theatre and film actor, he took up painting professionally and had immediate success, receiving awards in the Art in the Open Plein Air Festival in Wexford. He has taught many workshops in Ireland and abroad focusing on landscapes and nautical scenes specifically working en plein air. Sebastian describes his workshops concept: ‘I love painting ‘en plein air’ in watercolour. I love the benefits it brings for body and soul, and I love teaching it and sharing my enthusiasm with my pupils. Nothing is better than capturing the moment, quickly on a sketch pad, then using the sketch as a reference in the comfort of the studio to create a beautiful painting with locked in memories”

Website: sebastianthommen.com