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Painting Week in Dorset

Highlights

  • 2025 dates on sale!
  • Learn to paint confidently in oils
  • Stay in a beautiful old manor house
  • All meals included
from £1300 pp
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7 Nights

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What you'll do

Overview

2025 dates: 11-18 April, 13-20 June, 12-19 September. Enjoy a week long painting course in the beautiful Dorset countryside, with close tuition in a small group. Stay in a beautiful manor house with all meals included.

This holiday painting course opens with charcoal drawing in order to master tones and then moves, in  stages, to oil painting. By the end of the course you will have acquired both the confidence and the ability to paint in oils. The course will have a maximum of 6 participants ensuring there is plenty of time for close one to one tuition. Whilst you are staying in the beautiful accommodation set in a tranquil location within a working farm, you will have plenty of time for relaxing between painting sessions. There are  resident livestock to be seen in the surrounding fields and the nearby pretty village of Plush has a pub and a backdrop of rolling countryside, making it the ideal spot for enjoying a walk or cycle ride. There is also the opportunity to head south towards the stunning Jurassic Coastline, where you will find a choice of beautiful beaches and the traditional seaside resort of Weymouth. Why not explore one of the many pretty towns and villages that are accessible from here, including Sherborne, Blandford, Sturminster Newton and Dorchester, which offer a great selection of cafes, shops and restaurants.

Arrival

On arrival day ( Friday) you will check in at 4pm or later and have time to settle in before welcome drinks are served at 6pm,  followed by a three course dinner.

You will have time to get to know your host, tutor and fellow participants over dinner and to talk through the format for the week.

The painting course opens with charcoal drawing in order to master tones moving by stages to oil painting . Elizabeth’s experience over many years teaching is that by the end of a complete 7 day course you will have acquired both the confidence and the ability to paint in oils. To ensure close tuition it has been necessary to limit the course to no more than six participating guests.

Painting course

Each day breakfast will be served in the dining room, including cereals, croissants, toast, a selection of jams and marmalades, yoghurts, fruit, fruit juice , tea and coffee.

Painting tuition starts at 09:00 and goes on until 12 noon. The course will begin with charcoal drawing in order to master tones moving by stages to oil painting. Over the next six days you will master the techniques – or improve on your skills- and be able to confidently paint in oils

Lunch will be served in the dining room and usually includes soups, quiches, salads, cold meats etc. Tuition continues in the afternoon between 2 and 5 pm.

There is the opportunity before dinner to take a walk in the gardens or to make use of the public areas of the main house or take a walk in the countryside. Dinner of three courses plus wine will be served at 7:30pm.

 

 

 

 

Departure Day

Today ( Friday) you will  have  breakfast and lunch at the usual times and there will be two sessions of painting to finish off your masterpieces.

The course will conclude at 5pm.

What's included

Included

  • Accommodation for seven nights
  • All meals and wine with dinner each evening
  • Seven days painting workshops - 2 sessions of 3 hours per day
  • Expert tuition in a small group setting

Accommodation

Double room in cottage ( shared bathroom)

The cottages are semi detached and have a kitchen , living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom . This room will share a bathroom with the second bedroom in the cottage. Outside there is a terrace, seating area and private garden. The cottages are just a short walk from the main house.

Twin room in cottage (shared bathroom)

The cottages are semi detached and have a kitchen , living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom. This room will share a bathroom with the second bedroom in the cottage. Outside there is a terrace, seating area and private garden. The cottages are just a short walk from the main house.

Main house bedroom (private bathroom)

There are four guest bedrooms in the main house, each has a double or kingsize bed and either an ensuite bathroom or an adjoining bath or shower room. The rooms are furnished in traditional style and have windows overlooking the grounds. Three of the rooms are on the first floor and one on the second floor.

Your local host

Elizabeth

 

Elizabeth lives at Thurnwood in deep in the Dorset countryside, she studied in Florence for six years learning to paint in a classical accademia and has a great love of painting in oils. She has been tutoring for several years and enjoys helping her guests to develop their skills and become confident in their painting techniques, she is also a fluent Italian speaker. Elizabeth and her husband host both week long courses to learn the techniques of painting in oils and also Italian Language weekends, when Italian language teacher, Viviana, is the tutor. They are very welcoming hosts and will make sure that your stay is enjoyable and memorable.

 

Elizabeth lives at Thurnwood in deep in the Dorset countryside, she studied in Florence for six years learning to paint in a classical accademia and has a great love of painting in oils. She has been tutoring for several years and enjoys helping her guests to develop their skills and become confident in their painting techniques, she is also a fluent Italian speaker. Elizabeth and her husband host both week long courses to learn the techniques of painting in oils and also Italian Language weekends, when Italian language teacher, Viviana, is the tutor. They are very welcoming hosts and will make sure that your stay is enjoyable and memorable.

Elizabeth image

Location

Thurnwood is a substantial country house located between Sherborne and Dorchester, ”far from the madding crowd” in Hardy country. The house is reached via a long private drive and there are two adjoining cottages of 2 bedrooms each (one double one single), each has a bathroom, sitting room, kitchen and private gardens.There are also three guest bedrooms in the main house.

The nearest town is Mappowder, and there are train stations in Dorchester, Yeovil and Sherborne from where you can take a taxi to the house.

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