The Show Must Go On: Course Dates and Locations in 2026 and 2027

Thank you all for responding to my last post about Fake George. You were all very kind and gracious about my gullibility. One or two people wondered what Fake George and his silly friend Adrian Bot wanted from me: I don’t really know. If it was an elaborate way to get me to pay Adrian Bot for his promotional services, then it seems to me there are less time-consuming ways to go about making a few quid. I parted with nothing but a few shreds of dignity. And that’s all I will say about those two clowns, or one clown, or series of ones and zeros…

A little under two weeks ago my dear darling father left us. He lived a long and happy life, and in my brother’s eulogy he listed some of my father’s interests alphabetically. He did that because the list was encyclopædic. Afterwards one of my lovely cousins wondered what people would say about him, when his time had come. “Watched a lot of telly”, he thought. My husband said he reckoned there would have been others who had similar reactions. He himself was thinking he still hasn’t gotten around to playing the zither.

I really can’t wait to share with you who my father was, but that’s not for this article, because it needs me to be a bit more chill than I feel right now (it’s only because I didn’t get a proper walk today). However I did put a few sketches of my dad on Instagram, and the reaction of the people who saw it was just so generous. Real sympathy, real words, real responses, real warmth. So very touching. If you were one of the people who said you felt you knew my father a little, whether through the sketches I posted or through my videos over the years, and to whom I didn’t respond (there were hundreds of comments) then thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Instead of telling you about my father, today I am going to share with you a little about my upcoming courses across Europe, including the very good news that I will be teaching in France this coming July – twice. I start my 2026 French odyssey in Toulouse as part of the Urban Sketching Symposium, from 15th to 18th July, then I continue the fun in Atelier Clos Mirabel from 25th – 31st July, where I will teach a residential course in one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed, dined or taught. Many of the students approached me at the end of the course I did in October this year to say that the week had exceeded all their expectations – so nice of them to say so!

So I guess all I am saying to you right now is that if you are planning on travelling to Toulouse for the Symposium next summer, consider extending your stay a little and make it unforgettable. The themes in both the Symposium and in Atelier Clos Mirabel will be urban sketching, specifically capturing life in the markets of France while standing there on foot, with rapid gestural strokes and a very tiny palette of colours. So if you want to broaden your choice of instructors, then you can come to me (if you want) AND your choice of other instructors in the Symposium itself.

Courses In France 2026

If you have never been to a USk Symposium before, here’s what to expect:

• A rock concert atmosphere. Lots of whooping, cheering and applauding. An exhilharating experience!
• The ability to travel alone and meet people on the ground – anyone with a sketchbook. That’s what everyone does!
• Very hectic, intense pace, especially if you take a couple of workshops.
• Very fun and a chance to meet the people you’ve met online over the years and make friends.
• Fantastic lectures and demos.
• All the positivity you could possibly hope for!
• Loads of intense learning, new techniques, shared skills.
• Possibly overwhelming number of people if you find big crowds intense.
• Organise your own accommodation.
• Lots of different tutors.
• Cost – I don’t know as I have never attended as a patron rather than as an instructor but I imagine you can tailor it to fit your budget, from a simple sketch pass and modest accommodation to a four-workshop pass and the best lodgings the city can offer, and anything in between.
• Booking is tricky – after you register interest you’re given a time and date when tickets are available but people often miss out because of technical or other issues.

And in Atelier Clos Mirabel:

• A traditional French manor house in the countryside, in a three-building complex in a private setting near the Pyrenees, with breathtaking views of the blue mountains in the distance.
• Excellent, thoughtfully-prepared food, mostly from the property’s vegetable garden itself. Food to die for, never too much, top quality.
• Swimming pool, terrace for dining al fresco, excursions to the surrounding hills.
• Small group – 17 is the maximum number of students.
• Chance to make deep friendships.
• Dedicated classroom where you can go any time at all: students have been known to arrive at 6.00am and stay until 11.00pm. I will not be there at 6.00am!
• Pick ups and transfers. Hospitality where you will everything taken care of, but in a subtle way.
• Comfortable accommodation ranging from large, quintessentially French rooms in the main house to characterful, cleverly-designed self-contained apartments in the converted winery and other ancillary buildings.
• One tutor for a week.
• Cost: room and board lies somewhere in the region €2600-€3000 depending on your room (again, I am not really sure) and my fee is an additional €500 for the week.
• Non-participating companions are very welcome, and included in everything, from meals to day trips.
• Contact Rachel, Heather or Xavier in Atelier Clos Mirabel on socials.

So there you have it – see which, if either, takes your fancy.

I return to Atelier Clos Mirabel in July 2027 for yet another time – once you go, you can’t stay away. Places have already started to fill up as I assume some people like a long lead-in time.

Courses in Ireland, May and June 2026

Kinvara, Co. Galway, 28th May to 1st June

If you prefer to come to Ireland for some art tuition with me in 2026, then you’re in luck! I will be teaching a one-day workshop in Kinvara during the Kinvara Plein Air festival. There are amazing tutors to choose from as well as me so you can really go full artist the weekend of the June Bank Holiday, 28th May to 1st June. Kinvara Village is very picturesque and has its own cute little quay where there will be traditional boats to sketch, but I am teaching on Market Day, on Friday 29th May, and if the weather is fine you’ll be learning techniques of sketching people and activity under pressure! I will share all the materials you’ll need well in advance. Spoiler: everything can fit in a pocket with no noxious fumes or staining splashes on your clothes, but if you like the Vida Loca and getting messy with paint then there will be lots of fantastic oil and acrylic paint tutors there too. My top tip if this is your thing – Dave West. He is a simply amazing teacher. Contact Josephine in Kinvara Plein Air (KPA) on socials.

Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, May

I will also be teaching with Artform in May 2026 but I don’t know the dates yet. I have an amazing, crazy and artistic idea for that course, which will probably be on the coast in Dunmore East, in Co. Waterford. It’s something to do with storytelling and illustration in ink and watercolour, developing characters and settings inspired by the local landscape and will be an extreme amount of creative fun, I promise. I will tell you more when I know my dates.

Courses In Italy, October 2026 and April 2027

Montelparo, Le Marche, 2nd-9th October

Later in 2026, I will be heading to Italy for my first time as a tutor in that country, teaching urban sketching in ink and watercolour. I have heard fabulous things about Hotel Leone, in the ancient village of Montelparo in Le Marche. We will be dining on wonderful local produce and visiting the surrounding areas: I anticipate a very calm week of sheer artistic indulgence. It will be truffle season – I am extremely excited about that – and on one of the days we will watch (and sketch) a local nonna make pasta! How cool will that be?! As far as I know there’s only one double room left but I will check that. Might be best not to hang around though if you like the sound of it, and contact Madeline in Hotel Leone

If you’d like slightly longer to plan, I have something wonderful lined up for Tuscany in late April 2027. More soon!

Courses in Greece, May 2027

Lagou Raxi, South Pelion, May 2027

Back to the wonderful Lagou Raxi in the South Pelion for early May 2027. Impossible to stay away from those olive groves underlain with carpets of wildflowers, the fish restaurant on the edge of the water with its incredible spread of the freshest of dishes, the lazy cats curled up in the sun, the ladies in traditional Easter dress dancing in the village square, the hazy vista of islands in the bay far below the hotel…contact Sue in Lagou Raxi for details of prices and so on.

. I would love to see you at one of the lovely courses I will conduct over the next two years!