In the Orbit of Euan Uglow

Chris Bennett in conversation on The Creative Contemplation Podcast.

We’re delighted to share a recent podcast recording featuring Chris Bennett, tutor on our Portrait & Figure Drawingand Watercolour Painting workshops here at Mill Tye Gallery.

Chris is a practising artist whose teaching is grounded in close observation, disciplined looking and a deep respect for the traditions of figurative art. Those qualities are beautifully illuminated in a newly released episode of The Creative Contemplation podcast, titled In the Orbit of Euan Uglow, where Chris appears alongside Laura Smith, international artist and a close friend—and one-time model—of the late Euan Uglow.

A rare, first-hand perspective on Euan Uglow

In this first of a two-part conversation, Chris and Laura reflect on their personal relationships with Uglow, offering rare insights into his working methods, artistic philosophy, and lasting influence. The discussion moves fluidly between memory, practice, and principle—touching on proportion, measurement, patience, and the quiet intensity that defined Uglow’s work.

For anyone interested in figurative painting and drawing, this is not only an engaging listen, but a valuable window into a lineage of careful seeing and disciplined craft that continues to shape contemporary practice.

🎧 Listen to the podcast here:

In the Orbit of Euan Uglow – Chris Bennett & Laura Smith(

Part 1, The Creative Contemplation Podcast)

From tradition to the studio today

What makes this conversation especially compelling for us is how closely its themes connect to Chris’s teaching at Mill Tye Gallery. The same attentiveness to form, structure, and sustained observation that emerges in the podcast underpins his classes—whether working from the life model or exploring watercolour as a serious, investigative medium.

Chris’s workshops are known for being both rigorous and supportive, welcoming artists who want to strengthen their technical foundations while developing a more confident, personal response to what they see.

Learn with Chris Bennett at Mill Tye Gallery

If the podcast sparks your curiosity about Uglow’s approach—or reminds you why looking slowly and drawing honestly still matters—Chris’s classes offer the perfect opportunity to explore those ideas in practice.

• Portrait & Figure Drawing Workshops

• Portrait Watercolour Painting Workshops

Both are taught regularly at Mill Tye Gallery, in small groups, with individual guidance.

BOOK HERE

You can also explore further reading on this subject through the recently published book The Uglow Papers, which complements the podcast conversation and deepens the context around Uglow’s life and work.

We’re proud to have Chris as part of our teaching team at Mill Tye Gallery and highly recommend this thoughtful, engaging podcast to anyone interested in figurative art—past and present.