Sketching and Painting Holidays
We’re on the harbourside in warm sunshine with twenty minutes to spare before the ferry is due. There’s a small hatch serving coffee in tiny paper cups, but the few outside tables along with the covered waiting area are already crammed with travellers and their mountains of luggage. We’ve just enjoyed a freshly squeezed orange … Read more
Words matter. Sometimes, words need clarification. I try my best to be clear when describing my trips, to avoid misunderstandings and mismatched expectations. Most of the time, I believe, I get it right. Often, though, I receive enquiries from individuals who have little idea of what my holidays actually offer, entail or stand for. Very … Read more
That’s easy to say, isn’t it? It involves certain assumptions on my part – that most people’s idea of a suitable book will match my own, that everyone understands what they’re looking for, and that they can find such a thing, perhaps at short notice. Once upon a time, I provided the required sketchbook for … Read more
Back in my old stomping ground after two years absence, I’m delighted to be hosting this year’s ‘Windswept Wilderness’ sketching itinerary next week. The primroses beneath the birches have now been joined by bluebells and I am hoping they will herald the start of summer, which is painfully late this year. We’ve had rain clouds … Read more
Final call for a single painter (or two travelling together and sharing a room) for the upcoming Enrosadira Italian Dolomites trip this June. This sketching and painting holiday begins in Verona, which is easily accessible by plane, or by train from other parts of Europe, as well as other airports in northern Italy. Travelling on … Read more
We’re never happy, we humans. Are we? If we live in a cold climate, we go to extraordinary lengths to chase the sun. If our everyday is hot and sticky, we seek relief in cool spaces, in shade, or immersion in water. All of this is understandable. Less so, to my mind, is getting excited … Read more
Three nights, two days in which to find it. I was sure it existed, but what if it didn’t? Just forty-eight hours to identify the painting places – or, in this case, to make sure there were plenty. But most importantly, I had to find the perfect place to stay. Hamid (our driver and trusted … Read more
‘You paint good,’ said the young man, whose Tuareg robes matched the walls I was struggling to capture. ‘With a little more practice, you can be better.’ I’ll bear that in mind, I thought, as I huffed up and down uncountable stone steps – each in a shade of blue I didn’t seem to have … Read more
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words, Greek Islands? Is it the infinity of blue, from the water to the sky to the serenely painted chapels, perched on high above rocky bays? Is it a wizened fisherman, mending his nets beside brightly coloured boats in the harbour in timeless … Read more
After a break of several months of personal travel without any Vistas departures, it was both a novelty and a challenge to be back in the saddle; a week ago I hosted a one-day workshop for a lovely bunch of ten ladies in the village where I’m house-sitting for a month. It just so happens … Read more
