After three days in London, it was time for my painting workshop in the Cotswolds to begin. I had been planning for this moment since 2020, and it was finally happening! I had two workshops planned, with 15 students in each. It was going to be a very full two weeks!
Our first morning in the Cotswolds was blustery and cold, but, after an introductory lesson at our hotel, I headed into the center of Bourton-on-the-Water with my intrepid band of sketchers for some plein air sketching.
I did a lesson onsite about how to choose your subject and narrow down your focus, and how to paint reflections, then everyone picked their spot and settled in to sketch the River Windrush and the pretty stone bridges that cross over it.
We attracted quite a bit of attention from the tourists walking through the area. It’s always fun to connect with people from all over the world on these sketching trips.
My sketch was done in a hurry, because I was freezing! And I was dashing from one student to another to check on them and offer help if they were experiencing any challenges. I did manage to get most of my sketch drawn and painted, though, before we all decided to pack up our gear and head for lunch at a cozy nearby cafe.
Later at home, I pulled out my FineTec metallic watercolors and used a tiny size 0 round brush to paint the lettering on the Bourton-on-the-Water sign.
The FineTec paints give a lovely shiny metallic finish, and they come in a wide range of colors, not just silver and gold. (Here’s a set similar to the one I use.)
Bourton-on-the-Water was the perfect place to have as our home base during the workshop. Restaurants and shops were a 5-minute walk from our B & B…
and the village is filled with historic architecture.
The flowers were amazing, and the people were friendly and welcoming.
Although the town center is crowded with tourists during the day, the evenings are peaceful and quiet.
My happiest moments were when I was walking home from dinner with friends, tired but happy from a day spent doing what we loved. With the late-day sun slanting through the trees, we would stroll along the river, chatting companionably and marveling at how beautiful the reflections were. Picture-perfect…a feast for the eyes.
If you ever get a chance to visit the Cotswolds, be sure to spend some time in Bourton-on-the-Water. And don’t forget to bring your sketchbook!
PS – I’ll be offering another Cotswold workshop at some point in the future. If you would like to be on the list to be notified first when it opens for registration, just drop me an email at ljfehling@gmail.com. There’s no obligation. I just want to have an idea of how many people might be interested.
9 Comments
It certainly looks very lovely! I wondered how it could be so cold and have such glorious looking summer flowers?
It had been warmer in the weeks leading up to our visit. We were just unlucky and happened to be there during a cold snap. The locals kept apologizing to us for the weather!
What a beautiful location! Thank you for sharing your art, photos and experience from there.
It’s my pleasure.
What a gorgeous looking area and i just love seeing all of your beautiful artwork along with all of the photos of the area. thanks for sharing.
It’s like walking around in a picture postcard. We couldn’t believe how quaint and pretty it all was.
Leslie! Those scenes are lovely! Thanks so much for sharing….loved the quaint bridge!
Nancy Hoffman
I have a shiny metallic blue, Duochrome Turquoise, which I love using. The problem is, it’s such fun that I can end up overusing it! Thanks for your post Leslie.
Jude
Oooh, I love turquoise. And metallic turquoise sounds even better!