Our Painting Holiday Tutors

Ashley Raddon

Ashley Raddon is a self-taught, full-time artist based in Torquay, Devon, he turned to art five years ago. His artistic journey began in a church hall art class and expanded through “en plein air” courses with renowned UK artists Jem Bowden and Ray Balkwill. He further honed his skills with online advanced watercolour courses led by Boston-based artist Gary Tucker and spent a week in 2023 painting alongside US watercolour master Andy Evansen in Scotland.

In 2024, Ashley’s painting was voted No.1 in the International Art of Watercolour Magazine, earning him an artist feature in the subsequent issue. In 2022, he was one of four contestants on Channel 5’s Watercolour Challenge, painting en plein air in episodes 1–5. He has exhibited widely, including solo and group shows, receiving local gallery exposure, grants, awards, and sales, culminating in a sold-out solo exhibition in Torquay.

Ashley has delivered numerous live watercolour demonstrations, judged art exhibitions, and taught workshops. In 2023, he hosted two five-week voluntary art therapy courses at a local health charity. His work is inspired by traditional techniques and masters like Edward Seago, Edward Wesson, Sir Russell Flint, and Rowland Hilder. Known for his expressive, atmospheric style, Ashley uses an economy of brushstrokes, dramatic light contrasts, and a variety of edges to capture mood, while pushing the boundaries of watercolour to discover new effects.

Ashley is contributing to Painters Online (Leisure Painters Magazine) this year.

Celia Bennett

Angus Maclean

Gus graduated in Drawing and Painting from Edinburgh College of Art and Reading University. He has been employed in art education since 1975.  Among, the schools in which he has taught are, the Kings School Ely, Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College, Edinburgh, and, for 30 years, at Dollar Academy.  He is the Principal Assessor for Advanced Higher Art and Design.  He has considerable experience in adult classes including for many years running the Dollar Art Group.  As well as creating his own work he has been working on commissions ranging from formal portraits to graphic design work for Cambridge University Press.  He has also been engaged in helping his daughter Rachel Maclean with sculpture and “storyboarding” in preparing for multi-media exhibitions.

Alan Rogers

Alan graduated in painting and printmaking firstly at Exeter, then Glasgow School of Art, before qualifying as a teacher at the University of Wales. He has 35 years’ experience working in colleges and universities in the UK and Italy and enjoys working with mixed-ability groups and encouraging individuals to find their ‘voice’. As a professional artist, Alan has worked internationally across 4 continents and 11 countries as artist-in-residence, curator, and public artist. He was course leader in B.A. Art Education at the University of Wales, a recipient of the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Award and has over 15 one-person exhibitions to his name. He moved to Venice in 2020, establishing himself as a visual artist and freelance educator. He works principally using mixed-media, collage, and paint create ‘a sense of place’ and is currently engaged in an ‘archival’ portraiture project of his local community in collaboration with the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Douglas Matthews

Douglas is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art (Drawing & Painting) and has been teaching art to adults and secondary school pupils both in the UK and the Middle East since he graduated. He has had seven one-man exhibitions and his work is included in several international private collections. For 16 years he was the watercolour tutor at the Holyrood Art Club in Edinburgh and has run private painting groups at his home since his return to Scotland in 2000. Douglas continues to paint both in water and oil-based mediums and includes mixed media in the landscapes and seascapes that will be the basis of his next exhibition.

John Gagahan

John Gahagan is a professional artist living and working in Scotland. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and specialises in architectural illustration and landscape painting. His pictures capture his love for urban architecture at home and abroad and coastal and pastoral scenes around Scotland.

His travels with his sketchbook have taken him on many an artistic sojourn; to such diverse locations as France, Spain, Germany, Russia, Ireland, and the Americas.

Kate Wheaton

Julie Ford

Sophie McKay Knight

Mark Holden

Mark has been a professional Artist in Scotland since 2002 when he started his career in St.Andrews. He has exhibited in Galleries in Scotland and the UK and undertaken commission works in Arnhem Hospital Holland and for a variety of clients in Europe. He also coaches Art Groups in Scotland and, later this year, Italy.

Mark works with Oils, Acrylics, and Watercolours. Subjects include Scottish landscapes, classic cars, golf courses, and skiing. Mark likes to work on commissions for clients and has had several recently used in new house-build projects as feature artwork.

Discover Photography holidays with Mark here.

Jaclyn Stuart

Jaclyn is an artist who works in St Andrews Scotland. She graduated from Grays School of Art with a BA Hons in Fine Art in 2000. She has taught art in many establishments including lecturing in Further Education. She now runs her own teaching business in St Andrews along with making and selling her own artwork. She works in watercolour, acrylics, oils, and inks.

Michael Gahagan

Michael Gahagan is an accomplished artist and professional business and life coach who delivers painting and drawing tuition in an engaging, relaxing, fun, and supportive style to people of all artistic abilities. His animal illustrations have also appeared in numerous articles and books. Artistic subject matter includes landscapes, seascapes, still life, and wildlife.

Deirdre Nichols

Trained at Liverpool and Winchester Schools of Art & taught by William Crozier, Patrick Heron, and Norman Ackroyd, Deirdre won the Northern Young
Contemporaries prize in its early days. Deirdre’s specialisms are watercolour painting and figurative sculpture. She has a degree in Fine Art from Winchester School of Art, a Master’s degree in Classics, and a PGCE from Sussex University, has taught both children and adults and run gallery tours for over 40 years. Deirdre has worked in public and private collections in the UK, France, and the US and exhibits widely. One of her works has been shortlisted for the RA Summer Exhibition 2023.

Bella Franks

Bella is an artist and yoga teacher living in Brighton. She trained in London and  Florence, setting up her life drawing business in 2010 where she teaches the traditional practice in a range of settings such as in workplaces, festivals, retreats, and holidays.
Bella has a degree in Primary Education and works with both adults and children as a freelance educator in schools, museums, and galleries. She specialises in working with children with additional needs and loves the possibilities that art expression offers.

Bella works with charcoal, oils, acrylic, and watercolour as well as mixed media, print, and collage. She loves exploring materials and encouraging her students to try new things and enjoy the creative process.

Jonathan Newey

Jonathan Newey is an award-winning artist who lives and works in Reading. He comes from a strong artistic background and is believed to be a 4^th generation artist. He works in a variety of mediums and subjects and has been teaching art courses in adult education for 25 years, running courses on drawing and painting with watercolour, acrylic, coloured pencil, and watercolour pencil.

Jonathan Newey is an award-winning artist with over 25 years of experience in both drawing and painting. Born in Reading, England, he comes from a long line of artists in his family. He has extensive experience in a wide range of mediums and subject matter but specialises in drawings and paintings inspired by nature.
He has over 20 years of experience as a teacher and lecturer and has taught in local and national adult education colleges and has also taught in various countries around the world such as Greece, Cyprus, Spain, France, and Italy.
He is a member of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and has been selected for their ‘Wildlife Artist of the Year’ exhibit at the Mall Galleries, London for 7 years.
He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has paintings in various collections both at home and abroad.