Paint with Darren: an art class series
About this Event
PAINT WITH DARREN: AN ART CLASS SERIES
A series of painting workshops led by artist and musician Darren Hayman.
Every Thursday at the Soho Poly GoTo space from 3pm to 5pm - starting 12th November!
Darren Hayman, formerly lead singer and guitarist with the band Hefner and prolific solo artist, also paints and draws. We are delighted to welcome Darren to the Soho Poly to deliver a painting workshop for people of all artistic abilities. Darren's approach to art is inclusive and in keeping with the friendly approach of the Soho Poly to Badge Cafes and more, tea and biscuits will be provided in a welcoming space. Attendees will be able to take away their painting if they wish.
About the art classes
Painting is really just paying attention. Over four sessions, we’ll use unusual surfaces, ordinary objects and personal memories to slow down, look harder and see more. No experience needed, only curiosity. All materials are provided.
Class 1: Painted Postcards
Bring photographs of places that matter to you: somewhere you grew up, a holiday, a spot you keep returning to. We’ll paint these locations onto real postcards, made from high-quality watercolour paper with a proper postcard back.
This class is about memory and place. As we paint, we’ll think about what it felt like to be there, and how drawing makes us look, observe and understand more deeply than a glance ever could.
Then comes the best part. We’ll supply stamps, and you’ll be encouraged to actually post your finished card to someone. We’ll walk to the postbox together, and whatever happens on the journey, whether it’s a smudge, a crease or a scuffed corner, becomes part of the artwork.
Class 2: Birds on Beer Mats
A more guided session. We’ll provide a generous supply of beer mats and printed reference images of birds. Step by step, you’ll learn how to paint a bird’s silhouette, understand its shape and structure, and choose the right beer mat as your canvas. You’ll leave with a flock of small, charming paintings and a better eye for how birds are built.
Class 3: Night Paintings
Bring your own night photographs, or work from a selection of printed images provided for you. Using acrylic paint on black card, we’ll paint light onto darkness, reversing the usual way of working.
This is a lesson in minimalism and restraint: how little you need to say, and how much power empty space holds.
Class 4: Toys and Objects
Bring an object that means something to you, ideally something small enough to hold: a childhood toy, a keepsake, a well-worn everyday thing. We’ll treat it as a still life, working on larger paper than in our first session.
Like the postcard class, this one is about memory, and about what we discover when we truly look at something familiar. Objects hold stories, and drawing them is a way of listening.
Join us for one class or all four. Each session stands alone, but together they make a gentle, absorbing journey through looking, remembering and making.
About Darrren
Darren Hayman is a thoughtful, concise and detailed songwriter. He eschews the big, the bright and the loud for the small, twisted and lost. For 15 years, and over 14 albums, Hayman has taken a singular and erratic route through England’s tired and heartbroken underbelly. More about Darren here
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 8.00 to GBP 22.38
