Course objective

Students will have the opportunity to go through an end-to-end exercise of conceptualising an exhibition around a theme to be provided. This will be open enough to allow the student use the project theme as a template to develop their current work or embark on a completely new one.

Emphasis will be placed on the student’s history of experiences, current abilities and practice. The student's efforts will be to coalesce these into a body of coherent work that can be promoted through various agencies.

Throughout the course duration, Ciara Roche will work with you to reflect on your existing painting or drawing practice and get outside your comfort zone to stimulate the creation of new work.


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This course will take place over 8 weeks commencing on 9th October. Each week a new topic will be introduced which you will have the opportunity to research in your own time based on the materials provided. 

Weekly online live sessions will take place each Monday from 1pm - 2.30pm. These provide an opportunity for the group to come together to share their findings and to explore the topic in more detail.

The mentors

The course will be delivered by Maurice Quillinan and Ciara Roche. They each have with an established art career and are coming together on this course to provide distinct but complementary perspectives.

Ciara Roche

Ciara will work with you to reflect on your existing practice, get outside your comfort zone to stimulate the creation of new work. During the course, Ciara will help you:

  • Identify your strengths
  • Find ways to create work with limited time
  • Develop through feedback and group discussion
  • Put words on what you do and contextualise it


More about Ciara

Maurice Quillinan

In this module, Maurice will guide you through an end-to-end exercise of conceptualising an exhibition around a theme to be provided. This will provide a framework to explore:

  • Studio practice and time management
  • How to promote yourself and your work
  • How to engage with others in the art world
  • How to plan for and execute an exhibition


More about Maurice

Frequently asked questions

  • What will I get by signing up to this course?

    By signing up to this course you will join a group of students and follow a structured course hosted on Big Look.

    Each week, a new topic, area of research or painting challenge will be added to the online platform which you can follow at your own pace and submit work through assignments.

    Each week there will also be a live group session where you can get feedback from mentors and ask any questions you may have.

  • Who is this course suitable for?

    This course is suited to all artists with an existing contemporary painting or drawing practice, who are looking to develop both their practice and art career. This course is ideally suited to artists who have both ambition and curiosity and are open to exploring new directions for their work.

  • What painting and drawing mediums will be supported through this scheme?

    Applications are open to artists working across all painting and drawing mediums.

    The mentoring will not be primarily focused on technique, but on helping artists evaluate their own practice and uncover opportunities to develop.

    Artists working in any style or guided by any philosophy can participate in this course. The artist's work should be possible to position within contemporary art practice. We encourage you to check out the work and biographies of each of the participating mentors to get a sense of the range of expertise available within the scheme.

  • Do I need to join the live sessions each week to follow this course?

    While there will be some content that you can access weekly through the platform, to get the most out of this course, participation in as many of the live sessions as possible is strongly advised. Mentors will still be able to provide feedback on any assignments or project work, even if you are unable to attend a session.

  • Is there a discussion group?

    Yes! you will have the option to join a private social channel exclusive to this group where members can share work, inspiration and tips and ask each other questions at any time.

    You can install an app on your smartphone for this group to ensure that you never miss an update.

  • Will I lose access to content when the course is finished?

    We will extend access to the online materials after the course is completed for some time. However, it will no longer be possible to interact with the mentors after the course is finished.

  • What technology or apps do I need to follow this course?

    You don’t need to install any app to follow this course. All content and tools are on the Big Look website which you can access using your favourite web browser (e.g. Chrome or Safari). Live sessions run inside the website also, so there is no need to install or use Zoom.

    To get most value out of this class you should use a PC or Mac laptop or desktop computer or an iPad rather than a phone – as larger screens are better for this type of content. Please ensure that your device speakers and mic work so that you can both hear the content and also ask questions on the live sessions. You should also ensure you have a fast and stable internet connection.

  • What happens if I have a technical issue?

    Students who sign up to the course, will have the opportunity to join a test session to ensure that everything works in advance.

    There are also help resources available to students to answer the most common issues and questions. In addition, there is the facility log a support request and get assistance from Big Look at any point.

If you have any other questions not addressed above, please reach out to by email to [email protected] and we will get back to you.