Our Facebook tours of Watermill bedrooms continue today with the Gentileschi: celebrating the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi, an early 17th century Baroque painter at work in Florence at a time when female painters were not easily accepted by the artistic community, nor by patrons. But she was highly successful and was the first woman ever to become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Designo.
Artemisia has become a feminist’s favourite and while I appreciate her skill, I’m not the greatest of fans of Baroque painting in general. But in the naming of our bedrooms, it is good to celebrate women artists as well as the more well-known men of the Renaissance and Early Modern period.
We should celebrate two other artistic women, too: Vivienne White, our friend and interior designer, and Lois Breckon, who together chose the colours and painted the animated frieze of dandelion puffballs.
The paintings above the bed are by a contemporary male artist, Michael Willdridge, and are part of a series of 100 paintings he painted in 100 days in 2018. (Number 100, below, is on our sitting room wall.)
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.
*If you would like to see stories on some of our other bedrooms, you can see
the Bronzino by clicking here
the Ghiberti by clicking here
the Botticelli by clicking here
the Fra Angelico by clicking here
We will be adding more bedroom videos and blogs in the next few weeks and you will be able to see them by clicking here,
Yes, it is time to book your place on a Watermill 2023 creative course, especially as we have an Early Bird offer which means that if you book now there is a £75 (English pounds) discount on each of next year’s courses.
The courses are already filling fast: more than 200 people have already reserved a place, out of our maximum capacity of some 250 or so places. Book now, as they say, to avoid disappointment!
Below you will find dates and links for all our 2023 courses. Just click on the link of the ones you like to find out more detail. You will see that some of our creative weeks are already fully booked, but if you fancy that particular week or that particular tutor, don’t despair: there are often cancellations. Please get in touch via the Watermill Contact Form (by clicking here) and we will put you on a waiting list.
First of all, our inspiring painting courses:.
Harry Westera
15 – 22 April 2023 – still plenty of places
Watercolours
To learn more about Harry and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Ali Hargreaves
22 – 29 April 2023 – fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours
To learn more about Ali and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Randy Hale
13 – 20 May 2023 – fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours
To learn more about Randy and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Pamme Turner
20 – 27 May 2023 – one/two places available
Watercolour and gouache en plein air
To learn more about Pamme and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
James Willis
3 – 10 June 2023 – one/two places available
Watercolours
To learn more about James and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Herman Pekel
10 – 17 June 2023 – four places available
Watercolours
To learn more about Herman and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Maggie Renner Hellmann
24 June – 1 July 2023 – two or three places available
Oil and watercolour (acrylic, pastel)
To learn more about Maggie and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Fiona Graham-Mackay
1 – 8 July 2023 – still plenty of places
Painting en plein air (oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel)
To learn more about Fiona and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Belinda Biggs
8 – 15 July 2023 – still plenty of places
Watercolours
To learn more about Belinda and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Cynthia Armstrong
19 – 26 August 2023 – still plenty of places
Watercolours, Travel painting in watercolours and gouache
To learn more about Cynthia and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Mary Padgett
26 August – 2 September 2023 – still plenty of places
Pastels (and other portable media) en plein air
To learn more about Mary and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Mike Willdridge
9 – 16 September 2023 – one/two places available
Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)
To learn more about Mike and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Brienne M Brown
16 – 23 September 2023 – one/ two places available
Watercolours
To learn more about Brienne and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Charles Sluga
23 – 30 September 2023 – three or four places available
Watercolours (acrylics and oils)
To learn more about Charles and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Tim Wilmot
30 September – 7 October 2023 – fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours
To learn more about Tim and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Grahame Booth
7 – 14 October 2023 – still plenty of places
Watercolours
To learn more about Grahame and his course at the mill, please visit his 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Our wonderful knitting weeks:
Georgia Farell
29 April – 6 May 2023 – just opened, still plenty of places
6 – 13 May 2023 – fully booked, waiting list open
Knitting and La Bella Vita
To learn more about Georgia and her course at the mill, please visit our 2023 Tutor Profile Page.
Watermill Knitting Retreat
15 – 22 July 2023 – still four places (two suites available, each suitable for a couple, or friends sharing)
Knitting and La Bella Vita
To learn more about the Watermill Knitting Retreat at the mill, please visit our 2023 Retreat Page.
Our inspiring writing course:
Jo Parfitt
17 – 24 June 2023 – four or five places available
Write your life stories
To learn more about Jo and her course at the mill, please visit her 2023 Profile Page.
Our unique Italian course:
Giulia Balestri
14 – 21 October 2023 still plenty of places
Learning Italian with the Italians
To learn more about Giulia and her 2023 course at the mill, please click here.
There’s more about everything on the Watermill website, which you can see by clicking here. Cast aside those November blues and contemplate the blue Italian sky and inspiration of a creative Watermill course…
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