June Newsletter
News, Exhibitions and Events...
🌿 June
June arrives almost shyly this year, slipping in after a May that felt both too full and strangely suspended. Between hospital sessions, national holidays, animal wrangling, gardening, work, and caring duties, the month seemed to pass in fragments. And then came the canicule—tenish long, shimmering days of heat that pressed everything into stillness. We emptied our stored rainwater tanks watering late into the evenings. I didn’t dare disturb the soil; even the garden seemed to hold its breath. Trays of seedlings waited patiently in the shade, biding their time for cooler weather, which has finally arrived today, on the very last morning of May.
There’s a quiet relief in this shift. The air feels lighter, the ground more forgiving, and June opens the door to begin again—slowly, gently, without hurry.
🌿May in Review - what we’ve been creating.
🌿Class availability.
🌿June Project.
🌿Upcoming Expos & Creative Gatherings.
🌿 Class availability
I have some spaces for private sessions (Wednesday afternoons) - these are one off sessions for individuals or small groups who can’t commit to a longer course. Book here.
🌿May in Review — What We’ve Been Creating
Birds, birds and more birds! It seems you can’t get enough of them. I am no ornithologist but I enjoy the challenge of describing feather and claw and I will continue to make bird tutorials as requested. Other topics in May included: drawing perspective, plein air drawing and painting, negative painting, flowers,
🌿 June Project: Nest
The bird theme continues to take flight in class and through the tutorials, so our June prompt stays close to that energy. This month’s theme is Nest — and you’re free to interpret it as literally or as imaginatively as you like. It might be the delicate architecture of a bird’s nest, all twigs and intention, or it might be something more symbolic: a place of safety, a beginning, a tangle of gathered materials, a sense of home, a holding space, a threshold…
Follow whichever direction pulls at you. Let the idea of “nest” become a structure, a metaphor, a mood, or a story. Build, weave, gather, shelter — or dismantle and reimagine. The creative path is yours to choose.
🌿 Upcoming Expos & Creative Gatherings
Art & Culture in Brittany — June Highlights If you’re looking for inspiration or a creative day out this month, Brittany is full of wonderful events. The La Gacilly Photo Festival opens again in June, transforming the whole village into an open‑air gallery of large‑format photography. In Vannes, Livr’à Vannes brings more than 200 authors to the port for three days of talks and signings, while Carnac hosts its own open‑air literary festival earlier in the month. Music lovers can enjoy Les Milles Musicaux in La Trinité‑sur‑Mer on 20 June — a beautifully curated classical programme. Plenty to feed the imagination as summer begins.
June is also an excellent time to visit Giverny, with lush gardens, emerging water lilies, and fragrant roses, though crowds will begin to increase through the Summer months.
Do let me know if you attend any of these — I’d love to hear your thoughts.
🌿Wake up and smell the summer—June is here!
June feels like the moment to stop tiptoeing around the edges of things. The canicule has broken, the soil has softened, and the seedlings are going out today whether they think they’re ready or not. And honestly, so am I. Creativity won’t wait for tidy schedules or calm weeks — it needs claiming. If May taught me to admire the tenacity of weeds, June is teaching me to behave a little more like them: unapologetic, determined, and willing to grow exactly where I land.
A+
Elizabeth
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