This is Lucy the goat, with her friend Gina Shearston on the front page of the Watermill’s February online newsletter. What’s she doing there? Click here to find out. There are also stories on Our Ocean Bottles arrive to help our fight against pollution of the seasWhy Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi needs no introduction!The latest session of the Watermill’s popular Continue Reading
There are endless subjects to paint at all our locations
A fair proportion of our painting guests (some 30% to 40%) return to Posara time and again to enjoy another creative week with us. One of our guests, William Shand, has been no fewer than 15 times! People ask us: Do you return the same locations every year? The answer is a resounding yes, for our itinerary is planned to give the greatest variety of places to visit, and food to eat. As we always Continue Reading
We had great fun painting an ancient Italian spa yesterday. Now we are off (online) to a Marrakech market
Our guests on Randy Hales’s Watermill online interactive session on Thursday had enormous fun painting the ancient Tuscan spa town of Bagno Vignone. It’s an amazing place: the main piazza is full of steaming water from the underground thermal springs. That’s Randy's painting of the scene above. As usual, after the session many of our participants submitted their paintings to our online Gallery, Continue Reading
Stop those shadows moving with a thumbnail. A top painting tip from Randy Hale
To help you make your paintings even better, we’ve asked our Watermill tutors to give us some Top Tips from time to time, based on their vast experience Today Randy Hale stresses the importance of making a thumbnail sketch before starting painting en plein air. A quick sketch will show where the dark and light areas are going to be and help you decide which part of the painting is to be the centre Continue Reading
Our Italian language is suitable for all levels, as well as being enlightening and fun
Come and join for fun-filled week soaking up the beautiful Italian language and speaking and understanding it as never before. You will benefit enormously, whether you are beginner or have studied Italian for years. The reason is that we use a special method of teaching a foreign language to adults, which enables each person not only to learn from our teacher, (the wonderful Giulia Balestri), Continue Reading
Why Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi needs no introduction! Take a tour of our Botticelli bedroom
I bet you’ve never heard of Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi. Or Sandy Little Barrel, as his nickname might be translated into English. Neither had I. And yet we’ve named one of our Watermill bedrooms after him. Perhaps because he is better known to you and me as Sandro Botticelli. Lois takes up the story. It certainly is a great place to stay. We use it ourselves in the off-season Continue Reading
Capture your Tuscan holiday memories in laid-back pen and wash with Belinda Biggs
Our new Watermill painting tutor Belinda Biggs has sent me a couple of charming pen and wash paintings she made on holiday in Norfolk, England. Above is a windmill in the Norfolk Broads. Belinda says: “This small pen & wash from one of my travel journals was quick to jot down for later use in a larger painting or just a lovely memory for when you return home.” Here’s another holiday memory Continue Reading
We will take the waters; you can paint them online along with Randy
There's still time to book your virtual trip to the wonderful ancient Tuscsan spa town of Bagno Vignoni, for Randy Hale's latest online interactive painting session. Lois and I are going to sample the real thing on Wednesday 'taking the waters'for a well earned (we think!) day of rest and recreation. Lois will tell you all about it when she hosts Randy session on Zoom this Thursday, 2 February. Continue Reading
Our latest availability information. Many courses full (waiting list), but still places on a few others
The Watermill's creative courses are filling up rapidly this year, but here's the latest list of weeks where we still have some places. We would love to welcome you here for an unforgettable week of inspiring teaching, warm hospitality, beautifully restored accommodation, delicious food and wine, spectacular settings and the convivial company of like-minded people. Below are the courses on Continue Reading
Our Bronzino bedroom is stunning inside and out
All of our Watermill bedrooms and suites have their own characters, both in the internal decoration and wonderful external views, whether it be mountain or garden, courtyard or riverside. Above is Lois's video which gives you the flavour of the Bronzino bedroom and below is a little bit about the Florentine master after whom the room is named., a painter of glittering portraits. Agnolo di Continue Reading