Archives for October 2020

Availability of Watermill 2021 creative courses at 25 October 2020: time to book your place

The Watermill at Posara for painting, creative writing, knitting, and Italian language holidays/vacations/workshops, Tuscany, Italy.

The Watermill’s world-renowned creative courses – painting, creative writing, knitting and Italian language – are filling up. We already have some 210 reservations for next year’s courses, out of a potential maximum of some 260 or so places.

So, as we never tire of saying, now really is the time to reserve your place on one of our fun-filled, sun-filled, inspiring weeks next year. Cast off the coronavirus blues and give yourself months of warm anticipation of a week at the Watermill in 2021. (And don’t forget, just in case it’s not all over, we have a generous coronavirus cancellation scheme, which you can see by clicking here.)

Here is the latest availability on all our creative courses. Book now to avoid disappointment!

Our inspiring painting weeks

Keiko Tanabe Places available

Saturday 17 April to Saturday 24 April 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Keiko and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Mary Padgett Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 1 May to Saturday 8 May 2021

Pastels (and other portable media) en plein air

To learn more about Mary and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Carl March One or two places remaining

Saturday 15 May to Saturday 22 May 2021

Drawing and watercolours en plein air

To learn more about Carl and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Grahame Booth Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 22 May to Saturday 29 May 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Grahame and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sandra Strohschein (1) One or two places remaining

Saturday 5 June to Saturday 12 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Sandra and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sandra Strohschein (2) Three or four places remaining

Saturday 12 June to Saturday 19 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Sandra and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Paul Talbot-Greaves Places available

Saturday 19 June to Saturday 26 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Paul and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Rebecca de Mendonça Three or four places remaining

Saturday 26 June to Saturday 3 July 2021

Pastels and mixed media

To learn more about Rebecca and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Vicki Norman One or two places remaining

Saturday 3 July to Saturday 10 July 2021

Oils and watercolours (and other mediums)

To learn more about Vicki and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sue Ford Places available

Saturday 10 July to Saturday 17 July 2021

Watercolours, pastels, collage and mixed media plus acrylic

To learn more about Sue and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Painting by Caroline Deeble, a tutor at The Watermill at Posara painting holidays/vacations, Tuscany, Italy.

Caroline Deeble Places available

Saturday 7 August to Saturday 14 August 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Caroline and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Randy Hale Places available

Saturday 21 August to Saturday 28 August 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Randy and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Mike Willdridge Just opened, places available

Saturday 28 August to Saturday 4 September 2021

Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics.)

To learn more about Mike and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Mike Willdridge Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 4 September to Saturday 11 September 2021

Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Mike and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Milind Mulick Places available

Saturday 11 September to Saturday 18 September 2021

‘Colourful Watercolours’

To learn more about Milind and his week at the Watermill please click here.

Brienne Brown one or two places remaining

Saturday 18 September to Saturday 25 September 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Brienne and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Charles Sluga Places available

Saturday 25 September to Saturday 2 October 2021

Watercolour and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Charles and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Tim Wilmot One or two places remaining

Saturday 2 October to Saturday 9 October 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Tim and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Ali Hargreaves, a tutor at The Watermill at Posara painting holidays/vacations, Tuscany, Italy.

Ali Hargreaves Two places available

Saturday 9 October to Saturday 16 October 2021

Watercolour and mixed media

To learn more about Ali and her week at the Watermill, please please click here.

Our elevating knitting weeks

Norah Gaughan Places available

24 April – 1 May 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about Norah and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Louisa Harding Fully booked, waiting list open

29 May – 5 June 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about Louisa and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Knitting retreat Three or flour places remaining

17-24 July 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about our knitting retreat week at the mill, please click here.

Our illuminating creative writing weeks

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran Places available

8 -15 May 2021

Scriptwriting

To learn more about Laurence and Maurice and their course at the mill, please click here.

Jo Parfitt Three or four places remaining

14 -21 August 2021

Writing your life stories

To learn more about Jo and her course at the mill, please click here.

Our impassioned Italian week

Francesca La Sala Four or five places remaining

16-23 October 2021

A novel approach to learning Italian

To learn more about Francesca an her course at the mill, please click here.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: acrylic, creativewriting, Italian, Italy, knit, knitting, Languages, memoir, oilpainting, painting, pastel, Tuscany, watercolor, watercolors, watercolour, writer, writing · Leave a Comment

Sketch, paint, be inspired and have fun with Mike: We’ve opened up another week

24 Oct By Bill Breckon

Following the success of his interactive online painting sessions, more people have decided to follow Mike Willdridge to Posara and sample the real thing with a week at the Watermill. So much so that Mike’s week here in September is completely booked up. So, by popular demand, we have opened up a second week for him, from Saturday 28 August to Saturday 4 September. We have just opened this course and we are now taking bookings, so if you’d like to come with Mike for a glorious week in unspoiled Tuscany, now is the time to reserve your place.

As well as painting in and around the Watermill, we will be visiting an imposing mediaeval castle, sketching on market day in a walled town nearby, enjoying the quiet calm of an old monastery and painting in the hilltop village with towering mountains behind. So please come and join Mike for his additional week which, to recap, will run from Saturday 28 August to Saturday 4 September. Mike will be teaching in watercolour and drawing (and also gouache and acrylics).

Painting by Mike Willdridge, a tutor at The Watermill at Posara painting holidays/vacations, Tuscany, Italy.

Mike works in a wide range of media and is an enthusiastic and energetic tutor, often encouraging his students to be bold and to take chances. His classes are always light-hearted and fun, with the ‘teaching’ tailored to individual needs. He will concentrate on watercolours, but is also happy to help with gouache and acrylics too.

A comment from a previous guest: “Mike Willdridge is a most inspiring tutor whose energy and enthusiasm encourages students to develop both their visual awareness and confidence. His patience and good humour create an enjoyable atmosphere in which students thrive.”

And the ambiance? One guest said: “A wonderful holiday. You were such generous and friendly hosts.” Another said: “The food was exceptional and the mill itself is great, in such a beautiful setting. A truly wonderful week.”

I have made a fun,30-second slideshow of these and other of Mike’s paintings, which you can see by clicking here.

Mike Willdridge

Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

Saturday 28 August to Saturday 4 September 2021 (New course, now taking bookings) AND Saturday 4 September to Saturday 11 September 2021 (Course full, waiting list open)

To learn more about Mike and his weeks at the Watermill, please click 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 (including transfers to Pisa airport and an excursion by train to Lucca or the Cinque Terre).

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

And you will be Cool and Green: all our rooms are air-conditioned, powered by photovoltaic panels which make us self-sufficient in electricity.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: acrylic, Italy, oilpainting, painting, pastel, travel, travelphotography, Tuscany, watercolor, watercolors, watercolour · Leave a Comment

The health benefits of knitting… enhance your well-being with a Watermill week

23 Oct By Bill Breckon

The Watermill at Posara for painting, knitting, creative writing, Italian language, personal development and yoga holidays/vacations/retreats, Tuscany, Italy. — Knitting under the shade of the vines in the Watermill garden. Photo: Phil Wright.

We are sure that every knitter knows it: knitting and crocheting can bring great health benefits, not least in stitching away stress, lowering heart rate and blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation and yoga.

We were recently reading an article in the New York Times which confirmed all that. The author, Jane Brody, also said: “Perhaps most exciting is research that suggests that crafts like knitting and crocheting may help to stave off a decline in brain function with age.” Yes, a 2011 investigation by the Mayo Clinic found that people in their 70s and 80s had less chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss. Now we know why our Watermill knitting guests so bright and interesting.

Another study, at the University of Texas, showed that learning to quilt, (or incidentally learning digital photography) enhanced memory function in older adults, improvements not seen in activities that were not so mentally challenging.

There is the social side, too: Ms Brody reported: “Given that sustained social contacts have been shown to support health and longevity, those wishing to maximise the health value of crafts might consider joining a group of like-minded folks.”

As we said, we are sure that knitters have known all along about the health benefits of their hobby, and in these difficult times knitting and crocheting are undoubtedly a great comfort to many.

Why not add to the pleasure and the therapeutic effects by coming on a week’s knitting holiday at the Watermill at Posara? Not only will you enjoy knitting therapy and the convivial company of like-minded people, but also savour the delights of unspoiled rural Tuscany, the warm hospitality of the Watermill and delicious healthy food. And if you book yourself a place now you will have the added benefits of warm anticipation.

We have organised three delightful knitting weeks at the Watermill next year. Two of them are with renowned designers: Norah Gaughan from the United States and Louisa Harding from the UK, while the third is a Knitting Retreat, with no tutor, just a relaxed group enjoying knitting and each other’s company

Norah Gaughan is an independent knitting designer working out of her studio in historic Harrisville, New Hampshire, USA. She has just been appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue Knitting, the premier knitting publication in America. “I’m inspired by nature and science, while at the same time keeping an eye what’s happening in the fashion world. My teaching style is rather relaxed. My goal is to have the class be fun and interesting.” Norah will bring two special projects for her week, based on her new book, Twisted Stitches, which will be out in 2021. There are more details below.

We are delighted also to welcome Louisa Harding, the celebrated cashmere knitter and yarn producer, to the Watermill knitting team. She has also established a new brand, called Yarntelier, combining the finest yarns from the English county of Yorkshire with beautiful designs, to make each item a piece of hand-crafted couture. Louisa’s Knitting and La Bella Vita, week will run from Saturday 29 May to Saturday 5 June 2021. She is now planning the projects she will bring for our knitters during her week and is talking of a cashmere shawl, where you can draw on designs in the Tuscan countryside and incorporate them in your knitting; and another, smaller project, involving beading using a crochet hook. Again, there are more details about Louisa’s week below,

Many of our knitting guests at the Watermill have asked is whether it would be possible to run a knitting retreat here, in which there would be no tutor, but rather individual knitters would bring their own projects and enjoy convivial like-minded company in the peaceful ambience of the Watermill, as well as our usual offering of wonderful food and outings into the surrounding unspoiled Tuscan countryside of Lunigiana. So, by popular demand, we are doing just that, in our first-ever Knitting Retreat. Since there is no official tutor, we are offering a special blanket discount of £200 per person.

If you would like to see these images a little larger, I’ve made one of those short, fun Facebook slideshows, capturing the essence of our Watermill knitting holidays, which you can see by clicking here.

As a ever, your knitting weeks at the Watermill will combine expert tuition, like-minded company, wonderful food and the delightful ambience of the Watermill, it’s gardens and riverside walks, and outings into the surrounding unspoiled countryside of Lunigiana in Tuscany Italy.

Here are the dates and links for next year’s knitting courses:

Norah Gaughan
24 April – 1 May 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita
To learn more about Norah and her week at the Watermill, please visit her 2021 Tutor Profile page.

Louisa Harding
29 May – 5 June 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita
To learn more about Louisa and her week at the Watermill, please visit her 2021 Tutor Profile page.

Knitting retreat
17-24 July 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita
To learn more about our knitting retreat week at the mill, please visit the 2021 Knitting Retreat Profile page.

The Watermill at Posara for painting, knitting, yoga, holidays/vacations, Tuscany, Italy. — A tableful of local yarns will greet you on the Watermill’s vine verandah

Some comments from guests on our previous knitting weeks:

The Watermill is an idyllic setting for a knitting course – beautifully situated on the river, you are lulled to sleep in your comfortable room by the sound of the millstream. Bill and Lois are perfect hosts and your every need is catered for. BE

Thank you and for such a lovely week at the Watermill. It was truly a memorable week to stay at the Watermill, knit, meet new friends, enjoy fresh Italian cuisine and be shown such a glorious part of Tuscany. EP

Thanks for such a wonderful week! It had everything: fun, knowledge, good food and drink. Like a week out of time. RG

Thank you both for making a brilliant week of knitting even better. As usual, the Watermill was amazing with wonderful food, great rooms and wall to wall sunshine. JMcB

Bill and Lois have the knack of making everyone feel special. Add a magical knitting tutor, and the result is an unforgettable experience. I can’t wait to go back! Excellent food, relaxing atmosphere, lovely people. Perfection! Thanks to you both for another wonderful knitting holiday. I feel ten years younger! NB

Absolutely loved my stay for the knitting week. The food was so yummy, I had the best sleep, and the ambiance of the Watermill and its surrounds is pure bliss. PM

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

And you will be Cool and Green: all our rooms are air-conditioned, powered by photovoltaic panels which make us self-sufficient in electricity.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Italy, knit, knitting, Tuscany · Leave a Comment

The Vasari suite: a self-contained apartment celebrating another Renaissance polymath

22 Oct By Bill Breckon

Today we reach the end of our tour of the Watermill bedrooms, with the second of our self-contained apartment suites, The Vasari Suite. As usual I have made one of those short Facebook slideshows, which you can see by clicking here.

Giorgio Vasari, who lived and worked in Florence in the 16^th century, was another of those great multitalented Renaissance men: painter, architect and town planner, as well as writer and historian. His most famous for his book, Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, the first book on art history, in which he lauded Michelangelo as the apotheosis of artistic development.

He painted (with others) the inside of the dome of Florence cathedral, wonderful frescoes in the palazzo vecchio; he built the uffizi, creating a unique Renaissance street with unified architecture, the first regularised streetscape in Europe. Oh, and the Vasari corridor, linking above street level the palazzo vecchio with the Pitti place, so his Grand Duke, Cosimo 1 de’ Medici, wouldn’t have to mix with the hoi polloi on his way home.

And he built the Fish Loggia, one of my (many) favourite buildings in Florence.

The Vasari Suite at the Watermill has an elegant sitting room and a double bedroom, with views over the mill cascades and the River Rosaro. It is ideal for a couple, or two friends sharing. (We can make a bed in the sitting room for two friends sharing the apartment.)

We’d be delighted to welcome you here for one of our caring and inspiring creative holiday weeks – painting, creative writing, knitting and Italian language. Come and join us and choose your favourite bedroom.

You can find out more about all our fun-filled, sun-filled, inspiring creative courses by clicking here. https://watermill.net/

The Watermill’s Lippi suite: commemorating a scandalous monk who was a sublime painter

21 Oct By Bill Breckon

Continuing our tour of the Watermill bedrooms we move today to the first of our self-contained apartment suites, the Lippi suite. As usual I have made one of those short Facebook slideshows, which you can see by clicking here.

The suite is named after Filippo Lippi and his son Filippino Lippi, painters in the mid-15^th century. Filippo, a monk with a scandalous private life, was a sublime painter and, incidentally, taught Botticelli. Filippo’s Madonna and Child with two Angels (above) is one of my favourite paintings. I particularly like the smile of the angel on the right.

Filippo’s son, Filipino, was, among other things, responsible for some wonderful frescoes depicting the life of St Peter in the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. Below you can see his Vision of St Bernard, in the Badia Fiorentina in Florence. I love the faces of the young people on the left-hand side of the picture. Like his father, Filippino has imbued them with plenty of character.

The Lippi suite has an elegant sitting room and two bedrooms: a larger double one and a smaller single. (Filippo and Filippino!). There are views over the Riverside gardens and the River Rosaro. It is ideal for a couple, or two friends sharing.

You can find out more about all our fun-filled, sun-filled, inspiring creative courses by clicking here.

Prickly night-time visitors

20 Oct By Bill Breckon

Here are a couple more night-time visitors to the Watermill grounds, spotted by Flavio Terenzoni, using one of those night-vision cameras to spy on the nocturnal wildlife around the Watermill.

These two prickly customers are istrici, our native porcupines, sharing the Watermill grounds with deer (of various sizes), badgers, foxes, wild boar and goodness knows what else in this protected environmental habitat. The picture above is a still from the video made by Flavio. You can see the whole video (some 30 seconds) by clicking here.

As a guest a the Watermill, you will hardly be aware of our nocturnal visitors as you sleep soundly in your comfortable beds in your elegant bedrooms, but it is nice to know that we are sharing the wonderful countryside of Lunigiana with a host of other animals. But you may be awoken by a dawn chorus. We have an active population of birds and they can be noisy in the mornings, especially in the spring. Here are some hungry youngsters contributing to the melodic cacophony:

Why not come and sample the unspoiled Tuscan countryside with us on one of our renowned creative courses – painting, creative writing, knitting and Italian language. There is more about everything on the Watermill website, which you can see by clicking here.

Here is the latest availability on all our creative courses. Book now to avoid disappointment!

Our inspiring painting weeks

Keiko Tanabe Places available

Saturday 17 April to Saturday 24 April 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Keiko and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Mary Padgett Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 1 May to Saturday 8 May 2021

Pastels (and other portable media) en plein air

To learn more about Mary and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Carl March Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 15 May to Saturday 22 May 2021

Drawing and watercolours en plein air

To learn more about Carl and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Grahame Booth Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 22 May to Saturday 29 May 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Grahame and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sandra Strohschein (1) One or two places remaining

Saturday 5 June to Saturday 12 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Sandra and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sandra Strohschein (2) Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 12 June to Saturday 19 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Sandra and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Paul Talbot-Greaves Places available

Saturday 19 June to Saturday 26 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Paul and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Rebecca de Mendonça Three or four places remaining

Saturday 26 June to Saturday 3 July 2021

Pastels and mixed media

To learn more about Rebecca and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Vicki Norman One or two places remaining

Saturday 3 July to Saturday 10 July 2021

Oils and watercolours (and other mediums)

To learn more about Vicki and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sue Ford Places available

Saturday 10 July to Saturday 17 July 2021

Watercolours, pastels, collage and mixed media plus acrylic

To learn more about Sue and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Caroline Deeble Places available

Saturday 7 August to Saturday 14 August 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Caroline and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Randy Hale Places available

Saturday 21 August to Saturday 28 August 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Randy and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Jude Scott Places available

Saturday 28 August to Saturday 4 September 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Jude and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Mike Willdridge One or two places remaining

Saturday 4 September to Saturday 11 September 2021

Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Mike and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Milind Mulick Places available

Saturday 11 September to Saturday 18 September 2021

‘Colourful Watercolours’

To learn more about Milind and his week at the Watermill please click here.

Brienne Brown Three or four places remaining

Saturday 18 September to Saturday 25 September 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Brienne and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Charles Sluga Places available

Saturday 25 September to Saturday 2 October 2021

Watercolour and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Charles and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Tim Wilmot One or two places remaining

Saturday 2 October to Saturday 9 October 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Tim and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Ali Hargreaves Two places available

Saturday 9 October to Saturday 16 October 2021

Watercolour and mixed media

To learn more about Ali and her week at the Watermill, please please click here.

Our elevating knitting weeks

Norah Gaughan Places available

24 April – 1 May 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about Norah and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Louisa Harding Fully booed, waiting list open

29 May – 5 June 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about Louisa and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Knitting retreat Three or flour places remaining

17-24 July 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about our knitting retreat week at the mill, please click here.

Our illuminating creative writing weeks

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran Places available

8 -15 May 2021

Scriptwriting

To learn more about Laurence and Maurice and their course at the mill, please click here.

Jo Parfitt Three or four places remaining

14 -21 August 2021

Writing your life stories

To learn more about Jo and her course at the mill, please click here.

Our impassioned Italian week

Francesca La Sala Places available

16-23 October 2021

A novel approach to learning Italian

To learn more about Francesca an her course at the mill, please click here.

The Donatello bedroom: cosy and bright and with a terrace with wonderful views over the garden and mountains

19 Oct By Bill Breckon

The Donatello bedroom, appropriately enough, is next to the Brunelleschi, for Donatello was for many years his apprentice, and he accompanied Fillipo Brunelleschi on their celebrated trip to Rome at the turn of the 15^th century, where they rediscovered the secrets of classical architecture and sculpture.

Donatello’s sculptures, in both marble and bronze, were revolutionary, notably (above) his St George for the Orsanmichele in Florence and his irrepressible bronze David, commissioned by Cosimo the Elder. Both can be seen in the Bargello museum and herald the Renaissance in sculpture.

My favourite Donatello sculpture, however, is the grizzled Old Testament prophet Habakkuk (left), who Donatello nicknamed ‘pumpkin head’ and talked to it as if it were alive while he was carving it.

I have made one of those short Facebook slideshows with pictures of this bedroom and the Brunelleschi, which shares a large roof terrace, and which you can see by clicking here.

You can find out more about all our fun-filled, sun-filled, inspiring creative courses by clicking here.

The roof terraces shared by Donatello and Brunelleschi .

Another night-time visitor in the Watermill gardens

18 Oct By Bill Breckon

Our gardener Flavio Terenzoni continues to have fun using one of those night-vision cameras to spy on the nocturnal wildlife around the Watermill.

A few weeks ago, we showed you a self-confident fox having a scratch on one of our bridges across the millstream. Today it’s the turn of a shy little capriolo, a roe deer, to step delicately into the picture. Flavio’s camera has also spotted a couple of bristly porcupines and we will show them to you later on in the week. The picture above is a still from the video. Here’s a close-up:

You can see the whole video (some 30 seconds) on the Watermill Facebook page, by clicking here.

You will hardly be aware of our nocturnal visitors as you sleep soundly in your comfortable beds in your elegant bedrooms, but it is nice to know that we are sharing the wonderful countryside of Lunigiana with a host of other animals. In the next few days we will be showing your porcupine or two!
Why not come and sample the unspoiled Tuscan countryside with us on one of our renowned creative courses – painting, creative writing, knitting and Italian language. There is more about everything on the Watermill website, which you can see by clicking here.

Here is the latest availability on all our creative courses. Book now to avoid disappointment!

Our inspiring painting weeks

Keiko Tanabe Places available

Saturday 17 April to Saturday 24 April 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Keiko and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Mary Padgett Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 1 May to Saturday 8 May 2021

Pastels (and other portable media) en plein air

To learn more about Mary and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Carl March Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 15 May to Saturday 22 May 2021

Drawing and watercolours en plein air

To learn more about Carl and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Grahame Booth Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 22 May to Saturday 29 May 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Grahame and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sandra Strohschein (1) One or two places remaining

Saturday 5 June to Saturday 12 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Sandra and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sandra Strohschein (2) Fully booked, waiting list open

Saturday 12 June to Saturday 19 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Sandra and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Paul Talbot-Greaves Places available

Saturday 19 June to Saturday 26 June 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Paul and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Rebecca de Mendonça Three or four places remaining

Saturday 26 June to Saturday 3 July 2021

Pastels and mixed media

To learn more about Rebecca and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Vicki Norman One or two places remaining

Saturday 3 July to Saturday 10 July 2021

Oils and watercolours (and other mediums)

To learn more about Vicki and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Sue Ford Places available

Saturday 10 July to Saturday 17 July 2021

Watercolours, pastels, collage and mixed media plus acrylic

To learn more about Sue and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Caroline Deeble Places available

Saturday 7 August to Saturday 14 August 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Caroline and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Randy Hale Places available

Saturday 21 August to Saturday 28 August 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Randy and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Jude Scott Places available

Saturday 28 August to Saturday 4 September 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Jude and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Mike Willdridge One or two places remaining

Saturday 4 September to Saturday 11 September 2021

Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Mike and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Milind Mulick Places available

Saturday 11 September to Saturday 18 September 2021

‘Colourful Watercolours’

To learn more about Milind and his week at the Watermill please click here.

Brienne Brown Three or four places remaining

Saturday 18 September to Saturday 25 September 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Brienne and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Charles Sluga Places available

Saturday 25 September to Saturday 2 October 2021

Watercolour and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Charles and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Tim Wilmot One or two places remaining

Saturday 2 October to Saturday 9 October 2021

Watercolours

To learn more about Tim and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

Ali Hargreaves Two places available

Saturday 9 October to Saturday 16 October 2021

Watercolour and mixed media

To learn more about Ali and her week at the Watermill, please please click here.

Our elevating knitting weeks

Norah Gaughan Places available

24 April – 1 May 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about Norah and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Louisa Harding Fully booed, waiting list open

29 May – 5 June 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about Louisa and her week at the Watermill, please click here.

Knitting retreat Three or flour places remaining

17-24 July 2021

Knitting and la Bella Vita

To learn more about our knitting retreat week at the mill, please click here.

Our illuminating creative writing weeks

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran Places available

8 -15 May 2021

Scriptwriting

To learn more about Laurence and Maurice and their course at the mill, please click here.

Jo Parfitt Three or four places remaining

14 -21 August 2021

Writing your life stories

To learn more about Jo and her course at the mill, please click here.

Our impassioned Italian week

Francesca La Sala Places available

16-23 October 2021

A novel approach to learning Italian

To learn more about Francesca an her course at the mill, please click here.

Mike’s free, interactive, inspiring Internet sessions: “Something I really look forward to.”

17 Oct By Bill Breckon

We are building a wonderful community of painters who are tuning into Mike Willdridge’s inspiring Internet sessions. More than 150 people joined us for the latest one, on painting skies. The sessions are proving to be havens of peace and pleasure amidst the encircling coronavirus gloom. As one happy participant said: It is something I really look forward to.”

We are pleased to do our bit to add to the sum total of human happiness and hope to welcome even more people for our next session.

Mike’s demonstration picture for last week’s session is shown above while below is a montage of just a few of the many painting sent in by people who took part. I chose them purely at random and I’m only sorry we have room for more.

Mike's demonstration picture for painting skies.

If you’d like to see these and a couple of other pictures a little larger, I made one of those short, 30-second Facebook slideshows which you can see by clicking here.

The next session is on painting flowers and here is Mike’s demonstration painting:

The session will take place on Zoom next Thursday, 29 October. As usual it will start at 2:30 in the afternoon, British time. Already more than 100 people have booked in, but we have room for more, so banish the coronavirus blues and sign up to enjoy a carefree couple of hours painting along with Mike and like-minded friends.

You need to register with Lois to enter the Zoom session and to gain access to the video which we make available afterwards. Please register by using the Watermill contact form, which you can find by clicking here. Mark the topic as ‘Mike’s free interactive sessions.’

Mike’s inspiring sessions are designed to help you brush up your painting skills, and they are completely free, though many of our guests have generously sent us donations, for which many thanks. If you would like to donate (it is purely voluntary), Lois will tell you how to do so when you sign up for one or more of the sessions. When you register with Lois, she will send you more images to inspire you.

Unlike many online painting programmes, Mike’s will not expect you to ‘look over his shoulder’ for a long demonstration, and perhaps be allowed to ask the odd question or two. No, you will be painting along at more or less the same time, trying out the watercolour techniques that Mike has shown you, step-by-step. He will demonstrate some basic techniques for only a few minutes before you start painting the same subject at home. Then, after you have had your turn, Mike will move onto the next part of the process. Lois will be on hand to feed your questions. The session will last a couple of hours.

Before each session Mike supplies a photograph and, if appropriate, a drawing of what is going to be painted, and a list of equipment and colours for your palette. We will send these beforehand to all the participants in the session. After the session we will send you a link that will enable to you revisit Mike’s step-by-step teaching.

When you’ve enjoyed working with Mike online, why not join him for real, on his Watermill course next year?

Mike Willdridge

Saturday 4 September to Saturday 11 September 2021

Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Mike and his week at the Watermill, please click here.

You can learn about all our renowned creative courses, in painting, creative writing, knitting and Italian language, by clicking here. We would love you to join us!

Filed Under: General Tagged With: acrylic, Italy, oilpainting, painting, pastel, travel, travelphotography, Tuscany, watercolor, watercolors, watercolour · Leave a Comment

Be inspired by the towering genius of the Renaissance in the Brunelleschi bedroom

16 Oct By Bill Breckon

Continuing our notes of the Renaissance artists whose names grace the Watermill bedrooms and apartment suites, today we come to my great hero, Filippo Brunelleschi, to my mind the towering genius of the early Renaissance.

As well as designing and supervising the construction of the incomparable dome of Florence cathedral, Filippo invented linear perspective, designed the first neo-classical building since Roman times, the Ospedale degli Innocenti and created the sublime space of the Pazzi chapel in the cloisters of Santa Croce.

With his one-time apprentice Donatello (who re-created classical sculpture) and his patron Cosimo (Medici) the Elder (who led the re-discovery of Greek and Roman texts and promoted Humanism), Brunelleschi can truly be regarded as the father of the Renaissance.

Brunelleschi is also the presiding genius of my detective novel A Matter of Perspective set in 15^th Century Florence. You can see more about that by clicking here (UK) or here (Worldwide)

The bedroom at the Watermill which bears his name is a superior double room (also available for single occupancy) with an en suite shower room. It enjoys a large roof terrace overlooking the courtyard and gardens and with amazing views of the mountains.

I have made one of those fun, 30-second Facebook slideshows, showing more of the Brunelleschi and Donatello bedrooms (which are side-by-side and share the roof terrace). You can see it by clicking here.

Come and enjoy your own renaissance in these difficult times with a creative week at the Watermilll. We would be delighted to welcome you here. You can find out all about our caring and inspiring creative courses – painting, creative writing, knitting and Italian language – by clicking here.

Archives for October 2020

Availability of Watermill 2021 creative courses at 25 October 2020: time to book your place

Sketch, paint, be inspired and have fun with Mike: We’ve opened up another week

The health benefits of knitting… enhance your well-being with a Watermill week

The Vasari suite: a self-contained apartment celebrating another Renaissance polymath

The Watermill’s Lippi suite: commemorating a scandalous monk who was a sublime painter

Prickly night-time visitors

The Donatello bedroom: cosy and bright and with a terrace with wonderful views over the garden and mountains

Another night-time visitor in the Watermill gardens

Mike’s free, interactive, inspiring Internet sessions: “Something I really look forward to.”

Be inspired by the towering genius of the Renaissance in the Brunelleschi bedroom

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