Grant Kenny & Alexandra Heyes
Dos pintoras - your hosts and art facilitators
Grant Kenny & Alexandra Heyes
As practising artists and tutors with works in private collections around the world, Grant and Alexandra are delighted to share their practical knowledge of painting and art history.
Grant Kenny studied painting in Madrid at the Circulo de Bellas Artes, painted in the Museo del Prado and the National Gallery in London. Grant has lived and travelled extensively throughout Spain and as a consequence knows Spanish art and history very well. Fluent in Spanish he enthuses those who meet him with his passionate, entertaining and funny anecdotes. His plein air painting experience will help you gain an understanding of composition, tone and the medium of oil that will bring you great confidence.
Alexandra specialises in portraiture and figurative painting. Alex makes her own oil and tempera paint and loves experimenting with natural pigments, mediums and surfaces, sharing this knowledge through her workshops and art courses. Not only does she love painting but her passion for cooking, especially Andalucian cuisine, will treat you to some mouth-watering classics like salmorejo and her speciality flan!
During our Art Retreats in Spain, painting demonstrations and personal tuition are freely available to each attendee. If you have never painted from life then these unique art retreats will open doors that will ignite your confidence.
As each artist has different material requirements participants are requested to bring their own art supplies. We are happy to send a list of materials we recommend after you register should you need one. If you require any materials to be purchased on your behalf to save having to bring them with you, we may be able to arrange this for you as long as you give us advanced notice ( The cost of materials is additional and we can send you a quote ). Easels will be available if you require one. ( Please advise us if you need an easel as these must be booked ahead of time). Arrangement for the transportation of finished works after the retreat is the sole responsibility of each participant.
“I find Alexandra as an instructor extremely helpful. She is very experienced and she has the skill level to transfer her knowledge to you at a level that you would understand perfectly well. Furthermore, Alexandra ensures that you can experiment to still learn at your own pace, but she delivers sufficient guidance so that you’ll feel satisfied with the end result you’ve accomplished. This certainly differentiates her workshops because she helps you to take your painting to the next level.
I am sincerely grateful for all the techniques I’ve learnt from her.”
“It is with pleasure that I recommend any budding or keen artist join Alexandra and Grant on the Artists Retreat in Spain. Alexandra has been my tutor for several years now and it has been a wonderful and rewarding experience. I started off as a total beginner, not even knowing how to mix colours and am now doing portraits in oils and charcoals and just loving it. I have also had lessons in painting landscapes in both oil and pastel. She explains how to do things so well, then lets you get on with the painting, I now enjoy every minute that I’m painting and the rest of the world seems to pass away. . Just enjoy,”