A Day with Eye Art Guild

Last week I spent a really enjoyable day with the Eye Art Guild, leading a workshop that felt thoughtful, focused, and genuinely rewarding.

I was made to feel very welcome by the group, and the day was characterised by calm concentration and considered conversation. It was a pleasure to be part of their day.

For the workshop, the artists worked with a restricted palette of Payne’s Grey, Titanium White, Golden Ochre, Cadmium Yellow, and Dioxazine Purple. Limiting the palette in this way wasn’t about simplification, but about focus. It encouraged thoughtful decision-making and a deeper engagement with what was already well understood.

The colour-mixing session was particularly well received. As a group of established, skilled artists, the emphasis was on refining understanding rather than learning from scratch. Working with a restricted palette encouraged a strong focus on tonal value, subtle shifts, and the relationships between colours. By limiting choice, the palette sharpened decision-making and highlighted how small adjustments could alter depth, balance, and light.

The paintings that emerged over the day were wonderful. Each artist responded in their own way, and it was fascinating to see such a range of outcomes from the same starting point.

As ever, I came away having learnt a great deal myself. I saw ideas and approaches that I will absolutely take into my own work, which feels entirely right. This kind of exchange is what artists do: we observe, adapt, and let our practice evolve through shared experience.

It felt very much like a two-way day, and I hope the group took as much from it as I did. A big thank you to everyone at Eye Art Guild for such a warm welcome and for a thoughtful, engaging day spent immersed in painting.