Archives for September 2019

Our exciting painting tutor Vicki Norman, who will be with us for a week’s course in oils and watercolours en plein air, can sum up her painting philosophy in a few words: “I just love to paint. And I love to travel. And to teach other people to paint.” She adds: “That’s it really.”

After graduating in Fine Art, Vicki studied with master painters from Italy and the USA, all the time searching for traditional skills and methods which can be applied to paintings of a modern world. She says: “My fondness for travelling and painting has naturally led me into the world of plein air painting. Working quickly on location to capture the essence of a time and place encourages a looser, more impressionist style of painting.

“This puts an emphasis on atmosphere rather than detail, and colour is the vehicle through which I seek to capture light and place. Colour is everything, the harmony of colours together on the canvas and the thick, creamy blobs of paint on the surface inspire me every time. I really do just love paint and I love making paintings.”

Vicki’s oil painting above is an olive tree in the gardens of the Convento di Carmine, an ancient monastery which is one of our venues during our painting weeks. Here’s another stunning plein air painting by Vicki: a study of the Apuan Alps near the Watermill.

Vicki says: “The bright yellow of the ginestra at the front contrasted beautifully with the lilac of the marble- capped mountains behind. I knew if I could capture the colours of the moment, I could use them for subsequent studio paintings at home.”

You, too, will be painting those sensational mountains on Vicki’s course. She will be with us for a week teaching in oils and watercolours* from Saturday 20 June to Saturday, 27 June 2020. You can find out more by clicking here. *The course is primarily in oils and watercolours, but Vicki is happy to teach in other mediums, too.

Here’s a comment from one of our guests on Vicki’s week at the Watermill last year: “Thank you for giving us such a lovely time at the Watermill: it was way beyond my expectations and Vicki’s tuition took me out of my comfort zone, which is what I needed. I’m looking forward to putting my new plein air skills to practice.”

Everything is included in the cost of your holiday at the watermill: tuition, accommodation, pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals and wines (including outings to charming local restaurants) and all local transportation. You get to Pisa, Italy, we do the rest!

We already have four people booked into Vicki’s 2020 course, so now really is the time to reserve your place, especially as we have an Early Bird Discount Offer if you book now: there is a £75 (English pounds) per person discount on Vicki’s painting holiday at the Watermill if you book before 31 December 2019.

You can find out more about all our inspiring creative courses at https://watermill.net/. (Or just type ‘watermill.net’ into your search engine)

Mary Padgett, from Syracuse, New York, USA, is not only passionate about pastels, but remarkable for her use of colour and for her enthusiasm for painting on location. She says: “There is no better way to visit Italy than as a plein air artist! We’ll focus on observation with all our senses; looking, listening, and smelling the unique character of the Tuscan landscape to create drawings and paintings from the experience.  Our time in Italy will be richer than that of most tourists who simply pass through.”

Mary’s plein air pastel above, A Tuscan Hillside, celebrates the rhythmic pattern of dark vertical cypress juxtaposed against soft, organic blue-green olive trees, and the geometric shapes of terracotta roofs. Below is another subtle pastel, San Martino a Mensola, inspired by “bright spring light bouncing through the sky and the exquisite asymmetrical balance of the two cypress with the larger church building.”

Mary’s students love her teaching. As one of them says: “Your gentle nudges have given us all better way of seeing.”  Another says: “You went out of your way to help beginners as well as more advanced artists.” Mary says: “My role is to create a supportive working environment, encouraging creative exploration, and furthering each participant’s evolution as an artist.”

Mary’s week-long course in pastels* will run from Saturday 26 September to Saturday, 3 October 2020. *While pastels are her passion (and she will work in soft pastels during her week-long course at the Watermill), Mary is also happy to teach in other portable media, too, such as oils and acrylics, in which she is also a skilled practitioner.

You can learn more about Mary and her course at the Watermill by clicking here.

Although this course is more than a year away, we are already taking bookings for 2020 and our creative courses for next year are filling fast. So if you want to be sure of your place, now is the time to book, especially as we have an Early Bird discount of £75 per person (English pounds, about $90) on all our 2020 creative courses if you reserve your place before the end of this year.

Come and join Mary in the glorious Tuscan countryside. We would love to welcome you here. Here is another glorious pastel, of an Italian terrace, to whet your appetite.

We are delighted to welcome Randy Hale, an exciting watercolour painter from Colorado in United States, to the international team of Watermill tutors..

As well as his workshops in the USA, Randy has taken painting groups all over the world and he’s excited about discovering the unspoiled delights of our area of rural Tuscany. His painting above is of the seaside village of Vernazza, in the Cinque Terre, one of the locations you can visit on your Wednesday excursion during your Watermill painting week

After a successful business career, Randy returned to his first love, watercolour painting. But his true passion has proved to be sharing his knowledge as a teacher. And he loves discovering new locations in which to paint expressive watercolours and encourages students to do the same. One of Randy’s previous students said: “He knows his stuff and he knows how to teach! The best watercolour instructor I have ever had!” Another said: “He’s an excellent artist and instructor, offering clear and positive help.”

Here’s another of Randy’s vibrant watercolours, this time of a riverside café in Regensburg in Germany.

Randy will be with us for his watercolour course from Saturday 13 June to Saturday, 20 June 2020. We love you to join us. You can find out more about Randy and his course at the Watermill by clicking here

Everything is included in the cost of your holiday at the watermill: tuition, accommodation, pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals and wines (including outings to charming local restaurants) and all local transportation.

You get to Pisa, Italy, we do the rest!

We already have nine people booked in for Randy’s course, so to be sure of a place now is the time to book, especially when you can take advantage of our Early Bird discount: If you book before 31 December 2019 there’s a £75 (English pounds, about $90) per person discount on this fabulous 2020 painting holiday.

As well as beautiful scenery and expert painting tuition, you’ll enjoy delicious home-cooked Italian food, convivial company and, of course, aperitivi under the vine Verandah before dinner each night. Randy’s picture below, called Happy Hour, captures the spirit.

You can find out more about everything at the Watermill by clicking here.