Thanks to our appreciative and supportive guests and our inspiring and sympathetic tutors, we have had a wonderful year of creative courses at the Watermill. Now, as we make the Watermill and its grounds even more beautiful for next season, we’ve created a new series of interactive online sessions, where you can happily paint along for hours with some of our renowned Watermill tutors. We have had hundreds of participants from all over the world on our previous online courses, creating a truly international ‘virtual’ community of like-minded people enjoying an inspiring and relaxing time in each other’s company.
First up online is Mike Wildridge, and his first subject comes courtesy of a recalcitrant camper van! After Mike’s week-long painting session at the Watermill last month, he and his wife Sue set off for a leisurely journey home in their ancient camper van, christened Van Go. That’s just what it didn’t, breaking down no fewer than three times on the way home, stranding Mike and Sue and adding weeks to their journey. But the tribulations were not without their compensations, for it enabled Mike to paint more the glorious rural Tuscan and Ligurian landscape. Mike says: “This is the view from our hotel (during our confinement) in another hilltop village just below this one. According to our map, we were in Borgo di Vezzano Inferiore – looking up to Borgo di Vezzano Superiore.”
This painting focuses is on the buildings and their surrounding trees. The artist’s challenge is to simplify the view, especially the trees, and to emphasise the effect of light on the landscape; treatment of the sky is an important aspect of this. This is also an interesting exercise in perspective.
Unlike many online painting tutors, Mike 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, step-by-step what they have shown you. Your tutor will demonstrate a tip or technique for only a few minutes before you start painting the same subject at home. Then, after you have had your turn, they will move on to the next part of the process. Lois Breckon will be on hand to feed your questions. The session will last two or three hours.
16 November 2023. Mike Willdridge. A hilltop village in Liguria, Italy. Simplify the view, emphasise the light. To register, please click here.
After the event, you are invited to add your painting to the gallery and to view paintings by fellow students. Mike will give a short critique of every painting that is posted within seven days of the end of the session. We will also send you a link to a video within 48 hours of the end of the session, that will enable to you revisit Mike’s step-by-step teaching.
When you have painted with Mike online, why not join him for real at the Watermill in Tuscany Italy next summer? We would love to welcome you here. You can find more details of Mike’s week-long course, which runs from 9-16 September 2023, by clicking here.
Nine people have already booked in, including one non-painting partner, so we have room for four more painters. To give a flavour of Mike’s course is a short video of the farewell ‘pulsating reception”’s’ on the last night of the course.