Last week, our small-group art retreat descended upon the English countryside; specifically, the idyllic and picturesque Cotswolds. From June 20-24th, 2022 Middle Stanley Farm played host to 6 artists, for our third Eat Paint Live Art Retreat.
The Cotswolds week did not disappoint, filled as it was with creating plein air art and photography, friendship, excursions and delicious British meals! Oh, and we had gorgeous weather, sunny and not too hot, ideal for shadows and we even got tanned arms.For the leaders, this was yet another dream-come-true experience: spending a full four days in a truly magical location with other amazing artists, helping them to fulfill their specific artistic goals and grow their skills quickly in a short period of time, especially with regards to the joys of plein air sketching and painting. This retreat, we were glad to have ALL repeat attendees, some of whom were photographers and non-plein air artists. Eat Paint Live welcomes artists and non-artists alike, as the retreat is more rounded and not purely focused on just painting (as the name implies, we plan our retreats to encompass experiences as well as painting). All of our participants were talented creatives in their own focus areas, and brought the full force of their creativity, generous spirits and fun to the group!
The retreat was based in Middle Stanley, Gloucestershire, in the heart of The Cotswolds, an idyllic and historic area of the English countryside. The Cotswolds is full of Regency and Elizabethan era villages, with its signature stone walls and thatched roofs, windy roads, rivers, bridges mills, farmland, and sheep and horses, as well as several historic homes and stately castles. There were so many picturesque scenes to capture!
Middle Stanley Farm was host to our group, and we stayed in two cottages - Elmbury and Mulberry. The Farm boasts gorgeous views, a lake and a pond with stone beach (complete with statues of nymphs), ducks, wagtails and other wildlife, several buildings and trees and roses galore. The accommodations were first-class, and it was very relaxing and pretty, with little surprises around each corner.
Middle Stanley Farm. We had it all to ourselves, apart from the ducks, caretakers and farm dog, Stanley.
The countryside and villages of The Cotswolds offer plenty of things to explore, eat, drink, and relax – and inspire our creative juices! You can imagine how spoiled we were with subjects to sketch, paint, and photograph.
We kicked off the week with a relaxed welcome cocktails and crudités, and our orientation to the agenda in Mulberry Cottage and then headed outside to our catered dinner at the amphitheatre. The wonderful folks at Burgerish came with their adorable vintage food truck and farm raised, organic burgers and the best chips —aka fries —in England! After some fun drawing activities and a stroll around the lake, we were served up some New York cheesecake, Cotswolds style - what a surprise!
Anne with fellow Cotswalds retreat leader Charles Leon.
Lori and Sarah sport their logo T shirts for the win! Note the fresh croissants from the local bakery in Winchcombe, a must-visit village near Middle Stanley.
The Itinerary - The Cotswolds, Villages, Castles, Oxford, and Farm Days.
Tuesday: Cotswold Villages and Stately Manors
Our first full day was all about visiting villages and stately homes around the vicinity of our farm. We boarded our private luxury van with
CJP Tours, and local tour guide & owner Chris. We visited Winchombe, home of Sudeley Castle & Gardens, a historic manor in the heart of The Cotswolds, with a long history and ten gardens, the castle, ruins, and a church. We walked in through the village road and then paused to do thumbnails of the main gate.
Once inside the property, Charlie and Anne split up to work in small groups with the artists - Charlie on sketching shapes and Anne on direct watercolor techniques and how to approach a full watercolor painting from start to finish.
After a leisurely lunch of toasties and pies in the Castle cafe, we headed on to our next activity - visiting Bourton-on-the-Water.
The village of Bourton-on-the-Water boasts the nickname “the Venice of the Cotswolds, ” due to the five bridges spanning the River Windrush. Loads of tourists come each season, to take photos and explore, but for our luck, the village was alive but not as crowded as we’d heard it would be. That left us plenty of time and room to capture some of the scenery. Some of us shopped, others sketched, and Charlie treated us to some lovely local ice cream.
After practically obligatory Pimm’s Cups at the Slaughter’s Country Pub, and some time to finish our sketches (and make some new ones) we had a very special 5-course gourmet dinner at the stately The Slaughter Manor House. We also explored St. Mar'y’s Church and The Old Mill, all a stone’s throw away from each other on the River Eye which runs through this pretty and somewhat sleepy village.
Spectacular sunsets were on the agenda.
Wednesday - Oxford & Blenheim Palace
After Charlie made us all breakfast in Elmbury Cottage, we boarded our van again for a full day out in Oxford.
The university city of Oxford is made up of several colleges and universities, dorms, libraries, halls, gardens and museums, many of which are open to the public. It’s a city full of history and stunning architecture. Our terrific Blue Badge Guide, Felicity, was so helpful - relatating information, stories and navigating the city. We were also extremely fortunate to witness a once-a-year event, the Encaenia, a ceremony at which the university awards honorary degrees to distinguished men and women. It was very solemn and interesting to watch as the University chancellors led the procession in their full regalia, robes of all colors and we even spied a couple of celebrities.
The group had three different stops in Oxford to sketch - two short stops and one longer one. At the Bridge of Sighs aka the Hertford Bridge, the group enjoyed capturing the intricate ornamentation of the structure, a favorite of urban sketchers and Plein air painters. We even met a fellow sketcher who stopped to talk to us and share his work!
After a gastropub lunch at The Perch, where pies and fish and chips were on the menu and on our plates, we drove on to Woodstock. Blenheim Palace is a world heritage site, and is a country house in Woodstock. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. It’s also famous as the birthplace of England’s wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, 1874. The palace itself is an in-your-face masterpiece of Baroque architecture, surrounded by 2,000 acres of landscaped park, lake, and formal gardens. Our afternoon took us through the Woodstock Gate and past the immense Queen’s Pool, to the lawn around the palace for sketching.
Afternoon tea is required when visiting England, and we took ours at the Orangery inside the Palace’s main court.
Sweet and savory teatime treat towers.
Thursday: Morning Classes and An Afternoon Drizzle - Country Pub Rain Date
Thursday was our relaxing on the Farm day, and the morning began lovely but the weatherman forecast a chance of afternoon showers.
An abundance of trees provided subjects for the morning’s instruction: Sketching Trees with Charlie. See some of the wonderful sketches our group made:
Anne painted with Lori, showing her how to work alla prima in watercolor , while Kathy completed a delicious looking rendition of a latte:
A pub lunch which melded into tea time was the perfect antidote for an overcast afternoon. While some of our group booked spa treatments, the rest of us sketched and explored the gardens at the Greenway Hotel & Spa, a converted 16th century manor with a relaxed charm and very inviting grounds and dining room.
The group had several fun challenges throughout the retreat; sketching The Perch, our thatched cottage pub in Oxford, was one; doing a group sketch of a hanging flower basket in Tewksbury was another:
Relaxed, we returned to the Farm for a celebratory dinner and awards ceremony, and sharing of all our best artwork from the past few days. Our catered paella dinner didn’t go as planned, but the artists were great sports, and we made do with a Spanish omelette Anne whipped up, salad, fresh bread and some pretty darn tasty strawberry meringues for dessert.
The artists got awards for increases in skill and all got leaving gifts of a how-to paint trees in watercolor book from Kew Gardens Press.
All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. We had a final breakfast together, sharing takeaways, supply and technique tips and viewing each other’s sketchbooks, filled with wonderful memories of a creative weeke with friends, fun, history, learning and laughter. The memories we made here together will last a lifetime — from the friends old and new, kindness, talent and generosity of our participants, the food, weather, and of course, the opportunity to create art amongst like-minded creatives. We hope that you feel the same, in following our journey, and it inspires you to create and experiment, and do what makes you feel joy!
Until next time….
