Backbury Art Classes – Wednesday Group – Winter Term – Details

Explore the crisp beauty of winter in this term’s theme, Textures and Colours of Ice, Berries, and Winter Birdlife.

Designed for beginners to intermediate students, this 10-week mixed-media course explores the beauty of nature up close through drawing and painting tasks.

From glossy winter berries and glistening dewdrops to delicate ice formations and soft bird plumage, you’ll build the skills to capture rich tones and complex seasonal textures.

In this course, you’ll learn to:

• Use resist techniques to create convincing dew and frost highlights
• Render soft feathers, smooth berries, and rough bark with texture and detail
• Work with a winter palette of deep blues and translucent crimsons
• Improve drawing accuracy and strengthen painting technique

Term details:

The art classes take place on Wednesdays 10am–12pm.

The 10-week Winter Term Backbury Art Classes will begin on Wednesday 25 November until Wednesday 10 February 2027 with a Christmas break for all classes between Monday 21 December 2026 and Sunday 03 January 2027.

Experience level:

The art classes offer step-by-step tuition in tasks that have been carefully designed for improving knowledge and skill level. Due to the teacher-led activities, the art classes are most suitable for beginners to improvers. However, more experienced artists are welcome to attend and are encouraged to work as independently as desired.

Most importantly, attendees are limited to 8 to ensure that everyone can receive the help and support that they need.

About the tutor:

The classes will be led by Sharon Brookes who is the proprietor and lead tutor of Backbury House Retreats. She has a degree in Art, is a practising artist as well as a fully qualified art teacher with nearly 30 years’ experience of teaching in a range of educational settings.

What’s included:

• Expert and tailored guidance by a fully qualified art teacher.
• Visual exemplar, worksheets and drawing aids for guidance during classes.
• Access to art materials to use during the classes.
• Tea or coffee.

What you will need to bring:

• Please bring an A4 folder to store and transport your artworks.
• You may also wish to bring an art apron.
• We’ll provide all materials and refreshments.

Directions:

Our full address and Google Map link are available at the bottom of this page. Once you have completed your booking, we will also send you detailed directions. In the meantime, you can find more information on our Contact Us & Directions page.

Access:

• Free designated parking is available for up to eight vehicles beside our private road. The studio is then a short two-minute walk away.
• We also have two parking spaces closer to the studio, with a shorter walk and no steps.
• Please note that the studio bathroom is on the first floor and is accessed by stairs. With advance notice, we can arrange alternative ground-floor facilities.

For more information about access, please visit our studio facilities page. If you would like to discuss access arrangements, please contact Sharon using the details at the bottom of this page.

Cancellation Policy:

To receive a full refund, minus a £10 cancellation fee, you must cancel your event ticket at least 21 days before the event start time. Because places are limited, this notice period gives us time to resell your ticket.

Please email sbrookes@bhretreats.co.uk within the above stated timeframe for us to process the cancellation.

For our full Terms & Conditions, please visit https://bhretreats.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/.