Student Spotlight: Rob Baines, Summer School & Landscape Course

What made you want to come to Leith School of Art for a Summer School?

I'd dabbled with painting and drawing on and off for years, and I’d got myself to the point of having all sorts of art gear, but I wasn’t great or confident with any of it. I decided that a short, intense week [attending a Summer School] would at the minimum be fun, offering a chance to immerse myself in painting as a taster for something more long term. Edinburgh is such a beautiful city and the chance to spend a week painting it was too good to miss!
 

Was the Summer School what you expected?

The Summer School was everything I expected and more! We spent time out and about in Leith sketching and looking for subjects. Then, we returned to the studio and developed tonal studies before painting them in oils or acrylics. Paul Mowat was incredibly supportive and helpful. He spent time one-to-one with every student, which is no mean feat when we were scattered around Leith! Even in this short time, Paul critiqued and gave direction, actively teaching and helping us to both improve our skills and develop new ones.
 

How did the Summer School prepare you for a Year-Long course?

I hadn't realised at the time that Paul had developed a version of the Year-Long Landscape course that really covered everything we did [during the Summer School] in depth: developing a sketching routine, drawing and considering composition before starting with paint, and how to apply paint. I'd decided that I wanted to actively learn about art and the practical skills involved, and both the week-long Summer School and the Year-Long course did this. These courses are great fun, working with people of similar interests, but they are also intense and focused on learning. They get us out of our comfort zones, trying new ideas and techniques. The Summer School was great fun, and it gave us a really good feel for what was to come.
 

How would you describe your time at Leith School of Art?

I've enjoyed it so much and, to be honest, I wish I’d done it years earlier! I've learned so much about art techniques and skills, but I’ve also learned about Art as a subject. I’ve learned about living and dead artists, how to read paintings and how to identify what I like (and not so much), and how to bring that to my own work. It is a vibrant and enthusiastic place to study and I've so looked forward to each Wednesday. The atmosphere is supportive, fun and very challenging, and it's just amazing to see everyone grow and develop, regardless of their own experience at the start [of the course].
 

Do you have any advice for new or current students?

I guess there’s a lot of people like me who have tinkered with art around family and work life, and I'd say my own experience - as well as other's experiences, from talking to other students - has been so rewarding and I’ve learned so much. I was very apprehensive about if I was good enough, and [attending the courses] was very much out of my comfort zone, but the week-long Summer School was a great chance to try and think, 'Okay, maybe I can do this...' before trying a Year-Long course. I still have impostor syndrome at times, but looking back at what I was doing when I started and comparing that to now, I can see how far I've come. I'd really encourage anyone thinking of having a go to try it. I don't think they'll regret it.