23 -27 September 2024 (fully booked) . 12 - 16 May 2025. 22 - 26 September 2025.

price 500€

Fresco is an ancient method of painting on to wet plaster requiring the artist to make a direct and immediate transmission of ideas and concepts. The magic of fresco is in the use of natural pigments which become pure, bright and luminous as they are fixed permanently into the surface – the painting becomes stone.

Starting with a presentation of the history of the medium and an explanation of what a fresco actually is, the course will cover the basic techniques of fresco painting. Students will work on terracotta tiles, plywood panels prepared with hessian, and woodwool panels 60cm x 60cm. You will learn how to prepare and lay the layers of plaster, to plan and draw out the design and to paint the fresco in stages using natural pigments. There will also be a demonstration on the preparation of pigments from local earths and rocks. We will explore a full range of fresco paintings from ancient to contemporary.

A wide selection of books is available to the students showing examples of ancient, medieval, Renaissance and contemporary painting.

"I spent a week in Bosa, a small, charming, and unpretentious little town for a week, to learn the basics of fresco painting with Carey and came away completely inspired, and impressed, by her love and knowledge of this ancient technique. Working in her studio, where there was plenty of her own fresco painting in evidence, I was able to experiment and create a couple of finished pieces, as well as several practice tiles. I was given lots of help and advice on the quite technical aspects of the subject, and she was always happy to discuss Art in general and fresco painting in particular. She really knows her stuff and I’d recommend this course to anyone thinking of trying the technique for the first time; I feel sure there would be plenty she could teach to old hands too." Lesley Kidd

"Carey 's fresco workshop will always be one of the most exceptional weeks in my life. The materials, the atmosphere of the studio and the good balance of learning a technique and the freedom to do your own thing was idyllic."                                                                                                                                                   Megan Players