The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts
It’s a wonderful place where a person can learn traditional arts and learn them from true professionals who can do what they teach. The School was founded in 2004 by HRH The Prince of Wales as one of his core charities.
The Prince’s School was established on the work of Professor Keith Critchlow who pioneered a teaching programme in 1984, at the Royal College of Art, based on the practice of, and research into, the traditional arts.
The Prince’s School recently started offering an Open Program to the general public who may enrol for short periods of training with some of their wonderful tutors.
Courses are arranged to be accessible for the working person by being held on week-ends or mid week evenings or for the period of a one week so it can be fitted into a holiday. During the summer months, by custom a holiday period, some of the short courses are again on offer. There are also one day taster courses providing an introduction to various disciplines and subjects.
The work is exquisite and the tutors are masters of their techniques. So, the teaching is demonstrated by professional example. The coaching is precise and exact and as the classes are small, the attention is personalised and sufficient to make real progress while learning the basic simple techniques and how to perform them within a short period of time.
Courses on offer include Oil Painting: Methods and Materials, The Flemish Technique – The mixed method of tempera and oil paint, courses on Gilding, Medieval Illuminated Manuscript, Ikon painting according to the Russian school, Persian and Indian miniatures, and Celtic Design. There are also applied arts such as parquetry, stained glass window, natural dyes, weaving, knotting, ceramics, including tiles as produced in different schools such as Zillij (Moroccan Ceramic tiles) Iznik (Ottoman Ceramic Design).
Geometry is a fundamental to much of the training and so several courses on geometry are available and form part of some of the tasters.
This is a unique opportunity to learn true methods and tested techniques from people who are devoted to the study of their subjects and excellent in their own professional accomplishments and high quality standards. It preserves these skills and this knowledge which was becoming lost to future generations, now, before it is too late and gone forever.