Meet

Your Art and Mixed Paint Media Tutors

Art and Craft Retreat Art and Mixed Paint Media Tutor Bios (more coming soon!)

Denise Allen

Paint and watercolour

Denise Allen is an accomplished artist, tutor, and demonstrator, including TV work. Part of Travelling Brush Dippers and Artist Demo Days groups, she brings collaborative energy to teaching. Working proficiently in acrylic, watercolour, oils, and mixed media, Denise offers versatile expertise while focusing specifically on watercolour instruction during retrea.

Charle Evans

Watercolour

Charle Evans is a versatile artist and educator known for her expertise in watercolor, mixed media, and plein air painting. Based in Wales, she has built a reputation for her ability to capture the dramatic landscapes and changing light of the Welsh countryside with remarkable sensitivity and skill.

With formal training in fine arts, Charle has developed a distinctive style that balances loose, expressive brushwork with careful observation of natural forms. Her work often features coastal scenes, mountain vistas, and intimate garden studies, all rendered with a palette that celebrates the subtle colors of the British landscape.

As a teacher, Charle offers workshops and painting holidays throughout the UK, specializing in outdoor painting techniques and color theory. She is particularly skilled at helping students overcome the challenges of painting on location, teaching methods for capturing rapidly changing light and weather conditions.

Charle has exhibited widely in Welsh galleries and has work in private collections internationally. She contributes to art magazines and has appeared on local television programs discussing landscape painting techniques. Her approachable teaching style and deep knowledge of traditional painting methods make her a sought-after instructor for artists of all levels.

Jeremy Ford

Watercolour

Jeremy Ford is a lifelong professional painter working in all mediums and former President of the Society for All Artists. As a favourite TV artist, art writer, and illustrator of popular best-selling DVDs and books, Jeremy brings decades of expertise to his teaching. At retreats, he focuses on watercolour instruction, helping painters improve from beginner to experienced levels.

Ali Hargreaves

Sewing and Textiles

Ali Hargreaves is a UK-based artist and educator celebrated for bold colour, texture, and mixed media work. Based in Cheshire, her artistic journey began through her grandmother’s influence, an oil painter who exhibited at Derby Art Gallery.

After earning BEd (Hons) from Ripon College, Ali founded Alisart in 2003. Her diverse portfolio spans watercolours, acrylics, mixed media, and textiles, characterized by experimental techniques and boundary-pushing creativity.

Teaching regular classes in Poynton (often with waiting lists), Ali also conducts workshops and painting holidays. In 2019, she became tutor for SAA’s Ready Steady Paint children’s subscription. During COVID-19, she successfully transitioned to digital platforms, expanding her reach globally.

Sharon Hurst

Watercolour and silk paint

Sharon Hurst specialises in watercolour but also enjoys colour pencils, beading, and silk painting. As a TV artist and author, she brings media experience to teaching. Partnering with Denise Allen as “Travelling Brush Dippers,” they explore the country for their YouTube vlog. Sharon focuses retreat teaching on watercolour techniques, sharing her diverse artistic background with students.

Matthew Palmer

Watercolour

Matthew Palmer is a celebrated British watercolour artist, best-selling author, and tutor with over 25 years’ experience. Known for fluid, expressive landscapes, seascapes, and animal subjects, he balances detail with looseness beautifully.

Self-taught from age ten, Matthew has taught workshops across the UK since 1997. A key SAA artist, he’s hosted TV shows including Paint Along with Matthew Palmer and presents regularly on Hochanda arts channel.

He founded Watercolour.TV, featuring over 250 step-by-step lessons and live streams. His nine Search Press books include the bestselling Watercolour for the Absolute Beginner, selling over 100,000 copies worldwide. Total book sales exceed 200,000 copies globally.