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Course Structure
For centuries artists have drawn their inspiration from the Tuscan landscape and you could find few better places to enjoy your art and improve your skills than in our beautiful watermill set beside the curving banks of the river in a gentle, wooded valley.
Secluded, yet part of the village; peaceful, yet just a mile from the walled medieval town of Fivizzano with its cafés, restaurants and shops; with pleasant gardens and peaceful millstream walks and with stunning views of the mountains in the background, the mill provides the ideal location for a painting holiday.
We should emphasise that everything is included in the cost of your art course: accommodation (including all linen and towels), all meals (including dinner at charming local restaurants), local transportation (including transfers to Pisa airport, assuming you arrive between 11am and 2pm) and tuition.
Our courses are designed to help both experienced painters and beginners to make the most of their abilities and, most of all, enjoy their painting. Since there will only be ten or so people on each course, you can be assured of individual attention.
Courses scheduled
for 2009
(full details of all coures may be found on our web site at: www.watermill.net) |
| David Bellamy and Jenny Keal (watercolours and pastels) 16-23 May. A husband-and-wife team specialising in landscape painting, and particularly fascinated by the moods of nature. A full time artist and author, David has written eleven books such as ‘Painting Wild Landscapes’. Jenny paints mainly in pastels and draws her inspiration from the rich history of the landscape and the atmospheric effects of the weather. |
Michael Kitchen (watercolours, oils and pastels) 23-30 May. Michael is a professional artist and demonstrator with over 38 years’ painting experience. Conscious that everyone's requirements are different, Michael ensures that guests receive plenty of genuine teaching, personal tuition and lots of encouragement.
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g.a. Sheller (watercolours) 6-13 June. g.a. has received repeated recognition and awards for her unique work and inspirational teaching. She has been a teacher/instructor for more than 30 years, running successful painting workshops throughout the United States and Europe. |
| Muriel Owen (watercolours) 13-20 June. Muriel is a leading watercolour painter. She has been running her painting holidays worldwide since 1987. Her impressive credits include: the purchase of 28 paintings by English Heritage, now on permanent display at Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight & running the art department of a well known London Tutorial. |
Jennifer Branch (watercolours, oils, acrylics) 20-27 June. Jennifer is a modern impressionist bringing her subjects to vibrant life on paper. Her style is uniquely vivid in colour and concept – and her paintings explore the full possibilities of ‘transparent’ watercolour, a medium that brings colour and light to life. |
Lyn Fraser-Roberts 4-11 July. Lyn is an award-winning artist based in Australia, working full-time painting and teaching in a wide range of media and subject matter. She paints in the Impressionist Realist style and her work hangs in galleries all over Australia. In recent years Lyn has become well known for her floral paintings in oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolour. |
| Terry Jarvis (watercolours, oils, pastels, acrylics) 11-18 July. Terry is one of Australia’s leading watercolour artists. He also works in oils, pastels and acrylics. He also loves drawing and helping his students to develop their drawing skills. The son of a goldminer, Terry was inspired at an early age to draw and paint the landscape, as well as people and animals. |
Susie Hunt (watercolours and mixed media)
25 July-1 August. Susie has a strong foundation in traditional techniques, with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art-Painting, and from this traditional base, she will move her pupils gently into the contemporary use of water-based media. There will be plenty of outdoor sketching and then Susie will then help to develop these sketches into more resolved paintings in the studio. |
Mike Willdridge (watercolours, oils, acrylics, drawing etc.) 1-8 August. Mike is a full-time artist having had a varied past that includes being a designer (graphic), soldier (infantry) and teacher (art). For the past fifteen years he has run a variety of adult classes in both Kent and Devon. Mike works in a wide variety of media both ‘on location’ and in the studio. He tends to work in and teach a loose and free painting style. |
| Charles Evans (watercolours) 8-15 August. Charles is now one of the leading demonstrators for Daler-Rowney doing stage shows, workshops and demonstrating to art societies all over the country. He studied at Lincoln College of Art and finally turned to watercolour: “Watercolour is the traditional English medium because, as many artists have discovered, it captures the beautiful sense of atmosphere, haziness, dampness and watery skies of the British landscape”. |
Annelise Pio Hansen (watercolours) 29 August- 5 September. Annelise came to painting as a better way to understand the creative process. She studied her watercolour technique in England but she has retained her Danish influence. Her colours are soft but bright, just like the light reaching the sandy beaches and the soft hills not far from where she lives just outside Copenhagen. |
Frank Halliday (oils, pastels, watercolours etc.) 5-12 September. Frank's love and enthusiasm for painting have drawn him into lecturing, demonstrating and running workshops for those who want to paint for themselves. Frank works professionally for Winsor & Newton as a demonstrator, tutors workshops for Leisure Painter magazine, and demonstrates at shows around the country. His dry Yorkshire sense of humour makes every class or course that he runs a perfect delight. |
| Laraine Simpson (oils, pastels, watercolours etc.) 12-19 September Laraine is highly regarded as a perceptive, patient and encouraging tutor working with beginners and advanced students alike, her main aim being to teach people to ‘see’ the relationships of line, tone, shape, colour etc which are fundamental to drawing and painting. Laraine works in oils, pastels, watercolours, and a variety of drawing materials. |
Charles Sluga (watercolours) 3-10 October. Charles is a highly respected and sought after artist and watercolour teacher in Australia. His friendly and enthusiastic approach, and eagerness to impart his wide knowledge, is reflected in his popularity as a tutor, and the waiting lists for his regular classes. He has gained a reputation for his versatility in both his technique and choice of subject matter. |
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We usually spend the first day or so painting around the mill, followed by excursions to the hills, to the medieval walls of Fivizzano and to a private cloistered convent. We take a picnic lunch, including local hams and cheeses. Wednesday is a leisure day and we usually organise an excursion for you by train through the beautiful nearby National Park to the walled city of Lucca.
| Pricing in £'s Sterling |
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Price per person sharing a double room
Double rooms may be booked for single occupancy
although a supplement will apply.
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From £765 per person + IVA
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| Price
for a single room |
£820 + IVA
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Our painting and creative writing courses are
all-inclusive: everything is included in the cost
of your holiday: transfers to and from Pisa,
tuition, accommodation, all meals
and local transportation.
Non-painting partners are welcome (at a small discount of £25), but you’ll have more fun if you join in and dabble!
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Accommodation
You will stay in an elegant Tuscan house beside the old mill. It has six large double and three single fully furnished bedrooms, and five modern bathrooms, together with a large communal sitting room with an open fire and a dining room for leisurely breakfasts. Dinner (included in the cost of the course) will be at several small and friendly local restaurants and will include regional Italian dishes and wines. We can cater for vegetarians on request. There are facilities at the mill for personal tea and coffee-making.
There are sun-filled terraces and, beside the courtyard, millstone tables under the vines for meals outdoors. Our secluded gardens extend for about a quarter of a mile beside the river and along the millstream.
Tutors
At The Watermill we strive
to offer a painting "centre of excellence",
where an extensive group of skilled international artists
lead master classes in painting, using the most beautiful
local settings as a canvas. These
superb tutors have significant experience in exhibiting
and selling their own works commercially, and will share
their expertise and creative muse whilst guiding participants
in a journey of artistic discovery.
Location
Our beautiful watermill in Tuscany stands beside the River Rosaro in the small village of Posara, a mile or so from the walled medieval town of Fivizzano in the district of Lunigiana. Set in a gentle wooded valley with rolling hills and mountain peaks in the background, the mill is a peaceful spot, yet within easy reach of the sea and the tourist attractions of Tuscany.
Getting There:
We pick you up at Pisa airport between 11am and 2pm (unless you decide to drive to Italy, in which case we’ll give you full directions).
You can book your own flights (there are good connections from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, East Midlands, Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester and Bristol) or, to make life easier, you can use the services of our Personal Travel Adviser, Ann Carter, who will fix everything for you at very competitive prices. There is absolutely no obligation to use her, but if you would like her help, her phone number is 01886 889000 and her email address is ann.carter@tarsc.net. We have found that many travel agents these days are not very helpful and are often tied to big tour operators. Ann will give you personal service.
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Contact Details:
Bill and Lois Breckon
The Watermill at Posara
C/o Garden Cottage
The Forglen Estate
Turriff
Aberdeenshire
AB53 4JP
Tel: 00 44 (0)1888 568 375
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| Web: |
http://www.watermill.net/ |
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