Watermill at Posara, Italy, Newsletter

..... The most magical holiday I ever spent

We’ve just had a lovely letter from Olivia Pollington, who enjoyed a painting holiday at the mill way back in 2000. She’s been regularly receiving the postcards we send out from time-to-time to remind you all of scenes around the watermill and the inspiring local scenery of Lunigiana. (If you are not getting yours, let us know and we’ll make sure you are on our list.)

Olivia writes: “My holiday at Posara was the most magical holiday that I have ever spent.” Unfortunately ill health now prevents her from traveling, so she’s re-lived her time at the watermill through the sketches and ‘on the spot’ paintings she did while staying with us. She says:They have lasted me a few years in various forms: three large-scale paintings were sold, and many cards.”

Here are a couple of her paintings:

As well as wonderful things to see, Olivia also commented on the evocative scents in this part of rural Tuscany: “Our last day was very hot and we painted from the field just above the mill. The wild thyme growing there was wonderfully aromatic. Every time one moved the scent was gorgeous.”

Thank you Olivia for sharing your memories. If you, reader, book at the mill you too will experience wonderful sights, scents (and sounds, like the peel of the village church bells and the throbbing hum of the cicadas), which will linger for many years, if not forever.

Jessica, RITA and Romance

Our Autumn creative writing tutor Jessica Hart has just been nominated for another RITA award, for her 50th novel Last-minute Proposal. The RITA is the US romance-publishing industry's highest award of distinction. She says: “This is very exciting for me. This year’s conference is in Washington DC, so I don’t think I’ll be going: I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed from afar.”

Jessica has already won a RITA, in 2005, for her romantic novel Christmas Eve Marriage. Christmas Eve Marriage by Jessica Hart She is also a winner of the coveted Romance Prize, awarded by the Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK. Now she’s in the throes of writing a new romantic comedy for Harlequin, Mills & Boon.

Jessica’s ‘Writing romance’ course at the Watermill runs from Saturday 26 September to Saturday 3 October.

The more she writes, the more interested Jessica has become in the process of creating a successful romance – and helping others to understand the process, too. She has put her ideas into action at a number of creative writing workshops in the UK, as well as at the Romance Writers of America conference.

Jessica’s first-ever course at The Watermill at Posara will focus on the emotional tension that is key to all romantic fiction and it will provide a practical approach to constructing a satisfying – and sellable – love story. There will be plenty of opportunity, too, to talk about writing romance with like-minded people: “The social side of writing is so often underestimated, especially when it comes to structuring a story,” says Jessica. You can read more about Jessica and her books on www.jessicahart.co.uk.

We have only have places for 1 or 2 more people on this course, so if you want inspirational tuition on writing romantic fiction, now really is the time to secure your place.

Easter at home this year

The Breckon family usually goes to Posara for Easter holidays, but this year we stayed at home, on the delightful Forglen Estate in the depths of rural Aberdeenshire.

One of the main reasons is that at the end of the holiday we are to welcome 40 young French people for a five-day stay. Not personally, you understand – we’re only putting up two of them – but collectively, as members of Inspire Choir, the young people’s choir we run here in Scotland.

Members of the A tre voci choir, from the Parisian suburb of Colombes, are arriving on 15 April for a 5-day stay, as guests of the Banff-based young people’s Inspire Choir. This is the ‘return leg’ of an exchange trip: you may remember that Inspire Choir had a highly successful trip to Paris last December, the highlight of which was a concert in the biggest church in the city, La Madeleine, attended by more than 1,000 people.

We can’t promise our French friends so large a venue or so big an audience, but they’ll savour the warmth of Scottish hospitality, take part in some really fun events, as well as performing at a Gala Concert at Banff Parish Church, in aid of the charity Médecins sans frontieres.

Other highlights of the French choir’s visit include boat trips on the Moray Firth to look out for seals, seabirds and, possibly, dolphins; a ‘composition workshop’ with members of Inspire Choir, where they will work on new songs they have created together; and a ceilidh, where they’ll enjoy the talents of the Speyside Fiddlers (plus bagpipes and drums) and learn some Scottish Country Dancing.

Lots of choir members’ parents and other friends are kindly putting up one or two French children each, as well as ferrying them about and taking them on sightseeing expeditions. Ballindalloch and Garden Cottage And the Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, Mrs Claire Russell, has kindly agreed to receive the French children at her family home, Ballindalloch Castle on Speyside.

So we’ll be staying here in our rather more humble family home at Garden Cottage, to make sure all the arrangements are running smoothly before the French arrive on 15 April. We reckoned that Easter at the watermill, 1000 miles away, might make the organisational logistics a little difficult.

So we had friends and family over to Garden Cottage for our traditional Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday and it was such a beautiful day we had our first barbecue of the year in the garden.

Painting holidays and creative writing courses: availability

More bookings have come in since our last newsletter, so let’s keep you up-to-date on current availability:

Three of the first four courses this year are already full: Sharon Kendrick (writing romantic fiction; 9-16 May), David Bellamy & Jenny Keal (painting; 16-23 May) and g.a. Sheller (painting; 6-13 June). So, too, is the painting course with Laraine Simpson (12-19 September).

We have waiting lists for these courses and if you are keen we can put you on the list in case of a cancellation.

There are still a couple of places on Michael Kitchen’s course in watercolours, which runs from 23-30 May.

Our two Australian guest tutors, Lyn Fraser-Roberts (all media) and Terry Jarvis (watercolours) are giving back-to-back courses at the begining of July. Lyn’s holiday runs from 4-11 July and Terry’s, from 11-18 July. You can go on either (although there are only a couple of places left on Lyn’s course and three or four on or take our special two-week twinned courses deal. See Corsi gemelli below.

Our next course is watercolour painting with our lovely Danish tutor, Annelise Pio Hansen, from 25 August to 5 September. We have three spaces free. {Hotlink}

Next we have a creative writing course with Jessica Hart, (see above ), which runs from 12-19 September, which currently has 10 guests booked in, so there are places for one or two more.

Finally, Charles Sluga will be hosting a painting holiday from 3-10 October, in watercolours. We have seven places booked, so there’s still room for a few more. See below for more about Charles

More details of all the painting holidays and creative writing course are given below.

Painting tutor of the month: Charles Sluga

Our featured painting tutor this month is Charles Sluga, a charming Australian artist who is returning to the watermill for his second visit, after a highly successful course last year. As we said above,his course, in watercolours runs from 3-10 October and we still have a few places left.

Charles is a highly respected and sought after artist and watercolour teacher in Australia (and now, Europe). . He has gained a reputation for his versatility in both his technique and choice of subject matter. His friendly and enthusiastic approach, and eagerness to impart his wide knowledge, is reflected in his popularity as a tutor.

Sunny Day, Giglio island by Charles Sluga

Here’s one of Charles’ fine Australian watercolours, called Sunny Day, Giglio Island.

Charles says: “What I was after in this painting was the sense of light, heat and a lazy kind of day. To create that sense of sunlight it was necessary to have a full range of tones/values: 'There is no light without the dark'.”

The sunlight hitting the boats is emphasized by the strong violet shadows cast by the boats and the dark background wall. The lovely glow in the hulls of the boats was achieved by dropping blues/violets and raw sienna into wet paper and letting it run and flow on its own. It is crucial not to play with the paint while doing this. The static horizontal composition adds to the relaxed feel of the subject.

Here’s another ‘seaside’ picture, though no hint of the sea. It’s called The Afternoon Chat, Dubrovnik.

“I was fascinated by these three women who meet each day to have a chat and feed the pigeons,” says Charles. “The backdrop of a bullet-riddled wall is a reminder of the 1990s conflict. I see this as a positive painting - 'Life goes on!' One of the most important aspects of this painting is that the women were painted not as separate entities, but as one connected shape. The clothes touch, overlap and flow into one another. It was important to paint their clothes wet into wet allowing colours to bleed and folds to be soft. The foreground and background were also painted after the women were completed, which is a reversal of the classic watercolour technique of working from light to dark.”

Suba Lessons and Fountain, Carlton Gardens by Charles Sluga

And continuing the watery theme, here are two other Charles Sluga paintings which give a good idea of Charles’ talent and style. One’s called Scuba lesson and the other, Fountain, Carlton Gardens.

Charles’ courses are great fun as well as stimulating and inspiring. You can find out more about Charles on www.sluga.com.au and visit his Tutor's pageon our website for more of Charles’ work and details on how to book on his course.

Our great Corsi gemelli deal: Australian twins

We’ve put together a special offer to entice you to enjoy the special charms of Posara and Lunigiana for two whole weeks, doubling the delights of the watermill – and saving hundreds of dollars ($US, AUD), Euros or pounds.

The Corsi gemelli deal is available for the painting holidays tutored by Lyn Fraser- Roberts and Terry Jarvis, whose courses run from Saturday 4 July to Saturday 11 July and Saturday 11 July to Saturday 18 July respectively.

There are more details of each artist in the 2009 Painting holidays section below

Here’s the Corsi gemelli or twinned course deal: The normal price per person for two people sharing for two one-week courses would be £1,836. We’ll take £136 off, bringing the all-inclusive cost of a two-week twinned course package down to just £1,700. For a single room, the price for two one-week courses would be £1,968. We’ll take £168 off, bringing the all-inclusive cost of a two-week twinned course package down to just £1,800. At current exchange rates, you’ll save hundreds of US or Australian dollars, or Euros, or British pounds.

We’ll also choose one or two different painting locations in the second week (although you’ll probably be clamouring to revisit the lovely locations of your first week) and on our twinned courses the excursion on the first Wednesday will be to the beautiful walled city of Lucca, the quintessential Italian town, while on the second week we’ll take you to the stunning seaside scenery of the Cinque Terre.

Of course, you can come on either week separately if you want, but we think you’ll enjoy a double helping of our Australian twins!

The 2009 painting holidays: the full list

This is the complete 2009 programme and availability:

David Bellamy and Jenny Keal
Saturday 16 May to Saturday 13 May 2009
Watercolours and pastels
David and Jenny are a husband-and-wife team specialising in landscape painting, and they are particularly fascinated by the moods of nature. A full time artist and author, David has written 11 books illustrated with his paintings.
For more about David and Jenny, and their paintings, visit their Tutor's page
This course is fully booked, but we will take names from people wanting to be on a waiting list.

Michael Kitchen
Saturday 23 May to
Saturday 30 May 2009
Watercolours
Michael is a professional artist and international tutor with a lifetime's painting experience. A very popular and sensitive tutor, Michael ensures that guests receive plenty of genuine teaching, personal tuition and lots of encouragement. He is skilled in portraiture and in country and coastal scenes.
For more about Michael and his paintings, see our 'featured tutor' above, and visit his Tutor's page.
A few places.

g.a. Sheller
Saturday 6 June to Saturday 13 June 2009
Watercolours
g.a. has received repeated recognition and awards for her unique work and inspirational teaching. She has been a teacher/instructor for more than 30 years, running successful painting workshops throughout the United States and Europe.
For more about g.a. and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
This course is fully booked, but we will take names from people wanting to be on a waiting list.

Lyn Fraser-Roberts
Saturday 4 July to Saturday 11 July 2009
All media
Lyn is an award-winning artist based in Australia, working full-time painting and teaching in a wide range of media and subject matter. She paints in the Impressionist Realist style and her work hangs in galleries all over Australia.
For more about Lyn and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page above.
One or two places.

Terry Jarvis
Saturday 11 July to
Saturday 19 July 2009
Watercolours
Terry is one of Australia’s leading watercolour artists. He also works in oils, pastels and acrylics. He also loves drawing and helping his students to develop their drawing skills. His workshops at home and overseas are always in high demand and fill quickly.
For more about Terry and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page.
Three to four places.

Annelise Pio Hansen
Saturday 29 August to Saturday 5 September 2009
Watercolours
Annelise studied her watercolour technique in England but she has retained her Danish influence. Her colours are soft but bright, just like the light reaching the sandy beaches and the soft hills not far from where she lives just outside Copenhagen.
For more about Annelise and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
Three places.

Laraine Simpson
Saturday 12 September to Saturday 19 September 2008
Watercolours, oils, acrylics, pastels
Laraine is a Fine Arts-Painting graduate of Central School of Art & Design (now Central St. Martins), London. She is highly regarded as a perceptive, patient and encouraging tutor working with beginners and advanced students alike.
For more about Laraine and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
This course is fully booked, but we will take names from people wanting to be on a waiting list.

Charles Sluga
Saturday 3October to Saturday 10 October 2008
Watercolours
Charles is a highly respected and sought after artist and watercolour teacher in Australia. His friendly and enthusiastic approach, and eagerness to impart his wide knowledge, is reflected in his popularity as a tutor, and the waiting lists for his regular classes.
For more about Charles and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page and see 'Tutor of the month' above.
Three to four places.

Creative writing courses: the full list

We have two creative writing courses this year, one with Sharon Kendrick and the other with Jessica Hart.

Sharon Kendrick
Saturday 9 May to
Saturday 16 May 2009
‘Writing romance’

Sharon has written nearly 70 books for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She regularly tops the Waldenbooks list in North America as well as selling well all over Europe, Asia and South America. Sharon regularly gives talks and workshops and loves interacting with other people ("writing is SUCH an isolated job"), in particular nurturing the passion and talent of new writers.

Sharon will pass on the benefits of her vast experience in writing romantic fiction and her intimate knowledge of what publishers like Harlequin Mills & Boon are looking for in a romantic novel. You can find out more about Sharon and her books on her Tutors Page.

This course is fully booked, but we will take names from people wanting to be on a waiting list.

Jessica Hart
Saturday 26 September to
Saturday 3 October 2009
‘Writing romance’

RITA* award-winner Jessica Hart has written more than 50 books for Harlequin Romance and has been published around the world in more than 20 different languages. (*The RITA is the US romance-publishing industry's highest award of distinction.) She is also a winner of the coveted Romance Prize, awarded by the Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK.

Jessica’s first-ever course at The Watermill at Posara will focus on the emotional tension that is key to all romantic fiction and it will provide a practical approach to constructing a satisfying – and sellable – love story. There will be plenty of opportunity, too, to talk about writing romance with like-minded people: “The social side of writing is so often underestimated, especially when it comes to structuring a story,” says Jessica. You can read more about Jessica and her books on our Tutors Page.

We have places for one or two more people on this course.

Painting holidays and creative writing courses: what’s included

We would like to reiterate that everything is included in the cost of your painting holiday or creative writing course: tuition, accommodation (including all linen and towels), pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals (including dinner with wine at charming local restaurants) and local transportation (including transfers to Pisa airport; an excursion by train to Lucca).

All you have to do is to get to Pisa and we do the rest.

Prices depend on which room you choose (see www.watermill.net for details). They start at £765+IVA (Italian VAT) per person per week (based on two people sharing), with a discount of £25 for a non-painting on non-writing partner. Single rooms start at £820+IVA (Italian VAT). Italian IVA is currently 20%.

What's available

We still have a number of weeks available for self-catering holidays in one of our five elegant self-contained apartments at the mill in Spring, Summer and Autumn.

Two of these bright, sunny apartments (Apts 1 & 2) are in the three-storey Tuscan house in the mill courtyard, with views over the gardens and the mountains beyond; two others (Apts 3 & 4) are set above the older watermill, with river and valley views; the fifth (Apt 5) is set beside the olive press and the artists’ studio and looks out over gardens and the river. All have comfortable living rooms, well furnished bedrooms, a well equipped kitchen and modern bathroom. There’s more information and plenty of pictures on our website www.watermill.net

We have availability for self-catering apartments as follows:

Easter (4-11 April and 11-18 April): We will probably be going to the mill ourselves, but call us if you are interested as one or two apartments might be available.
18-25 April, 25 April-2 May, 2-9 May: Apts 2, 3, 4 and 5 available.
30 May-6 June: Apts 2, 3 and 5 available.
13-20 June, 20-27 June: Apts 3, 4 and 5 available
27 June - 4 July: Apts 4 and 5 available .
18-25 July, 25 July - 1 August, 1-8 August, 8-15 August : Apts 2, 3, 4 and 5 available..
15-22 August, 22-29 August: Apts 2, 4 and 5 available.
5-12 September: Apts 2, 3, 4 and 5 available.
19-26 September: Apts 2, 4 and 5 available.

If you would like to book a self-catering apartment this year, please call us on the number below or use our secure Contact Form

Anything more you’d like to know?

If there is anything more we can tell you about our activities, and the true Italian lifestyle, please call us on +44 1888 568375 or use our secure Contact Form. And keep up with our website and blog at www.watermill.net.

In the meantime, with very best wishes,

Lois and Bill, Lydia and Lara, Bella and Rosa (the Labradogs)- and Blaze, the guineapig.

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