The Blasket Islands School of Art

Painting The Beauty Of West Kerry

Painting Days

Painting days at the school are held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, under the guidance of experienced tutors and are suitable for both the novice and the more experienced artist. A setting of natural beauty where green hills dotted with wildflowers and ancient stone beehives curve to dramatic cliffs that meet the sea provides ample inspiration and support for the days of challenging work. From the dawns over the mountains to the spectacular sunsets in the western sky, both landscape and seascape are bathed in veils of supple and ever-changing colour and light.

The school offers summer painting days/art therapy weekends from May to September

The Dingle Peninsula

These West of Ireland Painting Courses are set in a studio Dún Chaoin on the tip of the Dingle Peninsula overlooking the Blasket Islands for which it is named. With its dramatic scenery and rich culture, the Dingle Peninsula has attracted artists like John Millington Synge and Jack B. Yeats, as well as Irish language scholars who came to study the Irish spoken in this most westerly point on the Island of Ireland. The great Blasket Island itself was home to famous Irish writers such as Tomás Ó Criomhthainn, Muiris Ó Súilleabháin and the great folklorist Peig Sayers

Art Therapy Weekends, The introduction to art therapy weekend is open to anybody who is interested in using creativity as a means of expression, and who may want to explore the therapeutic potential of art. Art therapy is not about good or bad art, it is about a willingness to be open to the creative potential within. The art therapy weekend under the guidance of a trained art therapist aims to help develop personal insights and gain through experience a better understanding of art therapy.

In order to allow more time for the tutor to work with each student, the classes are small, limited to five to six students.

The most important ingredient included in these art weekends is an informal relaxed and encouraging atmosphere.

The Tutors

All the Tutors are practicing artists specializing in their fields. These highly skilled artists are graduates in Fine Art having trained in programs in both Ireland and England. The Art Therapists hold a Master degree in their field. Most tutors are bilingual, their second languages including Irish, Welsh, German, and Italian.

The Blasket Islands School of Art is owned and run by Claire Nagle who holds an honors degree in Fine Art, specializing in printmaking, from the Crawford School of Art in Cork. Although Claire will not be acting as Tutor, her experience and training as an artist will be a valuable addition to the courses.