I’ve just had a lovely short break at The Manor House Arts, Crafts and Sports Hotel near Okehampton in Devon. It is a great place to experiment and have a go at new crafts or sport with tuition provided, without worrying if you’re going to be any good. In fact it’s where I did glass painting for the first time a few years ago, so an inspiring place!
I did manage to fit in some exercise as well as craft, probably just as well as the food is amazing and plentiful! Tried Pilates for the first time, which I enjoyed but found coordinating the breathing with movement quite difficult. Temping bowling, crazy golf and swimming were more my level.
Craft wise I tried silk painting and acrylics for the first time. With silk painting you can get some great effects, although you never quite know how far the paint is going to spread. I quite like this random, unknown aspect and would give it another go. Here is my peacock cushion. The speckled effect on the blue border is achieved by using salt on still wet paint.
One of my reasons for going to the hotel was to get some tuition on acrylic painting. Here I had the confidence to just experiment, the atmosphere is very informal with tips and advice if needed. I will definitely do some more, I love the way you can layer acrylics, get a watercolour effect and the vibrant colours.
Here is my first attempt with acrylics
