Horsham artist goes online amid the virus crisis
West Sussex artist Claire Harrison is urging people to beat the isolation with online art. Claire, who lives south of Horsham, has launched online art classes for those who are isolated or bored at home. Claire used to hold an adult class once a week at the Guildford Institute. Realising that she would be abandoning her students when she started social distancing, she moved her curriculum online within the week. Claire has adapted her syllabus for the online environment, demonstrating to students how to draw and paint a broad range of subjects; from drawing flowers in pencil to painting a landscape in the style of Monet. Students can either choose to draw and paint along with Claire, or watch and then do their drawing and painting at the end. Claire then provides each student with a link to the recorded video, so they can play it back at their leisure. At the end of each session Claire shares insights with each student, guiding them on how to improve their work in what she promises is a positive, constructive and friendly way. “There are two types of lessons – those designed for complete beginners who have always wanted to learn art, but felt that they have never had the opportunity to do so until now. The beginner’s course is designed to use household items, such as a pencil or biro, as art materials on any paper that is to hand. The other type of class is for the amateur who has painted or drawn before and who will have art materials at home already, such as paint or pastels.” Claire is charging £6.50 per session. Claire has also launched a Facebook group called Art for All, which is an online art community where students can share their artwork and art-related ideas in a safe and friendly environment. More details on claire-harrison.co.uk