Upcoming Sessions: · 25th March – Caernarvon Castle - Watercolour · 8th April – Petworth Park, Tillington Church in the Distance - Oil pastels · 29th April – Helvoetsluys: The ‘City of Utrecht 64’ Going to Sea - Soft pastels · 13th May – The Great Falls of the Reichenbach - Oil paint on canvas · 27th May – Peacock - Gouache and coloured pencils · 10th June – Isleworth (The Alcove) - Charcoal · 24th June – Peace: Burial at Sea - Oil paint on canvas · 9th July – Richmond Hill and Bridge - Soft pastels · 15th July – The Refectory at Kirkstall Abbey - Watercolour · 12th August – Study of Pigs - Watercolour and gouache on blue paper · 26th August – Venice: San Giorgio Maggiore – Early Morning - Soft pastels on blue paper · 9th September – Richmond Terrace - Oil paint on canvas · 23rd September – Study of Two Swans - White gouache and watercolour on coloured paper · 7th October – Pope’s Villa During its Dilapidation - Soft pastels · 21st October – Scarlet Sunset - Watercolour on blue paper What can we learn from the works of J.M.W. Turner, and how can his artistic journey inspire our own creativity today? As part of the Turner 250 celebrations, join art historian Catherine Parry-Wingfield and Learning Manager Rita Piglionica in the inspiring setting of Turner’s House for a unique, artist-led experience. Explore Turner’s approach to light, landscape, and storytelling, and discover how his legacy continues to shape contemporary art. Each session begins with an engaging talk, followed by hands-on experimentation with a variety of art materials. Whether you are new to painting or an experienced artist, this is a rare opportunity to connect with Turner’s work in a meaningful and creative way. Spaces are limited—advance booking is essential.

20th March - Spring Landscapes (paint-along) 29th May - Animals 26th June - Seascapes (paint-along) 31st July - Portraits 28th August - Plants (paint-along) 25th September - Still life 23rd October - Autumn landscapes (paint-along) Join us for a series of special and relaxed evenings painting and drinking prosecco in the magical setting of Turner’s House and its garden! Be creative and share the fun with other people or your friends while working on your own acrylic painting! Every session will dive into a different theme and subject. Portraiture, landscapes, still-life paintings, and more! You will be able to choose from a range of images to spark your creativity while being guided by a knowledgeable and patient artist who will follow you every step of the way. Do you prefer step-by-step guidance? Choose the paint-along sessions every other month. Non-alcoholic drinks and vegan options available.

Discover more about JMW Turner’s works on animals with our online lectures! 15 May- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them….In Turner’s Work – Nicola Moorby, Curator of ‘Turner’s Kingdom: Beauty, Birds and Beasts’ – 6.30 – 7.30pm We don’t immediately think of J.M.W. Turner as an animal painter of animals, but they regularly feature as elements within his landscapes. As an introduction to the 2025 exhibition at Turner’s House this lecture explores the intriguing appearance of birds and beasts within his paintings, revealing their narrative, symbolic or decorative function. We will also meet the creatures known to be part of Turner’s household at various points in his biography and examine what they reveal to us about the man himself – his family, friends, personality and private life. 3 July – Farnley, Fawkes, and Feathers: J. M. W. Turner’s Illustrations for an Ornithological Collection – Lucy Bailey 6.30-7.30pm This talk will consider the friendship between Turner and his patron, Walter Fawkes (1769-1825), in particular focusing on the background to Fawkes’s Ornithological Collection. MP, and landowner, Fawkes lived at Farnley Hall in Wharfedale, Yorkshire. From around 1809, the family and other members of the estate’s community began collecting feathers and specimens of birds, arranging them in albums according to the order in Thomas Bewick’s History of Birds (1797). Chief amongst the artists who provided illustrations for the project was Turner who painted twenty watercolours of birds. Rarely studied in the artist’s oeuvre, these bird portraits will be considered within the context of the cultural hub nurtured by Fawkes at Farnley, and the important role played by country houses in fostering the development of scientific investigation. 11 September – Turner and the Avian – Professor Leo Costello, Chair and Associate Professor of Art History, Rice University, Texas 6.30 – 7.30pm This talk will consider the long and, not surprisingly, complex engagement with birds throughout Turner’s career. It will look in depth at Turner’s numerous watercolours of individual birds from the extraordinary “Farnley Book of Birds” featured in the exhibition at Turner’s House, and consider these in relation to current discourses of hunting, ornithology and natural philosophy. But the talk will also catalogue the many different thematic and formal roles that birds played in paintings and watercolours of many subjects throughout his career. In particular, it will assess the potential ecological and environmental implications of Turner’s avian engagements, and ask what we might learn from them today. Cannot make it on the day of the lecture? We will record the events and make these available for ticket-holders ONLY. Cannot make it on the day of the lecture? We will record the events and make these available for ticket-holders ONLY.