|
D1 NAPOLEON: A STUDY IN POWER Monday 25
July £41
Tutor: William Tyler, MBE, MA
(Oxon), MA, M.Phil.Napoleon’s career was a truly extraordinary one,
from
officer cadet to Emperor. His reputation
survives today, not only for his extraordinary military conquests but
also for
the way his reforms changed France
forever. It is no exaggeration to say
that the Europe we live in today owes a great
deal to this remarkable man – and yet to us British he was the great
‘Corsican
Ogre’, Old Boney, who threatened our very way of life
D2 ROCK
AROUND
STONEHENGE
AND THE BRITISH STONE CIRCLE Monday
25 July £41
Tutor: William Forrester,
MA (Oxon), PGCE, Lecturer for the National Portrait Gallery and British
Museum,
Diploma in Art History, tour guide for London and the City.Just like
any great
cathedral, stately home or museum, Britain’s stone circles deserve and
reward
study. After putting them in context with other prehistoric remains, we
tease
apart how and when these circles were made, and examine the many
theories of
why they were built. Using archaeology and folklore, we will consider
the most
likely options. Were they, for instance, observatories, or cult
centres,
hospitals or highways to the afterlife – or even UFO landing sites?! We then trace the history of the monuments up
to the present day. Their place in art will also be considered,
featuring works
by Constable, Turner, Henry Moore and others. Though Stonehenge
will be the focus of our attention, we shall look at other great
examples such
as Stanton Drew, Avebury, Arbor Low, Callanish, the Ring of Brodgar and
the
Stones of Stenness. Hence we travel from South West England to the
Hebrides and
Orkneys, taking in some of Britain’s
most beautiful landscapes en route. The lecture is also topical. We
will consider
the presentation of Stonehenge, which has been
called a national disgrace, and whether new visitor arrangements are
necessary.
We also note that, with so many recent archaeological finds, this is a
very
exciting period in Stonehenge studies
D3
ANYONE CAN DRAW (Yes really!) Monday 25 July £41
Tutor: David Lewry, BA (Hons), SWSBA , runs a number of
highly successful courses in watercolour painting and drawing in and
around Bedford. He also tutors on
board Saga and Spirit of Adventure Cruises where he has started many
people who
previously believed they had no artistic ability on an exciting new
hobby. He
is an accomplished Botanical Artist, was awarded a silver medal by the
Royal
Horticultural Society and has contributed illustrations to several
award
winning books.This workshop will prove that anybody can draw, even
those who
claim they “can’t even draw a straight line.” Using an exciting, fun
and
innovative approach you will be amazed at just what you can achieve
with just a
few minutes’ instruction. Having proved to you in an amazing
demonstration that
anybody really can draw extremely well, you will be shown ways that you
can
develop this skill by keeping a sketchbook and record scenes from
holidays or
your local environment. Experienced
artists will also find that these methods can dramatically improve
their
drawing skills. All you need to bring is a pencil, a few sheets of
ordinary
copy paper and an open mind! Additional materials will be available for
purchase but are not essential.
D4
BEGINNERS WATERCOLOUR Monday 25 July £41
Tutor: Denis Pannett, a professional artist, experienced
Adult Education tutor, Honorary Freeman of the Painters Stainers Livery
Company, President of the Wapping Group of Artists and Chairman of the
Chiltern
Painters.This course is designed to help beginners and less experienced
painters to learn the basic stages in tackling a subject in
watercolour. All
students will complete a painting step by step under the guidance of
the tutor
with tips on materials, composition, colour mixing, tones and painting
skies,
trees, water, foregrounds and watercolour techniques. Top quality
watercolour paper
will be available from the tutor at £2 per sheet.
D5 Edit and Store your DIGITAL
PHOTOGRAPHS
Monday
25 July £48
Tutor: Susan Mills, Cert Ed, MA, experienced IT
teacher.This course will cover using Picasa, a free software programme
from
Google, to edit, store, organise and print your digital photographs.
Learn how
to transfer images from your camera, save and use folders, and do
simple
manipulations such as cropping, brightness and contrast. Advice on
using your
camera to the full and alternative software programmes will be
discussed, as
well as information about printing your photographs by comparing
various online
or high street suppliers. This course is suitable for learners who have
a
little computer knowledge and can use a keyboard and mouse. Please
bring your
camera instruction manual. NB:
The higher fee is due to students having sole use of a computer.
Please note the computer room is on the second
floor.
D6
ELGAR: SAVIOUR
OF BRITISH MUSIC Tuesday 26 July £41
Tutor: Julian Williamson, conductor of many
orchestras and choirs in Great Britain and overseas; also an
experienced
lecturer. For two hundred years, following the death of Henry Purcell,
British
music had been in the doldrums.
Generation after generation of composers often promised much but
delivered little, and even our finest talent paled into insignificance
beside
the great names on the continent. Then
Elgar arrived, and slowly people realized that at last this country had
a
genius whose music could stand proudly alongside his illustrious
contemporaries. We shall follow the life
of this standard bearer – a most unlikely candidate for the job as we
shall see
– and discover how his achievements showed our native composers that
they could
hold their heads high again. The
confidence which grew from this gave birth to a whole new school of
British
music whose debt to Elgar is still felt today.
D7
MASTERS OF ART NOUVEAU: LALIQUE,
TIFFANY AND GALLE Tuesday 26 July £41
Tutor: Dr Anne Anderson, BA, PhD, FSA, lecturer in history
of art and Design, Kingston University, NADFAS lecturer since 1993 and
an
antiques valuer on BBC’s Flog It! for
seven years. Although Lalique is best known for his Art Deco glass of
the
inter-war years, his career began in the early 1890s as the designer of
the
finest Art Nouveau jewellery. He is
unique in being a master of both Nouveau and Deco, providing an
opportunity to
explore these visually exciting 20th century styles. Lalique belongs to
a rich
cultural milieu, a contemporary of the French glass designer Emile
Galle and
the American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, who excelled in glass,
mosaics and
interior décor. These artists-craftsmen
catered for a wealthy clientele who sought to create individual houses
that
were artistic as well as luxurious. Art Nouveau took shopping to new
heights,
as interior décor demanded furnishings with flair.
Furniture, glass and ceramics were now deemed
works of art, beautiful objects of everyday use, which, alongside
paintings and
sculpture, fashioned the House Beautiful for world-weary captains of
industry.
D8
BASICS
OF
FRAMING
Tuesday
26
July £41
Tutor: Linnette Bell, BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting,
City & Guilds Teaching Certificate Stage 2, in association with the
UK
School of Framing (winners of the 2010 Fine Art Trade Guild award for
Innovation for Framing Courses). This
course aims to introduce the basic process of framing from cutting a
mount,
glass and frame to final assembly, as well as the application of a
stain and
lime wax finish. It is for beginners and those who need hands on
experience to
help them choose suitable framing equipment for their needs. There will
be a
fee of £12.00 per student – payable on the day - which will cover
the cost of
all the materials used. Each student will receive a CD with a Basics of
Framing
30-page PDF manual.
D9
WONDERFUL WATER SOLUBLE PENCILS Tuesday 26 July £41
Tutor: Carole Massey has been a professional artist for
over 40 years and is an experienced and popular tutor. She is a
successful
author of teaching art books, a TV presenter, and a demonstrator and is
a Professional
Associate of the SAA. Water soluble pencils are the most versatile of
media for
artists. This course, suitable for all
abilities, will guide you through a wide range of techniques for
painting
flowers, foliage and trees, using water soluble pencils and Inktense
pencils.
Many examples from Carole’s book will be on show. Please bring
flowers and plants and/or
suitable photographic reference to work from. Weather permitting there
may be
an opportunity to work in the grounds (foliage and trees).
D10
HAND
EMBROIDERY:
A
SUMMER
MEADOW
Tuesday 26 July £41
Tutor: Kay Dennis, a professional embroiderer and tutor
of over 20 years, holds City & Guilds qualifications in stumpwork,
lace and
embroidery. Learn to create a summer meadow using simple stitches to
make a
background. Free standing wheat, grasses, poppies, cornflowers and
daisies, all
worked on water soluble fabric, give depth and perspective to the
landscape. The finished size of the
meadow is approximately 5 inches by 4 inches.
All abilities are welcome. Students
must bring with them an 8” diameter embroidery ring and a pair of
small, sharp
scissors. All other materials will be provided at a cost of £3
D11
HISTORIC
TIMES
AT
THE BBC Wednesday 27 July £41
Tutor: Peter Dorling, on the staff of the BBC for
almost 40 years, and for many years a lecturer on cruise ships. The
last time
Peter talked about the BBC, in 2008, the course was quickly
over-subscribed. We have therefore asked
him to revisit his subject for a fresh audience. The day will begin by
examining the key role played by the BBC in the Second World War. Peter then continues with a light-hearted
look at the beginning of his own career, on programmes like Housewives’
Choice
and Mrs Dale’s Diary, in what he calls ‘The Great Days of the
Wireless’. Then
we study the start of television, and the struggles facing the early
pioneers. The course concludes with the
story of how the
BBC lost its monopoly with the arrival of ITV, and how the BBC
struggled with
the competition. All the topics will be
illustrated with audio/visual examples
D12
LIFE ON THE CHALK
Wednesday
27 July £41
Tutor: John Tyler BA (Oxon),
MSc (Conservation), Fellow Royal Entomological Society. Today will be
an
introduction to the abundant wildlife, history and prehistory of the
chalk
hills. In the morning we explore the rich diversity of habitats to be
found in
the Chilterns, from chalk grassland to beech woodland, how they were
created
and the wealth of plants, animals and fungi that they support. In the
afternoon
we focus on one of the most ancient and best-loved chalk trackways in
Britain: the
Ridgeway, which dates back at least five thousand years. Without
leaving our
seats we will do the 87-mile walk from Ivinghoe Beacon to the
prehistoric
sacred site at Avebury in Wiltshire, exploring features from the Stone
Age,
Bronze Age and Iron Age, as well as the wildlife that thrives along the
track
to this day.
D13
Magical
portraits
–
WATER
SOLUBLE PENCILS Wednesday 27 July
£41
Tutor: Carole Massey has been a professional artist for over
40 years and is an experienced and popular tutor. She is a successful
author of
teaching art books, a TV presenter, and a demonstrator and is a
Professional
Associate of the SAA. This course is designed to show you how to tackle
portraits of your family and friends, working from your own
photographic
reference. As well as showing you how to
achieve a likeness, facial proportions and other skills for producing
successful portraits, Carole will demonstrate a wide range of
techniques for
creating skin tones, hair texture, highlights and shadows, and many
other
techniques for using this ‘magical’ and extremely versatile medium.
D14 MAKE YOUR OWN KISS
JOURNAL Wednesday 27 July £41
Tutor: Susie Jefferson is a
mixed-media artist and bookbinder. She has been teaching adults for
over 10
years and has had numerous articles published in UK and US art/craft
magazines,
including ‘Crafts Beautiful’ and ‘Craft Stamper’. A ‘Kiss’ journal?
Steady
on….the stitching forms the ‘kiss’ on the spine of the journal, so this
class
is indeed suitable for those of a delicate disposition – in fact, even
if you
have never made a book before, if you can sew on a button, you can make
this
book! You’ll learn how to make a fabulous soft-back journal which will
fit in a
handbag or pocket, or stand proudly in your bookcase. We’ll make an A5
book in
class, but this format can be adapted to any size and any shape. The
covers
will be constructed of heavyweight watercolour paper which you’ll
embellish
with artist-quality acrylic paints and rubber stamping to create an
all-over,
heavily textured design – every one will be unique – with your choice
of stamps
and colours. The pages will be high quality acid-free and archival
papers, so
suitable for anything you want to throw at them: collage, photographs,
watercolour, journaling… the world is your mollusc! You’ll also receive
comprehensive notes, so that you can make more of these wonderful
journals at
home. All materials will be provided at a cost of £6.95 per
student.
D15
BRIDGE: Successful Overcalls Wednesday 27 July £41
Tutor: Tessa Templeton is the
resident bridge teacher at the Memorial Centre, running The Bridge
School at
Gerrards Cross. Tessa is a qualified
English Bridge Union teacher running classes and supervised play
sessions for
many students. How can we be sure we reach the right contract when our
partner
makes a suit overcall? This day will look at the normal suit overcall
and how
partner can successfully respond by showing his/her strength using the
Unassuming Cue Bid. We will also cover
Two-Suited Overcalls allowing us to make two bids in one:
Bidding to the level of the fit: The
Unassuming
Cue
Bid: The Michaels Overcall:
The Two No Trumps Overcall: This
will
be an exciting day for the average
club player which will include plenty of time for play and enjoyment.
D16 Confident Computing using Word
Wednesday 27
July £48
Susan
Mills, Cert Ed, MA, experienced IT teacher. You will
learn to use Word for all your
correspondence, insert photographs into documents, mail merge labels,
newsletters
and all those others things you have been waiting to use your computer
for. Word is a powerful programme. It is just a question of knowing where and
how all those applications can be accessed. All
those
menus
and
icons
will
be explained. We will
design
letter-headed notepaper; manage storing addresses that can be used for
Christmas
cards or letters; and explore the use of templates for writing a
Newsletter,
Minutes of a Meeting or a CV. This
course is suitable for learners who have a little computer knowledge
and can
use a keyboard and mouse. NB:
The higher fee is due to students having sole use of a computer. Please note the computer room is on the
second floor.
D17 GEORGIAN
DELIGHTS: A CELEBRATION Thursday 28 July
£41
Tutor: Andrew Davies,
lecturer, author, broadcaster and walk guide. The eighteenth
century was a time of great characters (Gainsborough, Garrick, Dr
Johnson), of
fine architecture and gardens (Bath,
Robert Adam, Stowe) and elegant pleasures (the Vauxhall pleasure
gardens) – but
also of William Hogarth’s grim ‘Gin Lane’. We will revel in these
enticing Georgian
contrasts.
D18
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
ALEXANDER Technique -
Relaxation and Poise Thursday
28 July £41
Tutor: Maggie Lamb, STAT, a
qualified teacher of the Alexander Technique. This class is for
everyone who
would like poise and balance to become part of their life. The
teacher’s hands
help you to identify areas of stress within your body and the effect
this has
on your posture and well-being. Through the Alexander Technique you
learn to
control and manage the body and mind which can lead to improved general
health.
D19
An
Introduction To Silk Painting
Thursday 28 July £41
Tutor: Sharon Hurst is known for the vibrant
colours and bold designs in all her work, from Fantasy Watercolour and
Silk
Scarves through to Beaded Jewellery. Entirely
self
taught, she believes in breaking rules
because, as she
says, “No-one ever taught me any, so I just go my own way and
experiment!” Sharon’s
work is available in galleries both here and abroad and she is working
on her
first book. Today students can enjoy working with silk and heat set
silk
paints. We will have time to explore various techniques, using gutta
and salt
to name but a few. We will have design books to help with ideas. Rough
silk
will be provided as will the paints, but if you are feeling brave
enough, silk
scarves will be available on the day to purchase and paint. The cost
will be £4
each.
D20
USING YOUR
PHOTOGRAPHS TO PAINT LANDSCAPES Thursday
28 July £41
Tutor: Dennis
Pannett, a professional artist,
experienced Adult Education tutor, Honorary Freeman of the Painters
Stainers
Livery Company, President of the Wapping Group of Artists and Chairman
of the
Chiltern Painters. This course is designed for the less experienced
painter who
prefers to paint indoors. The tutor will assist students to select a
subject
from their own photographs, or
a
large
selection provided by the tutor,
and will then help them throughout
the day to produce their painting. Special guidance will be given to
composition, colour mixing and tones, with tips on skies, trees, water,
foregrounds
etc. Watercolour is the preferred medium. Top quality watercolour paper
will be
available from the tutor at £2 per sheet
D21
Bridge:
Play
as
declarer Thursday
28
July
£41
Tutor: John Pain is
education manager at the EBU in Aylesbury. He is a professional bridge
teacher
and also a National Tournament Director. He has worked at the EBU for
over 10
years having previously been a school teacher for 25 years. Do you
often make
one trick fewer than your friends? Do you worry when you play as
declarer that
you might not be making the most of your hand and that of dummy? Using
a mix of
sample hands and quizzes this course for average club players will show
you
various techniques to improve your chances of making the contract.
D22
RESEARCH
YOUR
FAMILY
HISTORY ON THE INTERNET Thursday
28 July £48
Tutor: Tricia Lockhart, B Sc; PGCE; PGC ITT.
Tricia has had a teaching career spanning 30 years. She aims for
understanding
with fun, using visual and interactive techniques to maximise
achievement. Researching your Family
History can become
addictive but using the computer to find the information you want
sometimes
needs an unusual approach. You will get a variety of tips on how to
search and
how to assess the accuracy of the sources. As well as looking at some
examples
relating to frequently asked questions, we will explore a variety of
resources
to aid researching and recording your Family History. We hope
to
have free access to one of the main Family History sites
during the course. Participants should
be familiar with using the internet and with saving and relocating
files on
their computer. For those keen on starting their family tree,
information
relating to births, marriages, deaths, residences and military service
will
allow individual searches to be made. A memory stick or portable hard
drive may
be useful so that information can be saved for use later.
NB:
The higher fee is due to
students having sole use of a computer. Please
note
the computer room is on the second floor
D23
THE
ART
OF
RELAXATION THROUGH MEDITATION AND YOGA Friday
29 July £41
Tutor: Maggie Lamb, Inner Heart Yoga Teacher-
affiliated BWY.STAT; Zen Meditation Teacher. This is a day for you to
experience and enjoy the benefits, both mental and physical, of
practices that
lead to relaxation. By increasing our powers of observation,
visualization and
imagination, meditation practices help to sharpen our senses. We relate
to the
world around us by means of our five senses, they tell us how we are
thinking
and how we are feeling. Yoga is over 4,000 years old and you will have
the
chance to practise and observe the health benefits of yoga, through
gentle
postures focusing on the importance of the breath. It is possible
through
regular practice to transform the quality of our lives
D24
THE
ENGLISH
ROTHSCHILDS Friday
29
July
£41
Tutor: William Forrester, MA (Oxon), PGCE,
Lecturer for the National Portrait Gallery and British Museum, Diploma
in Art
History, tour guide for London and the City. Starting in Frankfurt, we
trace
the career of Nathan Meyer Rothschild who came to England and founded
his bank here.
We follow the story of his family and their houses, encountering Suez
Canal
shares, the Tring Natural History Museum, the Balfour
Declaration, fleas, ecology, the National Gallery, Somerset House and
Spencer
House en route. We consider Mentmore (notorious for its sale), Tring
Park,
Aston Clinton, Halton, Exbury, as well as the two great National Trust
houses –
Waddesdon and Ascott. Plenty of superb architecture, fine art and
unusual
anecdotes are guaranteed!
D25
FABRIC
WEAVING
Friday
29 July £41
Tutor: Sally Kelly, City and Guilds
Embroidery qualifications
(Parts I and II,
1994-98), has taught a wide range of textile-related techniques for
twelve
years. Sally has had several
articles published
in Stitch magazine. On this course we will be working with a mixture of
fabrics
torn into narrow strips, together with ribbons and lace, etc. to make a
rich
and exciting new “fabric” suitable for a bag, cushion or notebook cover. “Fabric” made by this method is also a
good
extra ingredient for patchwork, especially as central panels in
Japanese Folded
Patchwork. A ragbag of suitable
fabrics
will be available for all to use, but please bring anything you would
like to
include, together with a basic sewing kit – pins, needles, scissors, a
few
threads for hand embroidery and a medium-sized, smooth textured towel
to work
on. Iron-on interfacing
and wadding
will be provided at a maximum of £1 per student as required.
D26
ENCRUSTED
CALICO
-
Up
the garden path Friday 29 July £41
Tutor: Kay
Dennis, a professional embroiderer
and tutor of over 20 years, holds City & Guilds qualifications in
stumpwork, lace and embroidery. Encrusted calico embroideries are
worked in
tones and shades of cream and ecru, so the finished appearance relies
on the
texture of the threads, stitches and materials used. Using simple
stitches, a
variety of threads, ribbons, beads and some unusual materials you will
be able
to make a pretty little garden scene with a path, bushes, flower pots
and
flowers. Students must bring with them an 8” diameter embroidery ring
and a
pair of small, sharp scissors. All other materials will be provided at
a cost
of £3.
D27
TAKING
BETTER
TRAVEL
PHOTOGRAPHS Friday
29
July
£41
Tutor: Gill Ferguson, LRPS, is a freelance photojournalist and also a
qualified teacher and adult education tutor. Her photographs have
appeared in
books, magazines and holiday brochures and on commercial websites. She
lectures
on various aspects of photography and leads practical workshops.
If you
enjoy taking holiday photographs but sometimes feel a bit
disappointed by
the results, this is the course for you. It
doesn’t
matter whether you have a compact camera or
an SLR because we
will be focusing on how to compose a good picture rather than
technical aspects of cameras. Using a range of projected images to
illustrate
the theory, we will study composition and the use of natural light and
colour.
Please bring any kind of digital camera, as – weather
permitting – we will
be exploring
the grounds of the Community Centre and areas nearby to put what we
have
learned into practice. The day will give
you all the information you need to make those critical photographic
decisions
that change average holiday snaps into compelling images that really
capture
the spirit and mood of your holiday location.
D28
DESKTOP
PUPLISHING IN A DAY Friday 29 July
£48
Tutor: Susan Mills Cert Ed, MA,
experienced IT teacher. This course will cover the basics of using MS
Publisher
2007. Our emphasis will be on a fun day where students will learn how
to
combine text and graphics to create flyers, greetings cards and
calendars.
Students will be gently guided through each step of building a
publication. The
course is suitable for students who have some computer knowledge and
who wish
to explore the world of Desktop Publishing (DTP). NB:
The higher fee is due to
students having sole use of a computer. Please note the computer room
is on the
second floor.
D29
GOTHIC
–
A
REVOLUTION IN ART AND ARCHITECTURE Monday 1
August £41
Tutor: Tim Porter specializes in two subject
areas: the Middle Ages and Music. He is an experienced lecturer,
including
NADFAS and the Ashmolean Museum, and works as a
tour guide for specialist history groups. Gothic is the style of the
later Middle
Ages and some would say that it has never been surpassed.
In the years leading up to 1200, acceleration
in building technology suddenly made a lot of things possible – thinner
columns, larger windows, loftier vaults. The
knock-on
effect transformed all the arts – woodwork,
wall painting
and stained glass, to name but three. This course will trace the
origins of
Gothic, explain how it arrived in England, and then celebrate its first
flowering in the 13th century, with spectacular slides of
Canterbury,
Wells, Salisbury and other great buildings, but not forgetting the
exquisite
smaller artifacts which it gave rise to.
D30
Take
the mystery out of coaching Monday 1 August £41
Tutor: Lynne Gilbert, MA, MAC, is a qualified coach who has
been specialising in business and personal development for many years. She has worked extensively in the corporate
and public sector and enjoys supporting the charity sector with her
skills as a
volunteer. She has a love of the
outdoors and enjoys trekking and long distant cycling and has recently
taken to
coaching clients in the fresh air! People
pay a lot of money to be coached…..So what is it?
What does it
do? Does it work? Can you do it? This
session offers you a fun and interactive way to discover what coaching
is all
about, to understand the benefits and why it is so popular, and to have
all
your questions answered. You will come
away with 10 easy to use techniques that you will have learnt and
practised in
the session with fellow participants. You
will discover that by using them it will not only
make a difference
to the way you communicate with people you interact with in everyday
life, but
with family, friends and work colleagues as well.
D31
Bees
and
the
Environment – OUR
MUTUAL
RELATIONSHIP
Monday
1 August £41
Tutor: Sheila Borwick, local beekeeper,
member of HWBKA, (High Wycombe and District
Beekeepers Association), assisted by Clive Hill, past
Chairman of
HWBKA. Sheila has kept bees for 7 years and has around 8 colonies in
three
separate apiaries. She is currently studying for the Senior Certificate
in
beekeeping and last year completed a City & Guilds preliminary
certificate
in teaching in the life long sector, funded by FERA as part of their
beekeeping
initiative. She is a member of the HWBKA school visits team, visiting
local
primary schools and runs a weekly group on beekeeping for a small group
of
secondary school pupils at Princes Risborough School,
where they have their own apiary. Clive is a local
beekeeper of
very many years standing and is a past Chairman of HWBKA. He has
developed
a passion for bumble bees and has become an expert, happy to share his
knowledge. Interest in bees and beekeeping has blossomed in recent
years. The
public has rediscovered a curiosity about these amazing insects and
so this day offers an opportunity to look at the range of bees
that live
around us, what they do and how they do it. The lectures will start
with a look
at bees and pollination, (with something on bee-friendly
plants); there
will be a special look at bumble bees and finally a session on the
world of
the honey bee.
D32
BRIDGE : STAYMAN
AND TRANSFERS Monday 1 August £41
Tutor:
Chris Bonser, is a qualified teacher with the English Bridge Union. He
runs the
W4 Bridge Club in Chiswick and Ealing where he teaches over 150
students in his
eight classes each week. Chris teaches the ACOL Standard English system
and his
classes combine learning with fun and enjoyment. Stayman and Transfers
are two
of the most common bidding conventions. This course is aimed at
beginners with
at least six months' experience and improvers who understand basic
bidding
guidelines but wish to learn or improve their understanding of when and
how to
use these conventions. There will be plenty of opportunity to practise
by
playing prepared hands.
D33
TRADITIONAL
VERSUS
NEW
WORLD WINES Monday
1 August £50
Tutor:
Jean
Stephen,
Diploma
Wine
&
Spirit Education
Trust, is an experienced adult education tutor. We will compare and
contrast
styles of wine-making and grape blends from traditional and newer areas
of wine
production. Six wines will be chosen to taste in the morning and
afternoon
(only small tasting samples!). Differences in styles of wines from the
same grapes
and from blends make interesting talking points. All
types,
sparkling,
red,
white
and
dessert
wines will be tried. The higher fee is to cover the cost of wines, etc.
D34
Excel at Excel
Monday 1
August £48
Tutor: Susan Mills,
Cert Ed, MA, experienced IT
teacher. Excel is software that lets you create
tables, and calculate
and analyze numerical data. Use Excel to
track your household budget, golf scores, blood pressure etc. This type
of
software is called spreadsheet software. Excel lets you create tables
that
automatically calculate the totals of numerical values you input, print
out
tables in neat layouts, and create simple graphs. This course is suitable for learners who have a
little computer
knowledge and can use a keyboard and mouse. NB: The higher fee is
due to students having the sole use of a computer.
Please note the computer room is on the
second floor.
D35
The
Secret
Language
of
Art
Tuesday 2 August £41
Tutor: Dr
Margaret Knight, Lecturer in the History of
Art at various colleges and universities. She taught for several years
at the V
& A where she was responsible for setting up the first NADFAS
Foundation
courses. She is now a freelance teacher of the history of art. We
tend to believe that art did not become ‘difficult to understand’ until
the 20th century
but
art
has always been full
of hidden meanings, symbols and references with ancient and surprising
origins.
Some were comprehensible to a wide audience in the middle ages and the
renaissance - they may not have known the origins of the symbolism of
colours,
gemstones, flowers and animals but they knew why the Virgin Mary
sometimes held
a pomegranate and why pearls and columbine flowers were sacred to her.
They
knew why the Christ child held a carnation or a tiny bird and the
meanings of
the various real and mythological animals that appear in religious art.
Other
symbols would have been understood only by an educated elite or were
very
personal to a patron. The works of Botticelli and Michelangelo are full
of
ideas taken from late 15th century philosophy, while artists like
Mantegna and
Bronzino filled their works with visual references to the (sometimes
rather
disgraceful) tastes of their patrons. ‘The Secret Language of
Art’ will
explore some of these symbols and reveal the great wealth of ideas they
represent.
D36
FUSION
FITNESS Tuesday 2 August £41
Tutor: Chan Ling Yap, PhD (Economics), RSA Exercise to
Music Fitness Instruction. The author of ‘Fusion Fitness’, a guide to
health
and fitness published both in the UK and USA, Chan Ling is a fully
qualified
fitness instructor with nearly 30 years of experience in eastern and
western
exercise regimes. This course combines
the best of eastern and western exercise regimes to enable you to
achieve a
healthy, trim and supple body and to keep the process of ageing at bay.
It
tells you how your body works in layman terms. It will show you
exercises to
improve your heart and lungs, trim and strengthen your abdominal
muscles, and
strengthen your pelvic floor and core muscles. It also demonstrates how
some of
these exercises can be integrated into your daily activities. There
will also
be a session on breathing and stretching to help maintain the body’s
flexibility and to de-stress and relax.
D37
CHINESE
BRUSH
PAINTING
Tuesday 2 August £41
Tutor: Jean
Turton has been teaching and demonstrating Chinese Brush for over 20
years. She
is a qualified tutor of Adult Education and founder member of the
Chinese Brush
Painters Society. Today will be an introduction to this beautiful way
of
painting. The tutor will bring the Chinese equipment and brushes to
borrow, and
the Chinese Xuan paper for sale at £1 a sheet. This will be
enough to complete
the two subjects we will cover in the day. You will learn how to hold
and use
the brush to make the strokes into a flower and bird composition. We
will also
have a taste of the history and philosophy of this very different art
form.
D38
ARMENIAN
NEEDLELACE
Tuesday
2 August £41
Tutor: Pat Trott has
always loved hand
stitchery. She completed City & Guilds Embroidery Parts I and II in
1988.
One of her final pieces was selected to hang at Embroidery '88 at the
Commonwealth Institute in London.
She is author of two books: 'Beginner's Guide to Mountmellick
Embroidery' and
'Three Dimensional Embroidery Stitches'. Armenian
needlelace is a unique and traditional form of needlelace, which
is unlike any other needle made lace in that it is knotted, not looped,
at
every stitch. Very little equipment is needed – just a needle, some
thread, and
a pair of scissors, combined with the thirst for the knowledge to learn
an
ancient craft which could pass into oblivion if not kept alive and
passed on.
D39
HANDWRITING:
WHAT
MAKES
YOU TICK ? Tuesday 2
August £41
Tutor:
Elaine
Quigley,
B.A.
Hons,
M.B.I.G.
(Dip). Elaine
Quigley is a social psychologist who
has been working in the field of Graphology (understanding the
personality
through handwriting) for over 30 years. She is a past chairman of The
British Institute
of Graphologists
and is now the
Administrator and the Journal Editor for the Institute. The
course is for
beginners to the subject, but it can also provide a refresher course
for those
who have some knowledge of the subject. The day will cover the
basics of
what makes people tick and students will have the chance to understand
themselves more clearly, by seeing what is behind their thoughts and
actions.
The study of handwriting covers about 300 different facets of features
such as
size, slant, layout, pressure, spacing and individuality in the
writing,
showing how the writer has moved beyond copybook lettering. It is all intriguing stuff, so
anyone
who is interested in their environment and companions will find this a
fascinating course.
D40
All
about
fossiLS
Tuesday 2
August £41
Tutor:
Dr
Jill
Eyers,
PhD,
BA(Hons),
PGCE(TLHE)(Open);
Director of Chiltern Archaeology. As
well as having intrinsic appeal, fossils reveal a fascinating insight
into a
mysterious world that existed millions of years ago. This course will
cover
every aspect of the world of fossils – from what they are to how they
formed
and what they tell us about ancient environments. They provide
important
information on the history of life and why species suddenly arise in
the fossil
record and just as suddenly become extinct. All the main types of
fossil will
be brought to the classroom for hands-on sessions. Students are
encouraged to
bring any specimens of their own to the class – with a promise that
students
will be able to identify and interpret most of them by the end of the
day! The day is suitable for beginners or
those
with some experience.
D41
ROMAN
BRITAIN
–
LIFE
IN THE LOWLAND ZONE Wednesday 3 August £41
Tutor:
Geoffrey
Toms,
classical
archaeologist,
former
Head
of Education, Museum of London; specialist in the archaeology of the
Eastern Mediterranean. This
course will be a feast of
impressive archaeological sites, artefacts, and exciting new
discoveries in
south-east England
in Roman times. We will begin with the
invasion of AD43 and the network of military roads which were to open
up the
province. There will then follow the
Romanisation of Verulamium and the Chilterns in peaceful prosperity:
this will
extend further to the sensational palace of Fishbourne
and great
villas such as Bignor and Lullingstone. From there we will focus on the
amazing
silver treasure finds of East Anglia.
Finally we will put in context the most spectacular
sites of all – the
Saxon Shore Fort of such as Portchester, Pevensey and Richborough.
D42
Bridge:
Improve
your
slam bidding Wednesday
3
August £41
Tutor:
John
Pain
is
education
manager
at the EBU in
Aylesbury. He is a professional bridge teacher and also a National
Tournament
Director. He has worked at the EBU for over 10 years having previously
been a
school teacher for 25 years. How often have you played in game or even
worse –
a part-score – only to find that some clever person has bid and made a
slam?
This course is for average club players and using a selection of
prepared hands
and quizzes we will explore the world of slam bidding using conventions
such as
Roman Key Card Blackwood and cue-bidding.
D43 AN
INTRODUCTION TO OIL PAINTING Wednesday 3
August £41
Tutor:
Linnette
Bell,
BA
(Hons)
Fine
Art Painting, City
& Guilds Teaching Certificate Stage 2. The
day
will
be
a
complete
beginners’
introduction to oil painting, aimed at students who have some drawing
experience or experience in other art media. Each stage will be
demonstrated
and individual help given as needed, to achieve the following: • Use
materials
and equipment safely • Draw an interesting and simple composition from
3D •
Follow a simple process for creating an oil painting • Mix the colours
needed
using a limited palette of colours. The tutor will provide paint,
odourless
solvent, disposable palettes and a variety of painting boards at a
maximum cost
of £10. Brushes and paint mixing knives will be available to use,
with an
option to buy.
D44
GREAT
GARDENS
AND
THEIR MAKERS Wednesday 3 August £41
Tutor:
Letta Jones, MA, is a lecturer in Horticulture and Garden History for
Birkbeck
College, WEA and the Farncombe Centre, Glos. This day will give us a
glimpse of
a selection of highly influential garden makers from the 19th
and 20th
centuries, exploring their different design styles and planting. Gertrude Jekyll, Edwin Lutyens, Harold Peto
and some later 20th century designers will be included.
There will
be illustrated lectures and plenty of time for discussion and questions
D45
THREE
DIMENSIONAL
STITCHES
USING THREAD AND SILK
RIBBON Wednesday 3 August £41
Tutor: Pat Trott has always loved
hand
stitchery. She completed City & Guilds Embroidery Parts I and II in
1988.
One of her final pieces was selected to hang at Embroidery '88 at the
Commonwealth Institute in London.
She is author of two books: 'Beginner's Guide to Mountmellick
Embroidery' and
'Three Dimensional Embroidery Stitches'. Take this unique opportunity
to
combine the two techniques of Three Dimensional Embroidery Stitches and
Silk
Ribbon Embroidery. The course is for all levels of ability, no previous
experience is needed. Everyone is
welcome, from the newcomer to embroidery to the converted addict. Just arrive with a sense of humour, a
willingness to relax and learn, and go with the flow.
Through a series of demonstrations,
discussions and practical instruction students will learn many three
dimensional embroidery stitches using both embroidery threads and silk
ribbon
and how to use these stitches to represent flowers and make a picture
of a
traditional English Garden.
D46
An Introduction to EBAY
Wednesday 3
August £48
Tutor: Susan Mills, Cert
Ed, MA, experienced IT teacher. During
the day we will
guide you through the basic steps of understanding EBay.
Learn how to set up an account (simulation)
and how to navigate and search the website. Get to understand the
bidding and
variety of selling techniques and processes. This
course
is
suitable for learners who have
a little computer knowledge and can use a keyboard and mouse. NB: The higher fee is due to
students having sole use of a computer. Please
note
the computer room is on the second floor.
D47
WARDROBE
MANAGEMENT
Thursday
4 August £41
Tutor: Alison
Sainsbury has been running her own image
business, Looking Good, for over 13 years. Alison
works
with clients individually and also runs
workshops,
presentations and seminars for corporates and clubs.
Alison is also a Beauty Consultant with an
international skincare company, Nutrimetics. The
course
provides an introduction on Colour Analysis
giving you an
indication of how to look for your most flattering shades and tones of
colours. The course also covers areas of
Style and Personal Image, including an overview on accessorising and
the
importance of choosing the right skincare and cosmetics.
By the end of the course, you will feel more
confident to go shopping to look for new clothes while saving both time
and
money
D48
PHILOSOPHY
OF
THE ARTS Thursday 4 August £41
Tutor: Ray Billington, MA, MEd, BD; ex-Head of
Philosophy at UWE and Professor at the State University of California;
external
examiner in Philosophy for the European Baccalaureate. What, if
anything,
is the difference between good and bad art - or between art and
non-art? Is it
to do with pleasure, beauty, emotion, or understanding? We
discuss
these in relation to the major art forms - literary, visual and musical. Among philosophers to be considered will be
Plato, Hegel and Hume. But note: this is aesthetics, the philosophy of
art, not
(exclusively, at least) art appreciation
D49
Oil
with
Knife:
seascapes Thursday
4
August
£41
Tutor: Geoff Thorpe, self taught and attended Lichfield School
of Art, is an experienced Tutor and
demonstrator, who
believes that painting should be fun. The day will consist of a
paint-along
in stages, with an introduction to knife work, techniques, composition,
colour
mixing from a limited palette, simplification and working quickly to
achieve
results. One to one tuition will be given
during the session and a variety of work will be on display to
complement the
occasion and for reference.
D50
CELTIC
TRANSFER
FOR
QUILTING Thursday 4 August £41
Tutor: Mary
Gamester, Cert Ed; City & Guilds Cert
and Diploma in Patchwork and Quilting and Machine Embroidery; currently
teaching in several venues. This involves choosing from a selection of
designs,
‘colouring in’ by painting directly on to the paper with transfer
paints, then
ironing the design onto fabric. When
layered up with wadding the fabric will be hand quilted and can be
embellished
with beads and embroidery stitches. By the end of the day you will have
a
beautifully quilted sample that can be used for a box lid, book cover
or on a
small bag. A kit with designs, fabric
and wadding will be provided at a cost of £3.
This will include the use of the transfer paints
D51
THE CHILTERN
LANDSCAPE Thursday 4 August £41
Tutor: Julian
Hunt, writer and lecturer on English
local history. The course will show how the geology and landscape
influenced
the settlement of the Chilterns and how the towns of Amersham, Chesham
and High Wycombe emerged as markets and thoroughfares. It
will feature the great families like the Drakes of Shardeloes and the
Dashwoods
of West Wycombe, who diverted roads and
streams to landscape their parks in the 18th century. It will also
cover the
local industries of corn-milling, papermaking, chair-making and the
production
of earthenware pots, which provided employment in an area devoid of
natural
resources apart from its beech woods
D52
BRIDGE:
Tight
Defence Thursday
4
August
£41
Tutor:
Tessa
Templeton
is
the
resident
bridge teacher at the
Memorial Centre, running The Bridge School at Gerrards Cross. Tessa is
a
qualified English Bridge Union teacher running classes and supervised
play
sessions for many students. How can we
stop the opposition from making their contract? This
day
looks
at
how
we
communicate better with partner. We
will
look at opening leads, suit
preference and attitude signals, and planning tighter defence. These will all maximise our trick taking
ability. This exciting day is for the
average club player and will include plenty of time for play and
enjoyment.
D53
Cameras
roll!
making
short films Thursday
4
August
£48
Tricia
Lockhart,
B
Sc;
PGCE;
PGC
ITT. Tricia has had a
teaching career spanning 30 years. She aims for understanding with fun,
using
visual and interactive techniques to maximise achievement.. Even in
professional circles it is an accepted rule of thumb that only
one-sixth of
film footage is used in the final cut. Film
editing
is
very
time-consuming
and
memory- hungry
so planning the
sequence saves time and resources while
leading to an improved product. Many
useful short ‘videos’ are in fact still photos edited to give the
impression of
a video, so creating a film is possible even without access to a video
camera. We
hope to go through the whole process to make one or two 3 minute videos
in one
day. It should be hectic but fun! This course is suitable for students who are
used to taking and editing digital images and able to save and reload
files
with confidence. For those who have also
ventured into elementary video it may be possible to experiment with
advanced
techniques such as chroma key. Some
discussion of output formats will be included at a functional level. However, it will not be possible within this
busy course to discuss or advise about different cameras apart from in
general
terms. NB: The higher fee is
due to students having sole use of a computer. Please
note
the
computer
room
is
on the second floor.
D54 Lawrence
and the Making OF
THE
MODERN
MIDDLE
EAST Friday 5 August £41
Tutor:
Dr
Neil
Faulkner,
FSA,
Research
Fellow, University
of Bristol;
Co-director,
Great
Arab Revolt
Project. The events of 1916-1921 created the modern Middle East. The Ottoman
Empire
collapsed in war and internal revolt, and three forces emerged to
contest the
future of the region. One was already fully formed: western
imperialism. The
other two were embryonic: Zionism and Arab Nationalism.
Through the ferment strode a young
archaeologist, wartime officer, and, as he became, guerrilla commander
and
postwar diplomat: Colonel T E Lawrence. Eccentric, neurotic, highly
cerebral
and introspective, Lawrence
was transformed into a legendary war hero in 1919, and the legend has
endured,
endlessly re-spun, to the present day. This
course
will
examine
the
construction
of the legend, compare it with the
reality
of events in the desert war of 1916-1918, and assess the way in which Lawrence, the Arabs, and the British Empire
created the
modern Middle East.
D55
HERBS
PAST
AND
PRESENT Friday 5 August £41
Tutor: Letta Jones, MA, is a lecturer in
Horticulture and Garden History for Birkbeck College, WEA and the
Farncombe
Centre, Glos. From
ancient times to today, herbs have provided magnificent plants to adorn
gardens
and containers, as well as useful ingredients for healing and cooking. We’ll explore 10 ‘top’ herbs such as
lavender, marigold, and rosemary, and discover how to propagate and
grow them
successfully. There will be illustrated lectures, practical
demonstration and
plenty of time for discussion and questions.
D56
FABRIC
PRINTING
Friday
5 August £41
Tutor:
Sally
Kelly,
City
and
Guilds
Embroidery qualifications
(Parts I and II, 1994-98), has taught a wide range of textile-related
techniques for twelve years. Sally
has
had several articles published in Stitch magazine. Printing on fabric
adds
another dimension to embroidery and patchwork and quilting projects. We will be looking briefly at the
differences between positive and negative image printing, making some
simple
printing blocks of both types and doing some printing on paper and on
fabrics. Acrylic paints, papers and
fabrics are
provided at £3 per student. (If
students
wish,
they
may
bring
their own fabrics – calico and other
cottons are
suitable, maybe some previously hand dyed ones for overprinting). Please wear old clothes/apron/overall
and
bring thin rubber gloves if you wish.
D57
OIL
PASTELS
AND
COLLAGED FLORA Friday 5 August £41
Tutor: Sarah Janavicius, Tutor (FAEIC) Stage One and
Stage Two, Art Society demonstrator. The focus for this workshop will
be on
creating paintings of bold, spectrum-based, coloured and collaged
flowers. You
will be working in mixed water based media and oil pastels. It will be both a fun and challenging day
D58
USING YOUR
PHOTOGRAPHS TO PAINT LANDSCAPES Friday
5 August £41
Tutor:
Dennis
Pannett,
a
professional
artist,
experienced
Adult Education tutor, Honorary Freeman of the Painters Stainers Livery
Company, President of the Wapping Group of Artists and Chairman of the
Chiltern
Painters. This course is designed for
the less experienced painter who prefers to paint indoors. The tutor
will
assist students to select a subject from their own photographs, or a large selection
provided by the tutor,
and will then help them throughout the day to produce their painting.
Special
guidance will be given to composition, colour mixing and tones, with
tips on
skies, trees, water, foregrounds etc. Watercolour is the preferred
medium. Top
quality watercolour paper will be available from the tutor at £2
per sheet.
D59
DISTINCTIVE
CARDS
Friday
5 August £41
Tutor: June
Belsham, City & Guilds Certificate, experienced teacher. Create
personalized cards for that special occasion, an anniversary or a
unique
Christmas card. Using fabric, paper, card, beads and glue, etc, you
will make
cards no recipient will throw away – at a fraction of shop prices. Card packs and a selection of materials can
be purchased from the Tutor at a minimal cost, no more than 50p
D60
Computer TIPS
AND
TRICKS
Friday 5 August £48
Tutor: Tricia Lockhart, B Sc;
PGCE; PGC ITT. Tricia has had a teaching career spanning 30 years. She
aims for
understanding with fun, using visual and interactive techniques to
maximise
achievement. Whilst people use computers
for vastly different purposes, some tips and tricks are almost
universally
helpful to users, ensuring more efficient use of time,
better
computer
security, money saving
and greener ways of working. These tips
have been assembled whilst working with a variety of learners and users
over
some years.
Tips are
likely to include:
- File
structure
–
where files are stored, file extensions and implications;
how to change the defaults.
- PDF files – what they are, how to create and
use.
- Spam reduction techniques.
- Useful websites.
- Social computing (Facebook, Twitter and blogs
plus).
- Searching – beyond Google.com.
This
course
is
likely to be of most use to those who
use their computers several times a week for several different purposes. Most of the content applies to MAC as well as
PC users (with the exception of some of the file structure topic).
Those
attending the course will have the opportunity to influence exactly
what is
covered. NB:
The higher fee is due to students having sole use of a computer. Please note the computer room is on the
second floor
.
|