Dear Friend,

Here we are in Autumn 2018 and already the Watermill creative courses for 2019 are well over half full! Yes, more than 150 people have already booked their places for next year and since our total capacity is not much more than 250, you can see that we are filling fast and that now is the time for you to bag your place with your favourite tutor.

It’s a good time to book, since we have an enticing Early Bird offer: we’ll give you £75 GBP off the cost of your 2019 creative course – painting, creative writing, knitting or Italian language – if you book before the end of this year. You can find out more on the new Watermill website, which gives full details of all our 2019 courses and of the exciting and inspiring tutors who will be taking them. Just click here and you’ll be taken to our website or, if you prefer, simply type, or copy and paste, watermill.net into your search engine.

(Our remaining courses for 2018 are completely booked up, although there may well be cancellations and if you’re keen to come this year, please scroll down on the opening page of our website (click here) where there are also details of the final courses in 2018. We’d be happy to put you on a waiting list.

We have a tremendous line-up of tutors for 2019, some old friends and others, more exciting artists new to the Watermill. We are featuring some of our new tutors in this newsletter, in the painting, writing, knitting and Italian language sections below.

We have had some extremely pleasing feedback from our guests at the Watermill this year and we like to share some of their comments and we’d love to welcome YOU to the Watermill next year, to sample our warm hospitality and inspiring tuition for yourselves. Please reserve your place now AND take advantage of that enticing Early Bird offer. You know it makes sense – and you deserve it!

In this month’s newsletter there are also stories on:

• Some fun photos which may make you smile
• A reminder of the Watermill photographic competition
• A vivacious video from painting tutor, Mike Willdridge
• A paean of praise!
• A warm welcome to Jude Scott, Debbie Abrahams and Francesca La Sala
• Details of all our 2019 creative courses

Happy reading...

The pictures above show (left) a stunning blanket design by Debbie Abrahams and (right) a detail from a painting of orchids by Jude Scott, while the pictures below show Sarah Hazell’s famous Poncho design (left) and Francesca la Sala teaching on the Watermill vine verandah.

Our encounter has been too brief:
Let's go to the Watermill for a week!

Bring a partner: there’s plenty for them to do

Why not bring your friend or partner? They don’t have to participate in the course, but they will be able to enjoy the wonderful hospitality of the mill and, whenever they want, to come out with you to our beautiful locations. We also offer a range of Alternative activities for partners on all our courses, as well as a generous £GBP 250 discount if they share a room with you.

Some photos that may make you laugh

One of the characteristics of a Watermill holiday, as well as the warm hospitality, inspiring tutors, delicious food and beautiful surroundings, is the camaraderie and fun enjoyed by our guests. Here are a few photographs which try to capture that spirit.

Painting tutor Mike Willdridge took the picture (left) of a dried-out sunflower wearing his floppy painting hat. He asks: “Have I spent too long under the Tuscan sun?”

Painting tutor Sandra Strohschein took the picture of her husband Keith (right) planting a kiss on the cheek of an astonished painting guest, Polly Moseley, while Robert Christopher caught fellow guest Emily Muhlberger jumping for joy during Andrew Geeson’s painting holiday (left). And Ali Farr captured her friend (centre) Bex Foy taking a well-deserved rest after a hard painting day during Claire Warner’s course in September. (The bottle of beer is wholly coincidental!)

And finally, thinking of beer, here’s Chris Davies, a non-painting partner on Nel Whatmore and Rebecca de Mendonça’s pastel course, building up his strength during lunch at the Al Castello trattoria (right). The writing on the wall is translated as: “In wine there is wisdom; In beer there is strength; In water – bacteria!”

Don’t forget the Watermill photographic competition

All those pictures remind us that we are still taking entries for our Watermill photographic competition. And it’s human life that interests us most! Serious or not-so-serious.

First prize in the competition goes to the photograph we judge to be the one that most reflects the ambiance of the mill and we are particularly interested in shots that show our ‘students’ in action, both at ‘work’ and play. Or atmospheric shots of the Watermill and grounds. The picture above (left), for example, by Watermill guest Yildiz Diab, is of the evening shadows under the vine verandah, just before we sat down to enjoy our pre-prandial aperitivi.

And we’ve always liked this picture (above right) by Michelle Kent of her partner Terry Jarvis demonstrating to two enthusiastic students.

The winner of our photography competition will be offered a free week-long creative holiday at the Watermill in 2019, of his or her choice, subject to availability. There will be five runner-up prizes, of £GBP 200 off a creative holiday at The Watermill in 2019, subject to availability.

You can find out more by clicking here. Please join in the fun and submit your best photos taken during your visit this year (or in a previous year).

A vivacious video by painting tutor Mike Willdridge

The picture above is of a chapel in the village of Verrucola, where we go out on location on Mondays during our painting weeks. You can see the whole video, which lasts little more than 30 seconds, by clicking here.

We had a wonderful time with Mike last week and we’re looking forward to welcoming him again next year. You can find out all about Mike’s 2019 painting course by clicking here..

If you’d like to join him and make your own vivacious painting of Verrucola and all the other beautiful locations near the mill, we’d be delighted to welcome you here. We already have six bookings for Mike’s 2019 course, so it’s time to make your Early Bird reservation.

Don’t take our word for it!

Here are just a few of the dozens of comments we’ve had already this year from our Watermill creative courses guests. It makes us blush, but we are so happy to be adding to the sum total of human happiness!

I have never received such great treatment on a holiday. You all couldn't have been kinder. Everything was 5-star, from the food to the bedrooms, to all of your staff. It couldn't have been any better. Your organisation of the week was amazing, down to the very last detail.

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

Everything I dreamt of and more. The group that are now precious friends made the experience even better. Excellent accommodations and cuisine. The hospitality was 5 star! BRAVO.

It was although everything was magically suspended for a week and all I had to do was to show up for one delightful painting session after another. Through your hospitality I felt part of a big family by the end of the week. Thank you for making my week so special.

And there are many more. Our thanks to everyone for their very kind comments. Why don’t you come and join us find out what all the fuss is about?