Sky TV selects Newbury artist to deliver Masterclass
Teaching the Fundamentals: Chieveley artist Gail Davis’ Sky Arts masterclass. The second in N2’s series Meet the Open Studios Artists profiles by fellow artists Teresa Munn & Moya Tosh. NEWBURY artist Gail Davis has been selected by Sky Arts to deliver a masterclass on Life Drawing.
This will be the third time Gail, who is a member of WBNH Open Studios programme, has appeared on television – initially taking part in Sky’s Portrait Artist of the Year, as (reported in the Newbury Weekly News in January 2020).
Gail was delighted to be selected to be part of Sky’s new series of masterclasses where previous successful alumni of the Portrait and Landscape series were invited to teach an element of drawing or painting.
She was given free rein to choose her subject. For her, it had to be Life Drawing with the traditional skills of seeing, using the ‘rule of thumb’, scaling up and using negative space.
There were challenges in creating the programme – they found an experienced life model and she and Gail spent time getting to know each other in the weeks leading up to filming, so they could both be relaxed and comfortable on the day. Explaining the rule of thumb to camera is not the same as standing alongside a student with a paintbrush!
Speaking of the previous Portrait Artist challenge Gail, an experienced portrait painter, said: “the production team were all on hand to give calm reassurance.
“They were such a friendly team and it made for a great experience”.
She would normally take at least 10 hours over a commission, so creating a portrait of a famous sitter in four hours, surrounded by TV cameras and lights and under the scrutiny of the judges, was no easy task.
Undaunted by the process, she took part in Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2021.
Since then she has worked from her Chieveley studio with a mixture of commissioned work, art for London exhibitions and competitions, and teaching at Chieveley Village Hall.
She hosts two distinct types of classes – her landscape and still life classes are designed for painters of all abilities, from complete beginners onwards. Her life drawing classes are for those serious about developing and honing the fundamental skills of drawing.
Gail’s own drawing education developed during her four-year design course at Berkshire College of Art & Design, where she had “the most incredible Life Drawing tutor, Pat Jeffs. He taught me so much”.
After college she continued learning the essentials of drawing by studying the techniques of Leonardo da Vinci, who documented his practice in art and science extensively.
She loves teaching and says: “…seeing the difference that one or two tips can make to the work of even experienced artists – it’s quite addictive”.
Gail attracts students from as far afield as Oxford and Windsor, some of whom have been with her for years.
She is passionate about teaching the traditional skills of seeing and drawing that you can learn in a life class “they can be transferred into any medium or subject, whether still life, landscape or craft”.
The series is available to view now on Sky Arts Freeview and Gail’s Masterclass will air later in the spring. (See if you can spot her grandfather’s antique art box which accompanied her to the studio).
If you’d like to find out more about joining a landscape or life drawing workshop, take a look at www.artgaildavis.com
Gail’s Studio is open for visitors during the West Berks and North Hampshire Open Studios programme, see details on www.openstudios.org.uk/portfolios/2025/gail-davis.
A visit to her Chieveley Studio is highly recommended.
TERESA MUNN & MOYA TOSH
Open Studios West Berks & North Hants runs from Saturday, May 10 - Monday 26. The INSIGHT exhibition at The BASE, Greenham showcases an example of work by each of the 100 participating artists. Explore the OS Guide and website www.openstudios.org.uk to help you choose the artist studios you wish to visit.
To read the first of our Meet the Open Studios Artists features here:
https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/lifestyle/hitting-the-abstract-trail-9403582/
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