Ilsa Brittain

If you would like to join an Art Workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal have a look at our website www.internationalartworkshops.com
or contact me directly. If you want to know more read the article below.

If you like my paintings please let me know! My work is inspired by nature, the human form and the human condition - everything interconnected, chances slipping into place, dissipating, knocking into each other, choices and consequences intertwined, moments coming and going, will and fate tangled up, trust and suspicion tugging different ways.




The following is an extract from an article written about the workshops:

How did you get the idea to start up this workshop?
Nepal is a wonderfully rich country, visually - there are so many colours, textures, beautiful sites, views and people. It is also culturally interesting and so very alive. For any artist there is a lot to draw on, to be inspired by. I wanted to bring artists here for fresh new inspiration and an experience to remember. Also, bringing artistic people together is very good for everybody�s creativity, ideas get exchanged, new ideas are formed and everybody feels empowered, it�s a very rewarding experience for all involved.

What is the goal?
My goal is to ensure everybody gets to see and understand a bit beneath the surface of Nepal and Nepali people, to experience things most tourists would never have the chance to; to give everybody a chance to explore lots of different art techniques; to go home inspired.

Who is it catered to?
These Art Workshops are for anybody with an artistic interest. No previous experience is required, we provide all necessary instructions and demonstrations for somebody to take it up for the first time. Equally, artists with a lot of experience come to enjoy everything that is facilitated for them to have a fascinating, creative experience, with everything made easy and available. We also cater for student groups, this is a chance for a rare eye-opening experience that they will never forget and gives them ample interesting material for their coursework.

What is the highlight for you?
The highlight for me is after the first two or three days, when people have got over their initial wariness of what this is all about, and they realise they have got themselves on to something really special. They relax, enjoy and appreciate everything that has been arranged, they see what an amazing place this is, they open up and really take advantage of the experience.

How long have you been teaching art?
I have been an artist all my life, but I have been teaching art for 5 years now. I started in Moscow when I changed my life around and shifted everything to art and painting. My life had got somewhat cluttered with other things like a full time job that wasn�t good for me! I started a studio there which attracted a lot of people. In the end there was so much demand for classes that, together with another artist, we started giving lessons. I found that I not only enjoyed it but it inspired my own work - and I really appreciated how important it is that artists work together, that it is the most productive input for creativity. Since then I�ve never looked back, I have always taught and used it to inspire my own work and vice versa.

What is the most enjoyable part for you?
The most enjoyable part for me is really helping people open up their creative ability. It is surprising how even very accomplished artists feel insecure and vulnerable, especially in an unfamiliar exercise or technique. My favourite part is when they relax and let go and enjoy the experience for what it is, not as a test of their ability but as a wonderfully inspirational experience, one that opens a door of possibilities and leads on to more and more explorations and ideas.

How did you get into art?
One of my earliest memories is the conviction that �when I grow up'� I�m going to be an artist so I better start drawing straight away. Funnily enough though, it�s strange how much �life� has got in the way of my actually carrying that out! It has taken me a while but I can now say, however, that I am in the wonderfully perfect position of having it all! �I love my Art Workshops and the weekly Art Club I run, they inspire me and invigorate me, I have the loveliest studio I have ever been in, I paint all year round, and I am preparing 3 different exhibitions.

How would you explain your workshop (in a nutshell)?
An experience that every artist, and artistically inclined person, should undertake at least once in a lifetime!

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