I was delighted to be told I had won a painting Holiday with Alpha Painting Holidays. I had never been on a painting holiday before so did not know what to expect. My preferred medium is watercolour and I just love Exmoor so having seen some of Rob Dudley’s work and techniques on YouTube I felt this would a good choice. I did not know how such a holiday would be organised what with our unpredictable climate, people’s individual needs for mobility/food etc. and of course the flexibility of the tutor!
I have to say that the experience was simply marvellous throughout. The group was just about the right in size and what a lovely friendly lot, whether they were beginners or experienced, we all got on very well and indeed learnt from each other’s techniques.
Our hotel in Simonsbath was superb and the food was simply outstanding. Andrew simply could not do enough for us, always asking and checking to see whether we were happy/warm/hungry/thirsty and running great distances with coffees and snacks to keep us happy whilst painting outdoors. All meals were delicious (and despite saying we were all eating too much our painting days seemed to make us ravenous for our sumptuous dinners). Andrew would then entertain us in the evenings with local tales etc. My room was delightful and looked out over the River Barle, just lovely to retreat to after a day’s painting.
However, the real success was Rob Dudley as a tutor. He was simply tireless and was always keen to show, demonstrate, answer all our questions, and truly deliver individual attention. He taught and tutored with great humour and was totally sympathetic to people’s needs. I feel that he always went “the extra mile” to ensure that everyone got the best possible learning experience from the holiday. Several had been painting with him before and I can see why.
Although we were all issued with a booklet outlining our itinerary for the stay, it become clear early on that the weather was not going to play ball! So instead of going to the coast on Day 1 we stayed in the beautiful country and riverside near the hotel. Not one of us was disappointed because it suited us to "feel" the immediate environment. Rob’s plan was to teach us how to “make a painting”. This was a new idea for me and it’s how I will approach my painting from now on. So on Day 1 we explored locally, sketching scenes/items/etc. and photographing them to bring them back to the studio and “reassemble” our thoughts into a painting. This was what we did on all our excursions and this proved to be very popular and ensured individuality and creativity.
Our days were planned according to the weather forecast so, despite a lot of jiggling around, we still got to go to all of the locations yet at the optimum times.
The balance between our fieldwork, sketching and our studio painting time was perfect and Rob was always able to find just the right moment to deliver tips, demonstrations, suggestions and critiques. He loved composition, colour groups, colour mixing, brush techniques, how to paint skies, trees, bridges, stones and rocks in water.
Everybody was delighted with the holiday and we all left with a number of good paintings, plenty of ideas and instruction and a real sense of pleasure and motivation to take back to our painting lives.
I personally, loved every minute of the painting holiday. It was my first and I learnt so very much. Thank you for a truly marvellous experience -
Thank you so much for this opportunity.