Artistic inspiration round every corner
Every year, a range of creatives arrive to our shores - brushes in hand - to join a renowned Cornish artist for a painting holiday
Every year, a range of creatives arrive to our shores - brushes in hand - to join a renowned Cornish artist for a painting holiday. The tradition goes back a long way with the late Lucy Dorrien Smith first joining forces with Newlyn School of Art more than a decade ago. A keen lover of the arts, Lucy wanted to bring as much creativity to Tresco as possible and the art breaks have been taking place ever since.
With all of our 2026 holidays sold out, we are now looking ahead to 2027 so why not have a read about what you can expect and book an art break today.
Taking place from April through to October, the art breaks allow you to explore Tresco amidst the differing seasons with each stay offering specific delights. In April, the echiums are in bloom and they crown the sand dunes, in May, striking forms of South African protea appear along the Abbey Garden terraces and in September and October, the sunrises and sunsets are unrivalled and the bracken is gold against the blue sea. There is artistic inspiration round every corner and you are encouraged to bring your materials and capture what you see en plein air.
When you arrive to the island, you will be met by our porters in an electric shuttle bus and taken to The New Inn where you will be looked after by Jodie in reception and Sam and the front of house team in the restaurant. Everyone shares a welcome drink together in the Residents' Lounge on the first evening and then each night you can either choose to dine with the group or do your own thing.
Whilst you will spend lots of time outdoors amidst the elements and inspiration throughout the break, the Flying Boat Studio will become your second home. The seafront studio has everything you need for putting the Tresco landscape on paper, with pencils, brushes, paints and more for you to play around with. Each tutor will teach you in their own way using their preferred methods, and next year, you can learn from Amanda Hoskin, Imogen Bone and Paul Lewin - all of whom have been teaching on Tresco for several years.
Hear from the artists
Paul Lewin paints rich landscapes of the West Penwith coast and has been teaching on Tresco for several years.
“When gathering information in the landscape I travel light," says Paul. "I walk with just a sketchbook and a couple of soft B grade pencils. When something grabs my attention, I stop and make a drawing. I keep my drawings simple and the marks fresh by not overworking them. By looking and making drawings, I will get a feel for the area, and this introduces me to the landscape. When you are outside, the landscape is so huge it’s sometimes hard to know where to start so I recommend spending some time sitting and thinking about what you are interested in, and what you want to portray before you start. Once you have warmed up with a few sketches, and have the compositions worked out, you can start painting.”
Originally from Scotland, Imogen Bone lives in Cornwall and works with both acrylic and oil paint. Her artwork is defined by bold colour and texture to reflect the constant movement in the landscape.
“I make a series of thumbnail sketches when on location. I use loose sheets of cartridge paper taped to a lightweight board. If you are encumbered by carrying too much equipment, you tend not to explore and move around. I take a simple kit made up of small pots of pre-mixed acrylic paint, a couple of different sized flat brushes, and a range of Caran d’Ache Neocolour crayons. Once the main body of the painting is laid down, I can tap in some directional marks, and indicate movement and light using the crayons on top. They are lightweight and easy to use. As well as making studies, I also take photographs of the viewpoints I’ve been working on. I print these out as thumbnails to use as reference, particularly for geographical accuracy. It is very important to get to know your subject, understanding how your chosen landscape is put together will help you to portray it in the language you wish to.”
Book a holiday with a difference and join Amanda, Imogen or Paul next year to explore who you are as an artist. Whether you're a seasoned creative or someone who wants to begin their journey as an artist, this special course is for you.
