Old Rectory Workshops

Following our first workshop in September 2022, we'll be running art workshops in the Old Rectory in St Mellion throughout the summer of 2023. Each month we will have a different theme to complement painting and drawing in the garden. These themes will include looking at colour, pattern and texture, abstract landscape, atmosphere and emotion, watercolour painting and painting water. On occasion we will travel a mile or two to the banks of the Tamar to paint.

In our last workshop, we looked at Landscape and Composition and we introduced the various compositional devices which have been used by artists over the years. But most of the time was spent exploring the garden and painting or drawing, fuelled by lots of tea and coffee.

The afternoon was rounded off with Afternoon Tea in true Rectory tradition. Patricia baked delicious cakes and scones and we were able to compare notes about the paintings that had been produced.

Patricia and I moved the the Old Rectory in 2021. It had been partially refurbished but the acre garden was badly neglected. In 2022, we had the garden landscaped and several large beds were created. Patricia managed to fill two of them last summer. This year we hope to fill the other three beds and we will create a small stream connected two ponds to take advantage of the gentle slope at the church side of the garden.

The house itself dates from 1810 and was originally much larger with two wings on either side of the current building. These were demolished in the 1960s although the garage retains the old wall and the original kitchen fireplace. The Rectory was very much the centre of village life in the past and we hope we can in some way recreate some of this feeling by welcoming visitors and artists to our home.

Our 2023 dates are all on Sunday and are: 28th May, 18th June, 23rd July, 6th August and 24th September. You can book here