Welcome to Watershed Studio
We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary here at Watershed Studio!!! We started work converting our calf barn in 2000 and the following year, in 2001 we opened our doors to our first courses. Our tutors then included Richard Taylor and Lavinia Hamer, both still with us, and Sylvia Paul, who taught here for many subsequent years only recently retiring.
We've been looking back over old brochures and the memories come flooding back - all good thankfully! We've been able to persuade so many fabulous tutors to come and teach here over that time, each bringing their own styles and ideas and it's been truly inspirational. We are just as enthusiastic as we were then, providing top, quality courses for all abilities and interests, and the hospitality isn't bad either! A friendly atmosphere, homecooked farmhouse lunches, cake etc and tea/coffee etc on tap.
We are a family run, rural venue situated on the edge of our family farm. In the last twenty-one years we have built up a proven reputation for excellent courses, homely hospitality, delicious farmhouse food and a warm friendly welcome!
If you ware wondering what you can do this autumn to satisfy your creative needs we are still taking bookings - don't leave it too late as many courses are already full but we do have some vacancies still.
Our 2025 Programme is also now out and we are happy to take bookings for these new courses. Once again we have several new tutors and courses as well as our regular favourites so please do look down the whole list. We won't be producing a brochure again this year but regular round robin emails will include the programme dates each time so if you would like to be on that mailing list please do contact us.
WATERSHED STUDIO - who we are!
✓ We run one and two day quality art and other creative courses from March to the end of November
✓ We hire professional and popular tutors and cover watercolour, oils, pastels, acrylics, collage, line and wash, willow sculpture and other creative courses
✓We enjoy a peaceful and rural location - surrounded by gardens and fields.
✓ We are renowned for our warm welcome, great hospitality and farmhouse home cooking and there is plenty of off road parking
✓ We are blessed with plenty of good, fairly local accommodation
✓ We are easy to find and not too far from A12 turn off at Colchester
✓ We value our local community and run regular charity events throughout the year
Learn more about our courses with links through to our 2026 Programme:
Here is a list of all the Watershed Studio workshops 2026 at a glance:
We provide a complimentary, one choice (plus veggie option) homecooked lunch, afternoon cake and refreshments on tap. Unfortunately we cannot cater for all diets or severe allergies so we may, in some cases, ask you to bring your own food.
Some course prices do include your materials.
March
Sat 7th Toni Peers The Ancient Art of Enamelling £120
Tues 10th John Devitt Quirky Cottages - pen and wash £105
Sat 14th Trevor Osborne Pastels - a Barn Owl £105
Sat 21st Nick Gosman Wooden Ladle carving £120
Sat 28th & Sun 28th Ian McManus Add more interest and dept to your WC Landscapes £210
Tues 31st Deb Hart Willow Obelisks or Peony Stands £105 - overflow day
April
Wed 1st Deb Hart Willow Obelisks or Peony Stands £105
Tues 14th Richard Taylor Watercolour - Rust and Urban Decay £105
Wed 15th Lavinia Hamer Get creative with colour and composition - acrylic landscapes £105
Sat 18th Rosana Gethin Leather workshop £120
Sat 25th Kate Keller Crochet Baskets £105
May
Sat 2nd Marta Dyer Smith Gelli Plate Printing £105
Tues 5th Sue Butters Mosaics £105
Wed 6th Mona Marnell Stained Glass - Hot Air Balloons £120
Tues 12th Sharon Henson Acrylics - gardens £105
Sat 30th Kate Atkinson Silver Earrings, morning class £55
June
Tues 2nd Deb Hart Willow Birds £105
Sat 6th Trevor Osborne Palette Knife Oils - a horse’s head £105
Wed 10th Stephanie Mills Plein Air landscape - oils £105
Sat 13th & Sun 14th Tom Shepherd - Loose and Lively Watercolour Birds and Animals £210
Tues 23rd - Janie Pirie - Coloured Pencils, a summer fruit £105
July
Tues 7th Carole Massey Pen and Wash - Sketching £105
Tues 14th Mona Marnell - overflow day stained glass £120
Wed 15th Mona Marnell Stained Glass - Beach Huts £120
Wed 29th Lauren Kelly Lino Printing - Jigsaw technique £105
September
Sat 5th Nicci Dedman - Wire workshop - a Keepsake Card - £105
Tues 15th Deb Hart Berry Basket £120
Wed 16th David Pasfield Autumn Acrylic Landscapes £105
Fri 18th Nicky Hunter Watercolour Hares £105
Sat 19th Nicky Hunter Watercolour Sunflowers £105
Sat 26th Trevor Osborne Polymer Clay Hares in Motion £120
Sun 27th Trevor Osborne Polymer Clay Highland Cow £120
Wed 30th Julie Chaney Christmas Calligraphy £105
October
Sat 3rd Marta Dyer Smith Experimental Mono Printing £105
Tues 6th & Wed 7th Margaret Glass Pastels - Big Skies, Sunrise and Sunset £105
Tues 13th & Wed 14th Stephanie Mills Drawing the Portrait 210
November
Wed 4th Fay Jones Woodland Haberdashery £105
Sat 7th Trevor Osborne Fast and Loose Animals - water based media £105
Wed 11th Mona Marnell Christmas Stained Glass £120
Sat 14th John Devitt Seasonal/Christmas Cards £100
Sat 21st Toni Peers Silver Clay Jewellery £120
Christmas Wreath workshops:- £50
Mon 30th Nov - morning and evening
Tues 1st Dec - morning and evening
Wed 2nd Dec - evening
