|
Jill Fellows has been an artist for many
years, with a special interest
in watercolour townscapes. She studied
at Wolverhampton Art College in the UK (now the
Wolverhampton University School of Art & Design) and has exhibited and accepted
commissions on a regular basis.
Although
a
substantial number of
topics is covered during
each of Jill's painting and drawing weeks, Jill doesn't
believe in giving dogmatic, classroom-style tuition.
Therefore group instruction is not a concept you will
find at
Painting
Photography
France. |
|
 "I realised from the beginning that it would be highly unlikely for us to have several clients
here at the same time with the same level of experience
and with the same needs," Jill says, "Therefore I
took the decision to deal with every single guest as an
individual. This is why we don't advertise 'courses' or workshops'. In any case I would really hate to be stuck in a
classroom lecturing; I much prefer to be out and about
with my guests,
helping each one to express his or her own
interpretation of this beautiful environment from the
outset."
Consequently,
Jill uses real-time, practical, hands-on methods, taking
her painting clients out into the countryside or into
local villages, working with them, offering encouragement,
guidance, instruction and advice with technique on an individual basis as and when needed.
This, she has proved, encourages individuality and freedom
of expression in her guests' work and makes for a more
enjoyable painting experience for them.
"And the feedback from clients has shown it to be a very
popular method of working," she says, "Indeed, one of
the nicest things that has happened to me since we
started was to receive a lovely 'Thank You' card
in the post from a client who had been on a painting
holiday here some ten days previously. It said, quite
simply, 'Thank you Jill for being
there when I needed you and for not being there when I
didn't.' " |
|
In the photo above, Jill can be seen giving guidance at
Les
Ets Botaniques Latour-Marliac,
the nursery where Monet purchased the water-lilies for his
garden at Giverny.
On the right she gives
some sketching advice in the pretty
Bastide village of
Vianne (picture by photography client, Richard Deane
from the UK)
"I love
being out in the field working with other painters," Jill
concludes, "whether they are experienced artists or picking up a brush for
the first time' it's always
enjoyable for me."
|
 |
