I have just returned from tutoring on two great sketching and painting retreats in beautiful North Devon. Both full courses!

I will be doing two again in May and July next year. (These courses for 2024 will be 3 days of painting/sketching)

These retreats are based at the lovely Westcott Barton.

The first painting retreat was 'Seascapes and the North Devon coast'  A lovely group of budding artists joined me to explore the nearby coastline where we sketched in the mornings and returned to the large studio at Westcott in the afternoon to continue painting.

During the retreat we visited the beautiful Lee Bay where the group was able to sketch and take reference photos to use in the studio later.

Some fantastic studio work although as the weather was very warm, we also worked at easels in the gorgeous grounds of Westcott Barton too.

We also spent a morning sketching at Combe Martin

The second Painting Retreat was 'Landscape and Colour'

For this one we based ourselves in the grounds of Westcott Barton and made full use of the studio. Both plein air and studio work led to some lovely responses and it was evident that people were improving the more they painted.

I gave a number of demonstrations in acrylic as well as water soluble pencil, both in the studio and outside. Confidence certainly grew. People that come on these retreats have not necessarily painted outside before, so I explained how sketching can inform a painting and how mixing a limited palette can help immensely.

Westcott Barton July 2023 – Some Testimonials

"I have just returned from a painting course by Mark Warner at Westcott Barton. As this was my first residential course I was not sure what to expect. But the whole thing turned out to be a wonderful experience.

The course was well structure and informative. Mark demonstrated how to observe, sketch the landscape using shapes, mix different colours using just few basic colours and paint with perspective view. He also demonstrated how to use outdoor sketches to create paintings from them. It was awesome to see Mark create a beautiful painting based on a simple sketch in very short time. A lot of painting techniques and tips were shared with the group. Mark also provided guidance and encouragement to us attendees individually. It has definitely improved my confidence to try something new in my painting"

SW

"I really enjoyed the Seascapes course with Mark and felt I learned a lot. The format worked really well - sketching at gorgeous coastal locations in the mornings, then a demo from Mark back in the studio, followed by an afternoon of painting. Thank you for sharing your painting technique - I’ve come home with lots of new ideas. Mark struck a good balance between instructive guidance and encouragement to develop our pictures in our own way. I think your calm and friendly manner helped put us all at ease.
It was a lovely group of fellow artists.
The food at Westcott Barton was delicious and our accommodation in the farmhouse was very comfortable - I slept really well and the location was so quiet and pretty.
All in all a lovely Art Retreat. Thank you so much"

PH

My courses at Westcott Barton for 2024 are now on their website.

Click on the links below to see information about the courses and to book. (You can always drop me a line with any questions)

1. Developing Painting & Sketching in a Wider Format (Panoramic) with Mark Warner

Course Date: Thursday 9th May - Monday 13th May 2024

(Painting days: 10th - 12th May)

Click here to see information on the above course

2. "Seascapes and the North Devon Coast" (Plein Air and Studio)

Course Date: Sunday 7th July - Thursday 11th July

2024

(Painting days: 8th - 10th July)

Click here to see information on the Seascapes course

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