Portrait Painting in Oils with Sian Costello — Half-Day Workshop in Athlone

On a half-day in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, Portrait Painting in Oils with Sian Costello offers a compact, hands-on crash course in the discipline and rewards of painting the human face. Held at Abbey Grove, 1 Coosan Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 WY94, the workshop is a four-hour studio session that compresses observation, technique, and feedback into an intense, approachable format. Sian Costello guides up to ten participants through alla prima, the wet-on-wet method that forces decisions and rewards confident mark-making. The workshop foregrounds portraiture and the human figure: composition, modelling with light and shadow, colour temperature, and the physical handling of oil paint. Costello draws on a performative self-portrait practice, using mirrors and photographic references so painters work from live observation and mediated images. Beginners find the small-group setting welcoming; intermediate painters appreciate the one-to-one critique that tightens technique. What sets this session apart in Athlone’s arts scene is its immediacy and focus. The workshop runs alongside the Affective Forms exhibition at Luan Gallery (on show until Sunday 12 April), embedding participants in a current local conversation about contemporary figurative work. With a maximum group size of ten and wheelchair accessible facilities, the class balances accessibility with depth. Practical studio protocols—brush selection, paint handling, and mixing on the palette—are introduced in a short materials orientation, then tested in focused observational exercises and a guided portrait block. Expect a rhythm: introduction to materials and techniques, setup for observational work, an extended guided painting session, and a closing critique where Sian provides targeted feedback. The studio asks participants to bring a primed canvas (around 16 x 20 in), a photographic reference or mirror, and any extra brushes you want to experiment with—ragged bristles are welcomed. Arrive at Abbey Road Artist Studios ten minutes early to settle in. This workshop is more than instruction; it’s a disciplined, performative craft session that surfaces how light and gesture build a likeness. It’s an ideal half-day for travelers who want a meaningful cultural encounter off the typical sightseeing track: no long trails, just the slow, exacting work of seeing. Whether you are learning alla prima for the first time or retooling your portrait practice, Sian Costello's class in Athlone offers a concentrated, studio-driven taste of contemporary figurative painting in Ireland’s midlands. Workshops are limited to ten people, prioritizing hands-on tuition and safety in a ventilated studio suited to oil paint. Open to anyone aged 18 and over and wheelchair accessible, the workshop may be subject to change so book ahead. Bring a jar of solvent, rags, and an apron to protect clothing. For visitors this is an efficient cultural stop—an artist-led way to see Athlone that pairs well with a visit to nearby galleries and town center.