Art In Nature

We take the paints outside. One day, one Cornish landscape, and the only brief that matters: capture the light, the weather and the feel of a place in watercolour — before it changes its mind.

What you'll make

You'll come home with two or three finished plein air studies — quick, honest paintings made on location — plus the beginnings of a habit: how to set up fast, simplify what's in front of you, mix from a small palette, and stop before you overwork it. This is the way I paint on my own sketching trips along the coast, and it's the most direct route I know to looser, livelier watercolours.

Everything's supplied

Paints, brushes, paper, boards, easels or field kits — and a plan B under cover if Cornwall does what Cornwall does. Bring a flask, sensible shoes and a hat; I'll bring everything else, including the biscuits. No experience needed: beginners are genuinely welcome, and there's plenty here for painters who already know their way around a wash.

Your tutor

I'm Damian Sémonin — working artist, educator, and compulsive plein air sketcher. I've taught over a thousand students at the Cornish Craft Barn, and outdoor watercolour is the thing I'd still be doing if nobody ever signed up. Come and find out why.