> Booking will be live at 11am BST on Monday 29th June 2026, 12 places available, allocated first come first served.
This is one of three courses Kate is teaching in 2027. The other two are on: 20-25th June 2027 + 4-9th October 2027.
All the curses are the same just on different dates.
This course is a deep dive into the world of colour and intuitive abstract painting and back by popular demand.
Kate is a master of colour and composition.
It will be particularly useful if you have some painting experience and want to experiment with abstraction and how you use colour, or if you have more experience and want to free up from your current style and spend some time experimenting with a different approach.
During the course you will explore colour, working with feelings and moods, word, shape and symbol play and different surfaces, moving away from pre-conceptions or past experiences and exploring methods and surfaces on canvases, gessoed board, heavy paper and wood - depending on what you bring and what you’d like to work on. Kate will talk about her own work and the emotive approach that leads to her choices in her works. As with all our tutors she will demonstrate and take you through exercises in mark making techniques, discuss colour theory and investigate composition – all from her own experience as a professional exhibiting artist, enabling you to get inspired and gain new skills.
Kate Trafeli is an American-British painter and curator currently based in London, UK. She makes her works in a north London studio held by arts charity Collage Arts. You can view a video of Kate in studio here and read a brief interview about her on Kate’s tutor page.
Colour synesthesia, symbols/shapes and visible brushstrokes evoke mood and narrative in Kate's works. The fragments visible in her paintings originate out of many avenues: literature and music, architecture, light’s effect on the picture plane. Her practice is grounded in moments and histories from her own and others’ lives, expressed through abstraction and mark making. Kate's stylistically diverse paintings seem familiar and yet otherworldly, with the representational components providing touchstones for the viewer while evading definite answers. The resulting ‘story-pictures’ create an immersive environment, a resonance between the viewer and the work.
Kate shows her work in solo and group shows with well regarded galleries and agents, as well as at The London Art Fair, AAF and SaatchiArt 'The Other Art Fair' in London, Los Angeles and New York. Kate welcomes and has created numerous large-scale private and public commissions.
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Residential
£995 + VAT (total £1,194) which covers all your tuition, accommodation and food from arrival on Thursday through to departure after lunch on Sunday.
Non-residential
£715 + VAT (total £858) which includes all tuition, welcome drinks on Sunday and lunch each day.
Payment schedule & cancellations
A 20% deposit will be taken when you book, the balance of fees are due 6 weeks before the course starts. These are non refundable payments. See cancellation policy for more information.
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This course is designed for anyone that already has some painting experience who wants to spend some time on working more intuitively, working with feelings and moods, shape and symbol play. Those who like colour and want to move away from pre-conceptions and ideas.
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Sunday
5-7pm Residents arrive
7.00pm non residents arrive
7.00pm Welcome Drinks
8.00pm Dinner
Monday -Thursday
8.30am Breakfast for residents
9.30am Tuition starts in studio
1.00pm Lunch
5pm Tuition ends
7pm Dinner for Residents
Friday
8.30am breakfast for residents
9.30am final tuition session
1.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Course closes
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Residential and non-residential spaces available.
Residential option.
Onsite, rooms are single occupancy unless coming with a partner and would like share. Note bathrooms are shared/no ensuite facilities.
Residential fees include all your food, accommodation and tuition from arrival on Sunday from 5pm hrough to departure on Friday after lunch.
More info on our residential facilities can be found here.
Non residential option
Include welcome drinks on Sunday, tuition and lunch.
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Min 6 max 12 to allow the tutor to give everyone enough attention and time.
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Residential
£995 + VAT (total £1,194) which covers all your tuition, accommodation and food from arrival on Thursday through to departure after lunch on Sunday.
Non-residential
£715 + VAT (total £858) which includes all tuition, welcome drinks on Sunday and lunch each day.
Payment schedule & cancellations
A 20% deposit will be taken when you book, the balance of fees are due 6 weeks before the course starts. These are non refundable payments. See cancellation policy for more information.
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A first payment is due at the time of booking @ 20% of total course cost.
There is a 14 day cooling off period so if you cancel within 14 days you receive a full refund on your first payment. Thereafter it is non refundable and not transferable to any other course.
The balance of course fees are due 6 weeks before the course starts and are also non-refundable and non transferable.
Please take out adequate travel/health insurance in the event that you are unable to attend.
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I will mainly be using the ‘liquid’ paints to demonstrate but also heavy body paint occasionally.
Please bring the following materials with you.
NB If you are travelling internationally you can ship your materials to us in advance if helpful.
ACRYLIC PAINTS (Liquid or Heavy Body): ‘Any Artist Quality Brand of’:Titanium White // (note: buy any decent ‘white label’ brand such as Jackson or Cass Art’s own Titanium white acrylic paint, 60ml or larger) // Golden “Liquid” (NOT high flow) acrylic paints (30ml bottles - these are quite small) or Golden “Heavy Body” (60ml tubes) in the following colours are recommended. Note: These paints are expensive (but very high quality so a little goes a long way); please feel free to also bring any other acrylic paints you have
COLOURS: Please feel free to add any other colours you wish to work with, this is simply a guide: Hansa yellow // Pyrrole Orange // Pyrrole Red Light (or Cadmium Red Light ) // Quinacridone Magenta // Light Magenta // Phtahlo Blue (red shade) // Cobalt Teal // Light Turquoise // Paynes Grey // Phthalo Blue (red shade) // Permanent Green Light // Bone Black //Green gold // Diarylide gold // Turquoise Phthalo // Ultramarine blue
IF YOU DONT HAVE ALL THESE PAINTS AND DON’T WANT TO PURCHASE WE HAVE A LOAN BOX YOU CAN REQUEST USE OF AS PART OF THE GERRY DUDGEON MATERIALS BURSARY - just email Lara to request
NON-SOLUBLE CRAYONS: A small set of water-resistant (NOT ’water soluble’) wax crayons - a good basic set is “Caran D’ache Neocolor I Set of 10 Wax Oil Crayons Water Resistant”. There is a good reason for water-resistant crayons as useful for layering
VARNISH AND MEDIUM (Optional - for use sealing finished work at end of course & some glazing techniques): Professional quality acrylic varnish - a good option is “Liquitex Professional Satin Varnish, 237 ml”
Acrylic high gloss medium (such as “Liquitex Professional Gloss Fluid Medium”
BRUSHES: A mix of 3-4 brushes is preferable and it is not necessary to buy new brushes for this course if you have some you are already comfortable with using on acrylic works. As a guide the following from Jackson’s Art Supplies are useful, a mix of flat, pointed round and filbert in some of these sizes:
-Jackson’s own brand Hog bristle brushes series 334 (long flat) in size 4,8,
-Jackson’s own brand hog bristle brushes series 333 pointed round in size 2 and 6
-Jackson’s own brand hog bristle brushes series 335 (filbert) in 10 and 12
(www.jacksonsart.com )
A couple 20mm-40mm wide and if possible OLD/USED decorator’s brush or “mottler” brushes [a 5 pack of “Harris Essentials” synthetic brushes which go from 1/2” to 2” is a great option and very economical, available at Wilco etc. But best rather than new are old beat up brushes you’ve used the house from other projects].
NON-BRUSH TOOLS (OPTIONAL BUT HELPFUL): A palette knife -- especially if you are bringing heavy body paints, Fan brush Pastry scraper (Any thing else you enjoy painting with including found items etc)
PAINTING SURFACES: -Sturdy Mixed media paper sheets for wet and dry materials in a pad (glue bound or spiral) - a good choice is “Strathmore 462-109 400 Series Mixed Media Pad, 9”x12” Glue Bound, 15 Sheets” — available online from many sellers. -Three or four work surfaces in size you are comfortable with experimenting on - 50 cm size and over will give you more scope (primed canvases or MDF boards or large sheets of paper)
MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES: A flat palette with a decent-sized mixing area in the middle — or a paper palette pad of tear off sheets (I will be using this and although considered ‘disposable’ will often use it cut into pieces and worked into larger mixed media works)
-A roll of masking tape - preferred is yellow “Frog” brand “delicate surfaces” tape
-Some kitchen roll
-If wanting to work outside a small sketching stool could be useful [I plan to teach this course mainly inside, but if the weather cooperates we will spend some time outside for inspiration/space and if so this could be helpful]
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Our address is TQ6 0JA [What3words: What3words: fulfilled.exploring.branching]
We have plenty of free onsite parking.
Trains > nearest station is Totnes then we can arrange lift shares or send taxi details. We are about 20 minutes from the station.
Airports > Nearest airports are Exeter, then Bristol then London.
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I can’t book when the course goes live because I am travelling/I have other arrangements, can I book before it goes live?
I’m afraid not, we suggest you either make arrangements to be available at that time or ask a friend to book for you if you’re not available.
I’d like to stay in the area before/after the course, do you have any recommendations?
Both Totnes and Dartmouth are nearby and really lovely towns so worth visiting. See the town links for recommendations of what to do and where to stay.
I have dietary requirements/food allergies can you cater for those?
Yes, once you have booked onto the course will will write to you asking for those details.
I have a partner that would like to come with me but not paint is that possible?
Yes there’s a charge of £350 if they want to stay with us during the course but not paint/take part in the tuition. When you book just add that you would like a double room and a partner place in the ‘access’ requirements section. We will then make arrangements for you and invoice accordingly. That payment will be due three weeks before.
Can I arrange a taxi/lift share from the train station?
Yes once you’ve booked you’ll get details about how we can do that for you. You will also get a registration pack with local taxi numbers.
There’s a lot of kit and I’m travelling from abroad/on public transport how can I manage that?
Yes you can arrange for your kit to be posted/shipped/couriered to us marked with your name c/o Lara Lloyd. Likewise to return it. There are various courier services in the UK including Royal Mail and Send my Bag International options vary accordingly but global options include FedEx
Do you recommend any UK suppliers for buying required kit and getting it either shipped to me or to Coombe Farm Studios direct?
Yes Jacksons, Atlantis and Cass Art are all good online UK suppliers.
“What drives me to paint are a lot of compelling factors, both internally and emotionally, it could be dreams or experiences, but often its memory and things I’m trying to work through in my own life that start to emerge in the paintings – a lot of the symbolic paintings have those elements in the them…things like home, distance, longing.”
