Would you like to Brush Up
your Painting....
..... or Try New Skills!


Residential Art Courses

Highway Farm, West Road,
Bridport, Dorset, DT6 6AE
Telephone & Fax 01308 424321
Contact us by e-mail







 

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The wonders of willow

 


Willow making.....

 


Basket making....

 


Felt making....

 


Jewellery making too...


 


Christmas & Festive flowers

Why not come along and try something new, brush up your artistic skills and meet new people?

We have teamed up with 2 local artists - Michael Chappell and Ann Gray to offer a selection of Residential Art Courses at Highway Farm. All are fully qualified Adult Education tutors and are happy to teach anyone from the complete beginner to someone who would like to improve their drawing and painting skills. Why not get a party together? Let me arrange your accommodation and tutor.
Michael likes to work and paint outdoors and offers stimulating teaching sessions. His dramatic seascapes & landscapes have become much sought after, they capture the very essence of the forces of nature. In addition he has gained a reputation as a controversial prize winning “sculptor”; his work containing every kind of detritus found on local beaches. www.chappellstudio.co.uk

Ann grew up in rural Kent, as a child she loved to study nature and illustrated stories about animals. She now tutors in watercolour & drawing technique, enjoys painting & sketching on location and works as a Natural History Artist in Uplyme. www.shadesofgray.org.uk

Artistically, Bridport is to Dorset what St Ives is to Cornwall minus the Tate Gallery! However the town does have an excellent commercial gallery, the Pierrepoint Gallery in South Street, which has work by Michael Chappell continually on display. During the August Bank holiday Bridport has its own Open Studio event featuring the work of around 50 local artist, potters and makers of furniture to fashion. The Bridport Arts Centre has a varied programme of visual arts as well as great music, drama and dance performances. All in all it is a great place to come for a painting holiday as there is something to inspire everyone with the sea, cliffs, harbours, rivers and wonderful landscapes all around.

Workshops and Courses 2008

Day Courses

Saturday 29th March
Living Willow. Tutor Amy Ralph   10.30 - 12.30pm   Cost £20
Come and have a go, learn to plant, weave & make beautiful living arbours, tunnels and natural screens. Guidance & instructions to take home so you can create your own living archways and fences.

Monday 31st March & 29th September
Natural Baskets. Tutor Andy Southwell   10 - 5pm  Cost £40  Max 7 materials included.
Relax and enjoy working with natural willow. Andy is a great tutor and you will achieve a beautifully handmade basket. Please bring lunch.

Sat 15th March & 6th Dec
Flowers for you! Tutor Sylvia Dunsdon   Buttonholes 10-2pm  £25  Christmas 10-4pm £35.  Both inc. lunch.
Small charge for materials used.

Learn to be creative with the help of Sylvia. Please bring along flowers and foliage. 2 workshops – Buttonholes & hand-tied posy workshop and Festive flowers, new ideas to impress your friends for Christmas!

Sat 12th April & 27th Sept
Willow Sculptures for the Garden.
Tutor Fiona Hingson  Cost £35   Max 12  materials included.  Lunch can be provided additional £5.
This workshop is always popular so book early. Come and make an exciting sculpture to take home, hopefully it will fit in the car! It can be a bird or beastie, tepee, or anything you fancy.

Monday 1st September & 8th September
Painting and Sketching Days. Tutor Ann Gray   10 - 4pm  Cost £35  Lunch can be provided additional £5.
A relaxing and enjoyable day out for artists of all abilities, each artist will be encouraged to work at his or her own pace and in their own style. Beginners can be sure to receive individual help in overcoming initial anxieties and will produce a first painting.

New Felt Making and Nuno scaves. Tutor Dennie Rose
1.Sat 19th April   2.7th June 3.Sat 8th November 10 - 4.30pm Cost £35 Max 10 Small charge for materials used.
Felting making is fun! Be guided by Dennie and you’ll be amazed at what you can make! 3 new workshops: 1. Felt making & landscapes with fibres 2. Beautiful Nuno felting & silk chiffon scarves 3. Felt & beaded flowers.

Sat & Sun 5th & 6th April and Sat & Sun 10th & 11th May plus 4th and 5th October
Rustic Hazelwood Furniture.Tutor Peter Moors  10 - 5pm Cost £80 Max 7 Materials £15 approx.Please bring lunch.
Try your hand at furniture making and be inspired and guided by green woodman and tutor Peter. This is a two-day workshop. Make your own unique garden furniture, its well worth the effort!

Saturday 28th June -New date
Jewellery - Wire and Bead Scribble! Tutor Fran Griffith. 10-4pm Cost £35 small charge for beads. Max 12  Lunch included.
Fran is a lovely tutor and has a wonderful array of bead and ideas. Experiment with coloured wires and sparkling crystals & light catching glass beads. Suit both beginners & experienced beaders.

Workshop Feedback 2008 -
23rd February
10 eager looking ladies arrived for Rag Rugging Workshop and gathered around the large dining table. Led and guided by expert textile tutor Angela Axeby. They were shown wonderfully unique samples woven by Angela  herself and taught techniques to weave old defunct garments into interesting and useable rugs.  Colourful assorted pieces of materials adorned the tables, with bits all over the floor!  There was a real community atmosphere and the opportunity to meet new people and exchanges news and views while rag-rugging.  It was busy and buzzy with the ladies all working extremely hard, they enjoyed a break for a nice home cooked lunch and then all completed their starter rug.  When these were all put together they achieved a super colourful carpet and we hope everyone went home happy and will be inspired to do more.  Pauline

 

29th February

Hi Pauline,Just to let you know I'm the proud owner of a willow dome(started off as a tee pee!) constructed last weekend, all my own work! The kids love it, am hoping it will start to sprout soon, Best wishes  Lisa

 

15th March  

We spent a very wet and windy Saturday making wedding buttonholes around the kitchen table by the warmth of the aga.  Lots of wedding talk and with the helpful guidance from tutor Sylvia we made a wonderful variety corsage to brighten any wedding outfit.  Midday cooked brunch followed with a demonstration of how to make beautiful hand-tied posies which made wonderful Easter gifts. This was a small friendly group and a very productive day was had by all.  So at the next wedding, no excuses, hand-made buttonholes! 

 

Creative felt-making
Just a note to thank you and John for providing lovely food, setting and atmosphere for the day, it was great. Kind regards,  Chris 
 
Willow Sculptures for the garden
Thank you for a lovely day yesterday; we had a super journey home and hey - Dilys and Dennis look great on the lawn!  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and actually feel chuffed to bits with our achievement.  Pauline & Peter.
 
We had a wonderful day thank you. Attitude the swan now guards my back garden. Jackie

Rustic Hazelwood Furniture
Review - at last!   Pauline - just to let you know what an enjoyable weekend the 'rustic hazelwood furniture has been'. With expert tuition from Peter I have made the most exquisite 2-seater garden bench, which is already the talk of the village - much admired by friends and neighbours. In fact three of them now want to do the same course - so please can you ask Peter to do another one in the autumn. I'd like to do it again too and make something else!
I've done five of your workshops now and each one has been really good; all the tutors have been first class and I've learnt some brilliant new skills.  Highway Farm is such a friendly, welcoming place - I'd recommend it to anyone!   Jill Turner

 

 

                    


Local Courses

Creative Appliqué    £45pp
At the home of Willemein Stevens.    www.creativeapplique.com

Why not get a party together and let me arrange your tutor and accommodation?
Try Tutored Wine Tasting with Andrew Kindness, ceramics at Tony's studio, private guided fossil walks or fishing lessons with Jim Copplestone at £15 per hour or £20 for doubles, age 5+
From Jill Innis: "Just a note to say thanks for such a lovely weekend. I thought the idea of an art package with bed and breakfast was wonderful - and would be grateful if you could let me know when you are having another one. I just feel the package would be of interest to any one interested in art as its basically a short stay - you have two nights away - and several sessions of art tuition as well as supper with you, John and Michael which all helped to make it special. I really enjoyed my time with Michael - just thought he was inspiring, just what you need when you are trying to paint. Anywhere I go where I come into contact with other art people I will spread the word and give out your cards where possible."

 


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