We are delighted to welcome the renowned UK painter Vicki Norman to the team of talented Watermill tutors who are providing our inspiring online, interactive sessions.
On Vicki’s first session with us, on Tuesday 16 March 2021, you will be able to paint along with her, reproducing the lovely scene above, of the view down the Valley of the River Rosaro towards the Watermill from the walled mediaeval town of Fivizzano. You can paint along with Vicki in oils, or in acrylics, if you prefer.
Vicki specialises in painting on location, seeking to capture the essence of the day and the sense of place through colour and the play of light. As one of our guests on her last painting course at the Watermill said: “Vicki was excellent as a teacher: Her wonderful paintings were an inspiration.â€
Vicki’s Zoom session is live on Tuesday 16 March at 3:30 pm Italian time. (2:30 pm UK time. We know this may be a little early in the morning for those of you in United States of America or Canada, or in the middle of the night if you live in Australia or New Zealand, but even if you can’t make the live session, you can still register and receive an edited video of the demonstration to paint along in your own time. See below.)
As you probably know, our Watermill online session have proved a great success, with more than a hundred participants painting along with our inspiring tutors every Thursday afternoon. We really do seem to have created an international community of like-minded people, who spend a couple of hours or more in each session, not only painting along and learning new skills, but also establishing that camaraderie and a sense of purpose in these difficult times. Our guests have called them ‘morale boosting’ and ‘a wonderful distraction’.
Registration for this exciting online, interactive session is through the Eventbrite platform and you can join up by clicking here. Come and join us online next Tuesday and enjoy painting the unspoiled delights of rural Tuscany with Vicki.
Unlike many online painting programmes, Vicki’s 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 the watercolour techniques that Vicki has shown you, step-by-step. He will demonstrate some basic techniques for only a few minutes before you start painting the same subject at home. Then, after you have had your turn, Vicki will move onto the next part of the process. Lois Breckon from The Watermill at Posara will be on hand during the session to feed your questions. The session will last a couple of hours.
When you register for the session you will be asked for a donation. (If you prefer to donate by direct bank transfer, please let us know.) People often ask how much is acceptable. Our answer? “It’s like a Scottish house dram of whisky: it neither offends the guest nor the host!†But the most important thing is to donate whatever makes you feel comfortable. Our Zoom painting demonstrations do take quite a bit of time in preparation and administration and your support is very much appreciated. With your generosity we can plan and run further sessions and, more importantly, provide a regular meeting place for creativity, camaraderie and fun. We hope that you enjoy the international, online painting community that we have created.
Once you have registered you will be provided with two links. The first is the Zoom link for you to join the session. Please note that the start time is 4pm (UK time). The second link is where you will find the photograph that you will paint, a practice painting, and a list of equipment and colours for your palette.
After the event, you are invited to email us with your painting to add to the online Gallery. In addition, we will send you a link to an edited video of the demonstration that will enable to you revisit Vicki’s step-by-step teaching.
When you’ve painted with Vicki online, why not join her for real at the Watermill in Tuscany Italy next summer? Vicki will be with us for her course, in oils and watercolours (and other mediums), from Saturday 3 July to Saturday 10 July 2021. You can find out more by clicking here. We would love to welcome you to the Watermill.
I have made one of those short, fun Facebook slideshows with more of Vicki’s exciting paintings which you can see by clicking here.
In the meantime, come and paint along online with Vicki. That Eventbrite link again: just click here.