Archives for January 2021

We have just received the latest newsletter from our friend and Watermill painting tutor Charles Sluga and I couldn’t resist passing on this wonderful picture of three boys. Charles says: “One of the things I love about my paintings is that they connect with people of all ages and backgrounds.”

These three boys were allowed to purchase a print of their choice for their bedrooms. They chose “Robot”, “Biggles” and “Batman”. They had them framed by Charles’s studio and this engaging image was taken on the day they collected their prints. Charles says: “I can’t help smiling looking at this. This kind of response makes it all worthwhile – just love it!”

Well, we couldn’t help smiling, too, and we hope you’ve done the same. I particularly like the expression on the face of the boy on the right, and the socks of the boy in the middle.

There will be plenty of smiles and much laughter, too, on Charles’s watercolour painting course at the Watermill this Autumn. Come and join us for inspiring teaching, a beautiful setting, wonderful scenery, delicious food and the convivial company of like-minded people. After a difficult year it’s time to look ahead and give yourself a treat.

Charles Sluga is a highly respected and sought-after watercolour artist in Australia, who has gained a reputation for his versatility in both his technique and choice of subject matter. The paintings above are of a quiet convent, and the wine demijohns in the Watermill courtyard.

Charles is also skilled in acrylics and oils and is happy to teach in those media, too. He not only teaches technique, but also how to think and see as an artist. His friendliness, sense of humour and willingness to impart his knowledge makes his classes relaxed, informal and inspiring.

A comment from a previous student: “As well as being a talented artist, Charles is an extremely capable teacher:” Another said: “The most relaxing holiday I have had for a long time: lovely accommodation, exceptional food.”

Come and join us for inspiration and laughter. (I made a little 30-second slide show of some of Charles’s work, which you can see by clicking 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.

 More than 90 people have already signed up for our latest Watermill interactive online painting session with Mike Willdridge next Thursday. We would be delighted if you came, too, and painted along with Mike, enjoying inspiring teaching and the camaraderie of the international painting groups that make up our sessions. And although it’s a chilly scene, you’ll be cosy and warm in your own home.

Yes, this week’s subject is a snowy village, in the charming English county of Devon. In this session you will see how the use of warm colours creates the coldness of snow, as well as practising perspective and the painting of buildings. There is no preliminary photograph in this session, just two sketches, the painted one above and the black and white sketch below.

Mike says: “Both these drawings were made in my sketchbook, balanced on the steering wheel of my car and made in just a few minutes.”

You can paint the snowy village on Thursday 21 January at 2:30 pm British time (3:30 in the afternoon European time; 09:30 in the morning Eastern Time Zone in the USA). Here is the link to register, with our online events organiser, Eventbrite. Just click here.

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 Breckon from The Watermill at Posara will be on hand during the session to feed your questions. The session, on Zoom, will last a couple of hours or so.

When you register for either session you will be asked for a donation. How much you give is entirely up to you. We like to think it should be like the dram of whisky you receive when visiting a Scotsman’s home: the size should neither offend the host nor the guest! Our Zoom painting demonstrations do take quite a bit of time in preparation and administration and your support is very much appreciated. With your generosity we can plan and run further sessions and, more importantly, provide a regular meeting place for creativity, camaraderie and fun. That link again: click here.

When you have registered, you will be provided with two internet links. The first is the Zoom link for you to join the session. The second link is where you will find two sketches of the subject that you will paint, a demonstration painting by Mike, to show you where you are heading, and a list of equipment and colours for your palette.

After the event, you will be invited to email us with your painting to add to a participants’ gallery. We will also send you a link to an edited video of the session that will enable to you revisit Mike’s step-by-step teaching. Click on video to see an example of a previous online session with Mike, an autumn walk. Here’s the reference picture for that session:

We are delighted to report that Sue Ford’s first online interactive session with the Watermill, painting in acrylics, was a worthy addition to the Watermill’s efforts to bring artist inspiration, camaraderie and fun in these difficult times. Our international participants painted along with Sue, capturing the sunlight and shadows of the village of Verrucola near the Watermill, one of the locations for our ‘real’ painting weeks.

Among the comments from our guests:

“Thank you for another lovely session. I learn something every time.”

“We’re so lucky to have artists like Sue available to us in our living rooms.”

“I thought Sue was excellent and her picture just beautiful. What a lovely place!”

“I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s Acrylic painting class with Sue, would it be possible to arrange some more with her please? I am finding the Zoom sessions a great escape.”

Our thanks for those comments and to everyone who took part in Sue’s session last Thursday. We shall certainly be organising more of them with her and will keep you posted.

As usual, I’ve made a montage of some of the pictures people sent into our online gallery:

And, so you can see the pictures a little bigger, I’ve made one of those short Facebook slideshows, which you can see by clicking here.

With Mike Willdridge and Randy Hale providing paint-along sessions in watercolour, and Rebecca de Mendonça helping us to master the techniques of pastel painting, the Watermill’s online offer is becoming broader and broader. We are also working on some sessions on oil painting. You can find out all about the Watermill’s online activities by clicking here.

And as the pandemic begins to be resolved, how about celebrating my coming on one of our renowned painting courses at the Watermill itself? You know you deserve it! You can find out more details about our inspiring, sun-filled, fun-filled painting courses in unspoiled rural Tuscany by clicking here.

This is the last of our articles featuring the new inspiring tutors on the Watermill team in 2021. We are delighted to welcome an English painter, Ali Hargreaves, who will be joining us for a week-long course in watercolours and ‘mixed media’, from Saturday 9 October to Saturday 16 October 2021.

Her watercolour above, of jugs on steps, captures the sunshine by exaggerating the lovely warm colours. And of the picture below, simply called ‘Window’, Ali says: “I love trying out different techniques and, in this painting, I used an old credit card to produce the textures in the stone work and to print the window frame. I’m always experimenting and believe that this is how we evolve as artists. Therefore, I encourage my students to do the same.”

Ali, from Poynton in the county of Cheshire in England, started her working life as a primary school teacher, but after 20 happy years, she changed direction and followed her passion for art. Ali enjoys painting a wide range of subjects and in a range of different media. Her favourite technique is ‘mixed media’, using watercolour as a base and adding all sorts, such as collage, pastel, pen, acrylic and print.  

Ali is also very keen on sketching. She says: “A big part of painting holidays is the wonderful and exciting variety of sketching opportunities. I encourage all my students to sketch as part of the course. It makes us observe what is around us and gets our ideas flowing.”

As well as being a great artist, Ali is also an enthusiastic teacher, running classes and workshops that are fun, vibrant and informative. Here’s a comment from a previous student: “Ali is an inspiration. I love her teaching/demonstration style. I learned so much in a short time and I continue to follow her and be inspired by her. I’ve already signed up to join her in Italy next year. Can’t wait.” And from another: “As well as having contagious enthusiasm and making the work fun, Ali also has the ability to demonstrate numerous creative multimedia painting techniques. She works tirelessly on behalf of her students to provide an informative, inspiring and thoroughly enjoyable learning experience.”

I have made one of those fun, 30-second Facebook slideshows with more of Ali’s vibrant images. You can see it 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 (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..

Ali Hargreaves  Only one place left

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.

Come and join us and make 2021 a year to remember.

 In the second of his snowy, seasonal interactive online sessions, Mike Willdridge invites you to join him painting an English village scene in the depths of winter.

As before, you will see that it is the warm colours deployed in a snowy scene that create the coldness of snow. Mike says: “This time the snowy subject includes some buildings and a little more perspective to contend with. I also felt this was different as there’s no source photograph to display. Both these drawings were made in my sketchbook, balanced on the steering wheel of my car and made in just a few minutes. Mike’s sketch, with a little painting, is shown above, while below is the preliminary, unpainted, sketch of the village.

You can paint the snowy village on Thursday 21 January at 2:30 pm British time (3:30 in the afternoon European time; 09:30 in the morning Eastern Time Zone in the USA). Here is the link to register, with our online events organiser, Eventbrite. Just click here.

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 Breckon from The Watermill at Posara will be on hand during the session to feed your questions. The session, on Zoom, will last a couple of hours or so.

When you register for either session you will be asked for a donation. How much you give is entirely up to you. We like to think it should be like the dram of whisky you receive when visiting a Scotsman’s home: the size should neither offend the host nor the guest! Our Zoom painting demonstrations do take quite a bit of time in preparation and administration and your support is very much appreciated. With your generosity we can plan and run further sessions and, more importantly, provide a regular meeting place for creativity, camaraderie and fun.

When you have registered, you will be provided with two internet links. The first is the Zoom link for you to join the session. The second link is where you will find two sketches of the subject that you will paint, a demonstration painting by Mike, to show you where you are heading, and a list of equipment and colours for your palette.

After the event, you will be invited to email us with your painting to add to a participants’ gallery. We will also send you a link to an edited video of the session that will enable to you revisit Mike’s step-by-step teaching. Click on video to see an example of a previous online session with Mike, an autumn walk. Here’s the reference picture for that session:

One of the first things we learned about our new American watercolour tutor, Brienne Brown, was the quotation above about her early life. She is still passionate about watercolours and plein air painting, though she may not spatter her paint about quite as much!

Brienne, from Pennsylvania in the USA, says: “I find beauty in everyday life. Each painting reminds me of where I was, the experiences I had, the sounds, smells, and the people I met … and I enjoy sharing how I see the world.”  Brienne adds: “Painting in Italy is just a dream come true.” 

We are delighted to welcome her for her first course at the Watermill, in watercolours, which will run from Saturday 18 September to Saturday, 25 September 2021.

Using strong value sketches, bold washes, and quick energetic strokes, Brienne will show you how to bring excitement into your paintings. No watercolour skill is necessary, but some drawing experience is recommended.

A comment from a previous student: “Brienne goes through each step guiding you through the process clearly while demonstrating her techniques and approach. I would highly recommend her workshop to ANYONE, be it a beginner or an advanced painter.”

I made a fun, 30-second Facebook slideshow of some more of Brienne’s lovely paintings, which you can see 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 (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.

Brienne Brown A few places left 

Saturday 18 September to Saturday 25 September 2021 

Watercolours

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

Come and join us and make 2021 a year to remember.