Get Crafty Touring UK - Reflect Magazine

02 Creative Design
03
Paint A Picture
utopian retreats
Residential Art Courses at luxury
eco retreat in southern Spain
One week art courses in a beautiful, ecological setting with two renowned and highly respected artists…
Frederique Edy is a French sculptor whose work can
be found in the private collections of Prince Ranier
of Monaco and the Prince of Asturias. She has
also won many prestigious awards for her work in
France and Spain. Her work is shown internationally
in galleries of high regard. She will be taking life
drawing classes, teaching and helping students to
develop traditional and new techniques to capture the human form.
www.frederique-edy.com
Thomas Neukirch is a German painter who lives
and works as an independent artist in Andalusia.
He was formed as a painter in the Academy of Fine
Arts in Lyon where he studied with the painter Jean
Bertholle, professor of the Academy of Fine Arts
in Paris. He exhibits regularly in highly respected
galleries in France, Spain, Germany and Argentina.
He will be teaching techniques in watercolour, Chinese ink, charcoal, pencil and
gouache. www.thomas-neukirch.com
Picture yourself sat in the middle of the stunning British
countryside, sun shining, with just the sounds of birds and
local wildlife keeping you company; could anything be more
relaxing? This is how serene and calming a painting holiday can
be, whatever your location, and the best thing is that anyone
can have a go, no matter what your age or ability.
The closest many of us come to including art in our holidays is by visiting
national galleries and museums, and taking in the most famous pieces of work.
Italy’s Sistine Chapel, with Michelangelo’s magnificent painted ceiling, and The
Louvre in France, which is home to 35,000 works of art - including Leonardo Da
Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ - are just two of the most popular places for those looking to
soak up some art.
However, with so many of us leading hectic lives, this type of holiday offers the
chance to take life at a slower pace and really learn to enjoy and embrace the
great outdoors. Painting is also therapeutic and has a very calming effect on
both the mind and the body.
As most of us now own digital cameras, with access to instant images of the
landscape we’ve just captured, we often ignore the true beauty and detail when
admiring views of the countryside. Taking time to delicately paint or draw the
landscape before you is the best way to truly take in your surroundings and
ensure you notice every detail of what’s right in front of you.
The summer is the perfect time to pick up a brush; the good, dry weather and
long days mean you can sit out for hours, observing and recreating the vast
landscape in front of you. Watercolours are great for beginners and the gentle
colours mean you can’t go far wrong.
reading a book can delay the onset of dementia. In the study from the Mayo
Clinic in Minnesota, nearly 200 people ages 70 – 89 with mild memory problems
were compared to a group who had no impairment. Researchers asked the
volunteers about their daily activities within the past year, and how mentally
active they had been from 50 – 65-years-old; those who had been busy reading
or engaging in craft hobbies had a 40% reduced risk of memory impairment.
You don’t have to travel far to find something of beauty worth painting, as local
parks, churches and trails are guaranteed provide a great place to start. If you’re
looking to travel further afield, the glorious scenery of Scotland and the sunny
south coast are fabulous for painting, drawing and more adventurous activities
to combine with your art.
If you’re already an experienced artist and are looking to step it up slightly or
add a different perspective, there are many companies that organise painting
holidays abroad. Whether that’s the lush, green landscape of France or the
dramatic wilderness of Africa, a change of scene means a fresh challenge.
Learn To Paint With Julie Nash
All art materials will be supplied and both artists are fluent
in English, Spanish, French and German.
Mid-week there will be a day trip to the Alhambra in Granada.
Accommodation is at the beautiful La Finca Paradiso, a luxury eco retreat
in Andalusia with an 18-metre pool, plunge pool, Wi-Fi, Sky TV, table tennis,
fusball and gym facilties. The extensive 22-acre park-like gardens afford
views to the sea and Sierra Cabrera mountain range. La Finca is within easy
reach of the beaches of Mojacar and the Cabo de Gata National Park.
www.lafincaparadiso.com. Food will be homegrown, organic and
sustainably sourced whenever possible, prepared to a high standard by
our own resident chef.
Courses start from £900 full-board per person with a
generous discount for non-artist partners.
For bookings and information please contact Penelope Salmon on 01963 240537 or 078806 70428
or email artcourses@lafincaparadiso.com
Discover The National Exhibition of Wildlife Art
Painting is a great hobby to have throughout the year as it can be enjoy indoors
or out; hobbies come in all shapes and sizes and are great for keeping our minds
active, stimulated and creative while away from work. A recent study suggests
that engaging in a hobby, like knitting, making a patchwork quilt, or even
Painting Holidays with Trudi Day
NEW VENUE FOR 2012
Join Trudi at this new venue in Olhao,
Eastern Algarve with Painting Holiday
provider Art in the Algarve.
Colour and Creativity Short Break
21 st - 25 th June 2012, £525 per person.
Included in this holiday is tuition,
accommodation, all food and drink.
See website for full details
Summer colour and creativity course -
The Pink Barn at Burrington, North
Somerset.
6 th - 10 th August 2012, 10am until 4pm. Cost
£240 per person. An unusual combination
of drawing, creative painting and colour
theory.
For more information, advice or just a chat about either or both holidays,
please call Trudi 01761 463644
Email: trudi@trudiday.com Web: www.trudiday.com
Julie Nash is an experienced artist, illustrator
and qualified art tutor based on the Fylde coast
of Lancashire. Julie said: “For as long as I can
remember I’ve loved to draw but it wasn’t until I
was in my 30s that I decided to get a degree; I’ve
been a freelance illustration artist ever since and
have been teaching on a part-time basis for the
last five years. I teach adult leisure courses for
a couple of days each week at my local college
alongside my own private tuition and commission
work.”
Julie offers private, one-to-one tuition at her
home studio as well as group tuition for groups
of up to four. She added: “Although I can only
cater for four at home, I am happy to travel to your
venue if you have a larger group that would like
tuition I tailor my workshops and demonstrations
to suit individual groups so please contact me to
discuss your needs and for a personal quote. I’m
looking into providing painting holidays and short
breaks in the future, hopefully next year.”
Julie has also written and illustrated her own
book, ‘How to Paint Cats and Kittens in
Acrylic’, which is due for release via Search
Press in September 2012. Julie said: “I spent a
week in the studio drawing and illustrating this
step-by-step guide; photographs were taken at
every step of the way and tracings are included as
the book is aimed at beginners and intermediate
artists.” ‘How to Paint Cats and Kittens in
Acrylic’ will be available from all good book
stores, as well as online from Search Press,
priced £8.99 (ISBN 9781844487165).
Julie is happy to paint a commission from your
photographs. Many examples can be seen on
the website; amongst these are police horses
(including the painting that was awarded S.A.A.
‘Artist of the Year’ finalist) cats, dogs and
wildlife.
T: 07412 285322 | W: www.lickychickstudio.co.uk
E: Julie@lickychickstudio.co.uk
Created 19 years ago, the National Exhibition of
Wildlife Art (NEWA) is the brain-child of Marion
Tuffrey and a group of like-minded art enthusiasts
with conservation as one of their underlying
concerns. Marion told Reflect: “I moved to the
Wirral in 1993 from London, where there’s a big and
passionate art scene. At the time, there was nothing up
here, no exhibitions to inspire or stir creativity so I got
together with some friends and started NEWA. In the
early days it was funded by a legacy my aunt left me
and over the years we’ve moved venues a number of
times as we keep growing bigger and bigger. Last year
we had 17,000 people visit the exhibition plus 20,000
hits on our online exhibition; NEWA is the largest open
exhibition of its kind in the world. The 2012 exhibition
will be held at the award-winning Gordale Garden
Centre, which covers 21 acres, within a specially
constructed gallery space.”
For 2012, NEWA have just under 400 original pieces
of artwork, in both 2D and 3D, in various mediums
on display, within the large greenhouse which
is hosting the exhibit. Marion added: “We have
numerous paintings, wood and bronze sculptures and
ceramics from a range of artists from good amateurs
to top professionals. It’s a selected exhibition and each
year we have five different judges choosing exactly
which submitted pieces make it into the exhibit; we
get a lot more submissions that we have room to
include within the exhibition, so we have to ensure only
the best, most interesting pieces are chosen to keep
things interesting for the public. Our opening ‘wildlife
weekend’, from 13th to 15th, features a variety of
demonstrations from the best artists in the UK.”
The NEWA exhibition runs daily from 9:30am until
6pm from Friday 13th until Sunday 29th July. It’s
free to go in and have a look around and every
piece of artwork on display is for sale. Marion said:
“A percentage of profits made from the sale of the
artwork is donated to conservation causes – in 2011,
50% of the works on show were sold, which is a very
high percentage for any exhibition. Every year I am
absolutely astounded by the sheer variety of work
submitted to us; the originality of the work and the
way each piece is depicted differently is surprising.
For example, we may get four paintings of a robin,
but all four will be totally different in their style and
their atmosphere and what they evoke in the viewer.
Nothing we do would be possible without the huge
team of dedicated volunteers who give us their time,
energy and expertise every year.”
With plenty of parking and a wonderful
restaurant onsite, why not visit NEWA and
make a day of it – you don’t even need
to worry about the great British weather
putting a dampener on your day! For more
information, or to view the online
gallery, visit www.newa-uk.com or
call Marion on 07748 533448.