Sketching and Painting Holidays
Our skin is brown, our sketchbooks full as another ‘Mists of Time’ itinerary on beautiful La Gomera has come to a close. Our first return since March 2023, when we arrived back into the UK with flights being cancelled and borders closing behind us, I was delighted and somewhat relieved to find the island unchanged, … Read more
Every time I receive an enquiry from someone in a warmer climate asking about a sketching holiday, in Scotland, ‘this year’ – ie, during deepest, darkest winter – it always makes me smile. Perhaps they have not quite realised that Vistas holidays take place outside, in the landscape, and if the landscape is unavailable (behind … Read more
Last Saturday morning I was woken by the ping of my phone as a message came though. It was from my friend Jane, so I rubbed my eyes and opened it, wondering if she was heading into the village and wanted to meet for coffee. I would have slept a little longer if I could … Read more
There are few things I enjoy more than sitting in peaceful nature, in front of a beautiful view, in warm sunshine with my sketchpad out an a few spare hours to myself. One of those things is introducing a friend to the pleasures of watercolour, and teaching her the basics. Looking at this page, it … Read more
I’m often asked why I run the Scottish itineraries just once a year, and never in the middle of ‘summer’. There are several answers, but the simplest ones are: 1. I have a lot of itineraries, and others which I would like to introduce in time. If they all ran more than once a year, … Read more
Still warmed from the two Morocco adventures in March, I have since had some lovely feedback from guests who enjoyed their time enough to write about it. I’m grateful for Helen from Australia who wrote this lovely review: ‘Painted Desert – What an amazing sketching journey! My Moroccan adventure began in a beautiful mosaic filled … Read more
I’ve just returned from nearly a month in Morocco, and two wonderful trips with some great people. It was lovely to be back after three and a half years – four, for the desert – and I realised how much I’d been missing the warmth, the food and those colours! Early March usually brings my … Read more
The decisions over what size of luggage to take on a trip… can I get away with hand luggage? Pay for a large cabin bag? Or do I have to check one? … are taken out of my hands when there is so much equipment to bring along. I plead with clients to travel light, … Read more
Firstly, I would like to wish all Vistas sketching holiday clients – past, present and future – a very happy and healthy 2023, wherever it may find you. Instead of clogging your inboxes with a newsletter I have decided to post a trips update here, since I have had a huge influx of enquiries and … Read more
As we approach the winter solstice, Vistas Sketching Holidays would like to wish all clients past, present and future, a very happy festive period and a peaceful, healthy and prosperous 2023. In the new year I will be updating dates, prices and departures of the holidays and, hopefully, finalise the itineraries of the new Scottish … Read more
