Hi Reader, My four retreats for next year are all fully booked. Which tells me a lot of people are already planning 2027. So today I'm announcing my last retreat for next year - and it will be in Spain! I've been living in Spain for four years, and next September I'm finally bringing a group here. It's taken me this long to find the right place and the right people to run it with — and I think it was worth the wait. We're going to Cabo de Gata, in the far south of Andalusia. A natural park of...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, I'm often asked what colours do I use? And how do I mix them? Meet Swatch Maniac. It's something David and I have been quietly building together — me the artist, him the geek — and I shared it with my Patreon community first this week. The response has been wonderful, so I wanted to make sure you didn't miss it too. You upload a photo, and it matches the colours to real, hand-painted swatches — not just a name on a label, but an actual swatch I've painted, so you can see and...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, I just got home from my 5th retreat in France, and I'm already thinking about next year. That's the thing about this place. You leave and immediately start planning how to get back :-) I'm returning to Perigord Retreats in June 2027 — and bookings are open now. The Dordogne in late June is extraordinary. Medieval castles reflected in slow rivers. Honey-stone villages where the light turns gold in the afternoon. Rocamadour clinging to its cliff face. Markets spilling colour into...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Imagine waking up in a 16th-century monastery and spending your days painting hilltop villages, sweeping landscapes and sun-drenched piazzas. At La Romita School of Art, that's exactly what we'll do. I'm inviting you to join me in Umbria for my retreat at La Romita — April 2027. Artists have gathered here for 60 years, drawn by the light, the landscapes, and something harder to name — the feeling of being completely absorbed in a place. This is a watercolour sketching retreat, and...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, I'm just back from South Africa — a catch up with family, and climbing and camping to some of our favourite places. South Africa is where I grew up, and it really wakes up my soul: the colours feel more 'me', there's texture and pattern everywhere, and the creative energy of all the different cultures mixed together. I sketched the whole trip in leporellos (accordion sketchbooks) for the very first time, and it's been such a fun, new way to think about composition and storytelling...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Due to a cancellation, a room has just opened up on my Italy retreat ... 18–25 September at Hotel Leone, Montelparo, Le Marche. A week of plein air watercolour in a genuinely beautiful corner of Italy. We'll be staying in a boutique palazzo, enjoying late summer light, exploring medieval villages and everything is taken care of. If you've been thinking about it - or if this is the first you're hearing of it - the full details are on my website. Your non-painting partner is welcome...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, The seasons are turning — spring is arriving for many, and for others the light is shifting into that beautiful golden autumn softness. Whichever way it's going for you, it's a good moment to slow down, notice the colours and paint. I'm heading from spring into autumn myself shortly — off to South Africa to visit places I know and love, with plenty of family time and my sketchbook the first thing packed into my bag. South African inspired postcards Before I go, I wrote something...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Morocco this year was full of magical moments. Imagine ... Marrakech, just before sunset. Pencils down, watercolours out - and then the call to prayer begins over the Koutoubia Mosque. Harrison and I planned this moment for months. It still took our breath away. The sound rang out across the square just as we finished our sketches. Straight after, the lights came on and the mosque lit up against the evening sky. A perfect moment - and a wonderful last plein air session of the week....
6 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, I'm writing this from my studio, still buzzing from last week's Morocco retreat. The laughter around the dinner table, the riot of colour in the souks, the snow capped mountains in the desert, the heaps of sketches we all made capturing our memories - it was everything I'd hoped for and more. My first retreat of the year, and what a way to start! In this email I'm opening bookings for my 2027 calendar. Four incredible locations, each with its own magic. Marrakech, MoroccoFebruary...
6 months ago • 1 min read