Discover a more expressive approach to self-portraiture in this hands-on oil painting workshop, where you’ll explore how a portrait can capture character, emotion and identity without needing to look exactly like you.

Inspired by modern artists including Amedeo Modigliani and Henri Matisse, you’ll explore simplified forms, expressive colour, distortion and visible brushwork.

There’s no pressure to create a perfect likeness! Working from your own reflection in a mirror, you’ll learn how to observe the structure and features of your face before interpreting and exaggerating what you see in your own way.

What to expect

The session begins with a short introduction to modern self-portraiture and a demonstration of how to establish the face using shape and colour.

You’ll then create your own self-portrait with individual guidance throughout, experimenting with your features, clothing, background and colour to make the portrait personal.

You’ll leave with your own modern self-portrait in oils and greater confidence in approaching portrait painting.

Good to know

Basic materials provided. Food and drink is also available for purchase throughout the session from our cafés.

This workshop is suitable for ages 16+ and is suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience of oil painting.

About your tutor

Denisa Mansfield is an artist whose work explores expressive colour, movement, and emotion through the language of Impressionism and abstraction.

She works primarily in oils, with a focus on how traditional methods can be reinterpreted in contemporary ways. Her practice celebrates curiosity, creative risk-taking, and the joy of discovery through paint.