watermill blog

Fábio Cembranelli, our world-famous Brazilian watercolour tutor has been posting some of his last year’s paintings on his Facebook page. They look wonderful and I thought you’d like to see this one in particular, which captures the essence of a Summer lane.

Fábio is tutor at three painting courses at the mill this year. On the first, from 16-23 June we now have one place available (someone has moved to one of Fabio’s later courses).

Fábio’s second week, from 23-30 June is fully booked.

For his third week 30 June – 7 July, we already have seven bookings, so there is only room for three or four more students.

So if you’d like to join Fábio, the master watercolourist* now is the time to secure your place.

*Fábio’s course will focus on watercolours, but he is equally skilled at painting and teaching in oils and acrylics and if you want to bring these, he will happily teach you in these media as well.

You can see more of Fábio’s work by clicking here.  To enquire about availability or to reserve a place, please use our Secure Contact Form by clicking here.

Capture the Tuscan Spring with your paintbrush!

We’ve organised a special Primavera! painting weekend with Anglo-American artist Helen Bayley. It will run from Friday 27 April to Sunday 29 April 2012 and there’ll be tuition in oils and acrylics.

Glorious scenery, sympathetic teaching, great accommodation, wonderful food! Beginnings welcome and non-painting partners.

Whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced painter you’ll be inspired by the mill, its gardens, secluded millstream paths and riverside walks. You’ll paint outdoors and in the mill’s spacious studio, with individual tuition. You’ll stay in stylish bedrooms in elegant buildings around the sunlit courtyard – and you’ll take mouth-watering evening meals in our new courtyard dining room.….Read More >

Margaret Ferraro, the award-winning Canadian artist who is coming to tutor on a painting holiday at the mill this August is really looking forward to getting out on location among the wonderful scenery in the Tuscan district of Lunigiana which surrounds the mill.

She says: “I love being outside as much as possible and painting en plein air.”

On location, Margaret likes to make a number of small studies in pastel: “I’d rather paint ten 6″ by 9″ pastel paintings than one large piece. When working in pastel, your colours all in front of you, enticing you, helping you to make spontaneous choices reflecting your true nature and your individuality. That’s the key.“

One of the 6” x 9” pastel sketches Margaret made on a recent field trip is shown above.

She adds: “By painting many small pieces, I am also forcing myself to refine my composing skills, simplify my drawing, and what I am trying to say. Judging which small studies will make powerful compositions in larger format becomes easy.”

“I let the spontaneity of colour choice happen in the moment, on location, then paint in oil, in my studio. I can modify my colour choice, or paint straight from the study.”

Here’s a 24″ x 48″ oil based on the pastel sketch above.

You too can learn the secrets and the sheer fun of plein air painting on Margaret Ferraro’s painting course at the watermill, with tuition in oils and soft pastels.  It runs from Saturday 18 August until Saturday 15 August 2012.

Please click here for more about Margaret and her work.

You can enquire about availability or make a reservation by using our Secure Contact Form. Just click here, please.

We showed you some pages from Mike Willdridge’s artist’s sketchbook in previous blogs. Now it’s time for an oil: this one is of the River Rosaro, which flows beside the mill.

Mike used a sketch he made on his last trip as tutor at the mail as the basis for a demonstration of how to paint running water, using oil paints.  He says: “The painting ‘style’ is loose and atmospheric using a limited palette and large brushes.”   Mike will be back this May to paint more running water and the magnificent scenery around the mill. His painting holiday, with tuition in watercolours (and oils and acrylics on request), will run from Saturday 12 to Saturday 19 May 2012. There are now only one or two places left.

For more details about Mike and his work please click here.

If you’d like to enquiry about availability or make a reservation, please click here.