Don’t they look bright and cheerful? It has been a freezing week and the flowers and plants in the Watermill gardens and grounds are quite rightly waiting for more signs of spring until they burst forth. So these bright red berries of the nandina* bush add a much-needed splash of colour. We have three or […]
The Ghirlandaio bedroom:Modern comforts in a beautifully restored 17th century watermill
Our tour of Watermill bedrooms continues today with the Ghirlandaio. Here’s Lois’ video to tell you about it In the video, Lois mentions Domenico Ghirlandaio’s beautiful cycle of frescoes on the life of St Francis in the Sassetti Chapel of the Santa Trinità church in Florence. It’s a great place to see great art without […]
What is the point of George’s Sunday afternoon in the park?
Today I’m continuing my musings on great paintings, part of my contribution to the artistic ethos of the Watermill. The iconic picture above, George Seurat’s Un dimanche après-midi à l’ÃŽle de la Grande Jatte, is, I suppose, the prime example of pointillisme, the painting style which attempted systematically to apply optical science to art, making […]
The special holidays of Non-Participating Partners
While his wife Alison was painting with Grahame Booth yesterday, Greg Cokorinos enjoyed a breath-taking walk, taking in three villages of the beautiful Cinque Terre, with magnificent views over the Mediterranean… The day before both of them had gone to the quintessential Italian city of Lucca on the Watermill’s Wednesday excursion.… A couple of weeks […]
Painting peace and tranquility after our excursion exertions
It pays to be an early bird (See below). On Thursdays, after their exertions on their excursions, either to the beautiful walled city of Lucca or the spectacular villages of the Cinque Terre, we take our painting guests to the tranquil calm of the nearby Convento del Carmine. This peaceful 16th century monastery (it was […]
Mike’s ‘silly’ photograph of his painting group reminds us of fun and friendship
It is worthwhile being an Early Bird. See below. Continuing the tradition of taking a ‘silly’ photograph at the end of his painting weeks with us, Mike Willdridge has just sent us this fun picture of the group that was with us a week or so ago. He says: “As I write (now back in Poundbury […]
 Truthfully poignant observations on youth and old age
As John Keats told us “Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all you know on earth and all you need to know.†Art, too, whether writing or the visual arts, only really succeeds (in my opinion) when it is true, stripped away of self-delusion and artifice. That is why, for me, the self-portraits […]
There is no stopping those ancient mulberries
Almost three months ago I showed you a picture of the ancient mulberry trees in the Watermill car park, which had just been given a rather brutal a ‘short back and sides’ by local tree surgeons. It may look a bit brutal, but it was so sakilfully done that I predicted they would soon be […]
Take a fresh look at the glorious Tuscan countryside with Mike – and bring your sketchbook
A few days ago, I made a blog featuring a painting of an olive tree by Watermill tutor Mike Willdridge. This prompted Mike to write: “Olive trees, with their dark, gnarled and twisted trunks, are a favourite subject of mine – here’s a double page spread from a sketchbook using ink and watercolour.†There it […]
Enjoy quiet contemplation and peaceful painting in the stunning Tuscan countryside with Paul
The striking painting above, by Watermill tutor Talbot-Greaves, in many ways sums up his unique artistic approach. He says: “My work can be described as representational in an impressionistic style. I don’t seek to paint popular views or chase narrative within my work. Instead, I delve deep into the human senses, arranging striking compositions, play […]