Orkney Art Experience with Leo du Feu

Magical Orkney ~ drawing & watercolour painting holiday in Orkney

Dates: 11-18 September 2021
Location: Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland
Tutor: Leo du Feu
Activity: drawing & watercolour painting, landscape & wildlife (plein air and studio based)
Cost: £2390 per person (no single supplement) – early bird discount available (see below for info)
Suitable for any skills level

Join us for a week sketching and painting with Scottish artist Leo du Feu in the magical Orkney landscapes.

What to expect

Picturesque Stromness will be our base, with its winding cobbled streets, harbour views down narrow closes, independent shops and museum and the small but excellent collection of Modernist British art at the Pier Arts Centre.

Through the week we will travel to various locations around Orkney Mainland, including Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Sites Ring of Brodgar standing stone circle and Skara Brae prehistoric village. Weather permitting, we’ll take a ferry across to the nearby island of Hoy to sketch its dramatic cliffs and bays. Rackwick Bay on the west side of Hoy is particularly stunning and strongly associated with both the composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and poet writer George Mackay Brown.

One of the evenings we will immerse in Orkney tales by the peatfire in a session of island storytelling that combines legend, lore and social customs with music, song and dance. Also on the menu are visits to the studios of local Orkney artisans to hear about their work and how Orkney inspires it.

Whenever the weather allows, we will work outdoors in watercolour, ink and other media, looking at the sea, cliffs, crofts, ancient standing stones and more. Perhaps you  wish to experiment with incorporating Orkney Norse myths and legends into your paintings? Wildlife will be discussed too – nature, conservation and especially birds are the foremost inspiration in Leo’s own work and personal life and on Orkney the wildlife is both abundant and diverse.

A more detailed itinerary will be available on this page nearer the time.

Your tutor: Leo du Feu

Leo is delighted to lead this art experience as Orkney is one of his favourite places. He is a well known Scottish watercolour painter and an inspiring tutor. Since graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in Drawing & Painting in 2006, Leo has been a full-time professional artist and art tutor, exhibiting around Scotland and the UK.

His inspiration is the natural world and he takes every opportunity to explore on foot, by bike, by train, sketching and painting in the landscape and using material gathered to complete other works back in the studio. Leo is a keen environmental campaigner and undertakes bird counts for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and other voluntary conservation activities. He’s rather obsessed with birds, they appear in his work often.

You can see examples of his work on his profile page. 

Our accommodation

We’ve secured a series of 4-star cottages along Stromness harbour, all with access to a pier with beautiful sea views. Every guest will have their own room and there is no single supplement. All except two rooms have their own bathrooms – en-suite bedrooms will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Set in Stromness, the cottages will be our base, “play area” as well as accommodation. In addition, we will hire a space nearby for some of the time. The cottages are within minutes walk from all local amenities, including the Pier Arts Centre, the Stromness Museum, cafes, deli, bakery, shops and chemist. It’s the perfect base to explore and sketch and paint the wild and historic landscape of the Orkney Isles.

Participants will bring their own materials or can arrange to purchase a suitable set put together by Leo and Wild at Art.

Price & inclusions

The art experience includes:
–  7 nights accommodation in one of the 4-star seafront cottages (single occupancy/ most rooms are en-suite)
– Programme of art tuition, walks, studio visits & exploring Orkney (5 days of art tuition by Leo du Feu
– Welcome drinks and nibbles on arrival
– 7 breakfasts
– 6 lunches
– 7 evening meals
– Evening of storytelling
– Transport when travelling as a group while on the islands (combination of minibus and public transport)
– Sketchbook
– Studio hire fees
–  Entry fees for Skara Brae, Italian Chapel & Stromness Museum
– Wild at Art canvas bag
– Detailed pre-travel information by email.

The cost of this trip is £2390 per person. There is no single supplement and every guest will have a room to themselves. Bookings where the deposit is received by 30 September 2020 qualify for a £200 Early Bird Discount (quote ORKNEY2021 in the text box in the booking form).

A non-refundable deposit of £500 is required at the time of booking, the rest is due 8 weeks before the start date*. With the detailed pre-travel info we will also send you list of recommended materials and other things to bring, such as suitable outdoor clothing.

*Please note: for bookings made by 31 March 2021 the Easy Registration option applies. Secure your place by paying a non-refundable registration fee of just GBP100!

Book now

Flights and travel to/from Orkney are not included. Personal travel insurance is required.

We will collect you from Kirkwall airport. Flights depart from Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness and connections can be made from Manchester and London.

Alternatively, we will collect you from Northlink Stromness ferry terminal sailing from Scrabster to Stromness. It is possible to leave your car at the ferry terminal in Scrabster if you wish.