STUDIO SCHOOL
Over seven weeks, Studio School offers a structured yet supportive way to develop the fundamentals of painting through regular practice, clear guidance, and time to work in a real studio environment. The focus is on learning how painting works, so the process feels more deliberate, confident, and enjoyable over time.
This course is suitable for beginner to intermediate painters.
No formal training is required. What matters more is curiosity, a willingness to learn, and the ability to commit to seven consecutive weeks of regular studio practice. There is no pressure to produce finished work, and no expectation of prior art study.
You might be:
This course may not suit you if you’re looking for a casual drop-in class, watercolour tuition, or a paint-and-sip style experience.
Across the seven weeks, we focus on the core elements that underpin confident painting, such as:
Underlying all of this is learning how to observe, analyse, and make decisions about what matters most in a subject. These skills apply across subjects and mediums, and form the basis for more confident, independent work.
Students typically produce a range of studies as well as one or more developed paintings. Seeing progress across multiple works is an important part of the learning, and many students are surprised by how clearly that progress becomes visible over the seven weeks.
Each Wednesday session is structured to allow time for explanation, demonstration, and sustained studio work.
Classes typically include:
As the course progresses, sessions place increasing emphasis on resolving work and responding to individual strengths, interests, and areas for development. People work at different speeds and with different levels of intensity; those who prefer a gentler pace are welcome to work that way, while those who wish to push themselves will be supported and challenged.
This Foundation program is designed to stand on its own, providing a strong and practical basis for painting that participants can continue to build on in their own way.
For some, the course will offer the structure and skills needed to develop a more fulfilling and confident painting practice as a long-term hobby. For others, it may form the groundwork for further study within the Studio School program.
Future terms will build on the fundamentals introduced here and are intended for those who wish to continue working in a supported studio environment. Over time, the emphasis shifts toward greater independence — making clearer choices, recognising personal interests, and developing a more consistent visual language.
Whether or not you choose to continue, this Foundation program is designed to give you tools, confidence, and direction that you can carry forward into your own painting practice.
Studio School is a guided exploration rather than a recipe-based class.
The course is led by Leisl Baker, an Australian painter with a long-standing studio practice and extensive experience teaching both in studio settings and outdoors. Leisl’s teaching is grounded in observation, process, and practical decision-making, with a focus on helping painters understand how and why their work develops as it does.
Each session includes clear demonstrations, guided exercises, and time for individual exploration. Participants are encouraged to follow along, ask questions, and then diverge as their own interests and decisions come into play. The aim is not for everyone to make the same work, but for each student to better understand their own way of working and what resonates with them.
Individual feedback is offered throughout each session, and group discussion helps build shared language, insight, and a sense of studio community. The approach is supportive and direct, offering structure without rigidity and guidance without prescription.
The focus throughout is on building confidence, independence, and a sustainable painting practice over time, rather than producing a particular style or outcome.
Refreshments: Tea, coffee, and still and sparkling water provided. BYO lunch and snacks, or The Store Room and The Bakers Duck are an easy walk.
Missed sessions are not recorded; however, the structure of the course allows for independent catching up if needed.