Latest reviews

Claire Bennett reviewed: Two day introduction to portrait sculpture course at Chillington Hall

"What a lovely way to spend a weekend. Miranda is a peerless teacher who seems to coax miracles. Sculpting my elfin version of Sinead Oconnor was a wonderful experience that was relaxing and engaging. I hope the work survives the kiln. Animal sculpture next."

Amerton Arts Studio responded:

"Thank you for your review Claire, glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes Miranda"

Paul & David reviewed: Kitchen Knife Course

"What a marvellous day! Dave quickly put us two novices at ease as he explained the course. Each stage was broken down into 2 or 3 actual processes as we went along and sure enough, a knife soon started appearing. Dave was very knowledgeable and reassuring. A true credit to his profession. A great guy!"

Hand forged Yorkshire responded:

"Many thanks indeed for your very kind review gentlemen, it was a real pleasure meeting you both and having you in the workshop. So glad you both enjoyed the day, fantastic job with your knives hope you are happy with them Kindest regards Dave"

Jane Randle reviewed: Crochet - Intermediate - Tuesday - Bicton Inn

"FAB Will def be back 🧶 "

Bev Benson reviewed: Two day introduction to portrait sculpture course at Chillington Hall

"This was a wonderful course. Miranda knows just what she is doing and passes on the techniques to ensure that everyone has some success. She works so hard! She was always there to offer guidance, but we also felt that we had the freedom to experiment for ourselves. We do feel that we know enough to have a go independently now. Thank you!"

Amerton Arts Studio responded:

"Thank you for your review Bev, glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes Miranda"

Lesley Devis reviewed: Wirework Tree of Life Necklace Workshop with Hand Crafted Jewellery by Jo at Fantasy and Reality, Coventry

"Booked this course for my granddaughter who really enjoyed making a wire pendant. Jo was lovely, kind and patient in her approach,. All materials and tools provided would definitely recommend."

Edina reviewed: Beginner Watercolour Art Retreat Day

"Joan is a very friendly and helpful artist. I did her course and it was a very relaxing day with her ."

Joan Kennedy Artist responded:

"It was lovely meeting you Edina, and thrilled you were able to come along to two events. I look forward to seeing you soon no doubt at another art retreat day and wish you all the best with your painting. Thank you for your lovely review Joan "

Beccy Iddon reviewed: Spoon Carving at Manor Wood

"Really enjoyed making my spoon!! Never used any of the tools before, but Matt’s tuition was superb and I made something which seemed daunting at the start of the day 🙂 🪓 "

Manor Wood responded:

"Hi Beccy, thank you for your review. It was lovely to meet you and Steve. We are glad you enjoyed the day learning how to carve a spoon. We hope to see you both again soon! Emma"

Lynn Orr reviewed: Pottery / ceramics wheel throwing, full day

"My 3 friends and I attended this course on Saturday 5th August. We were all novices. We all had a brilliant day and we all managed to make 5 pots each. Lorraine is a brilliant teacher. Whenever we made a mistake Lorraine was there and she managed to rescue our disasters. We would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone interested in having a go at throwing pots."

Woodsetton Art Pottery responded:

"Thanks for your lovely review. Despite constant wet weather pots are drying nicely and first fired and I’ll be in touch when they’re glazed and refired."

Steve Iddon reviewed: Spoon Carving at Manor Wood

"Great course where I learnt to use a range of tools to shape wood, and now have my own home made spoon, very satisfying ☺️Matt and Emma were such lovely people and the location was superb. Highly recommended. "

Manor Wood responded:

"Hi Steve, thank you for your review. It was lovely to meet you and Beccy. We are glad you enjoyed the day learning how to carve a spoon. We hope to see you both again soon! Emma"

Cathy reviewed: Stained glass one day course for beginners: for two people

"My friend and I attended a one day course in stained glass with Emma Edelston. We were celebrating a big birthday and we were total beginners. She was a great teacher and took us through some of the basic techniques in the morning. We then produced our own piece in the afternoon. As there was only the two of us we both received very personal feedback on how we were doing and I felt this really helped me develop and I feel that I could now go on to produce my own work independently in the future which was more than I envisaged before attending the course. It was fascinating and we both really enjoyed and would recommend the day.. "

Janice reviewed: Silk Painting

"Really enjoyed silk painting. Went with my daughter and granddaughter- a lovely craft for all ages. Jane was lovely sharing her knowledge, we really enjoyed the day. Now looking forward to trying this at home as I found it really relaxing. Thanks Jane."

Jane’s Celebration Services responded:

"Thank you Janice for a lovely review. It was lovely to meet you and your family. So glad you enjoyed your day and I hope you take up silk painting at home. Jane"

Sandra reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"My niece and I did this course as total beginners, we absolutely loved it. I hope to book again. You get absorbed in it and de-stress. Also it’s in a lovely setting. Sebastian is a great tutor who helps you lose your fear of getting things wrong. He started with a practice block of stone to get a hang of tools then you choose a block to work from and what you want to make. You also get inspired by what the other participants are doing. We thoroughly recommend this weekend for anyone no matter what level. Thanks to Sebastian. "

Georgie reviewed: Basket making for beginners using traditional willow basketry techniques

"I had such a wonderful experience on this course. Becky and Jon were brilliant and welcomed us into their cosy barn with a cuppa and homemade flapjacks before starting the basket weaving. The course was taught in simple steps and as it was a small group, Jon and Becky were able to show us one to one each new step. It was such a great workshop and the baskets we made were really beautiful! Thanks also to Jo for cooking us a wonderful lunch. I really recommend this course, the people, the little details and most of all, it’s such a satisfying skill to learn, even if it’s just for a day! Thank you so much for this great experience!"

Sarah reviewed: Watercolour painting workshop at Back Room Art Stourbridge

"A relaxing class where lots of techniques were explained and practiced. I feel like I gained depth and contrast in watercolours. "

Back Room Art responded:

"Thank you for your review "

lorraine Kemp reviewed: Sterling silver stacking rings for complete beginners

"Had so much fun yesterday at the mother daughter ring making class. Viv is so knowledgeable and it was fun. Would highly recommend and we came away with beautiful rings that were made by little old us!! Who knew we were so clever? "

Simply Amazing Jewellery School responded:

"Hahaha - thank you so much, I am so pleased!! I can't tell you how impressed I was, the girls were so mature and competent, your lovely friends, aunts and mum's were brilliant, letting them do their thing while you had your own learning curve to handle. Well done and thank you for your lovely review"

Jackie reviewed: Glass painting taster day

"I thoroughly enjoyed the glass painting day, Derek took us through the process of making the paint and demonstrated a variety of painting techniques before we practiced for ourselves, culminating in producing our own glass picture. It was really informative and enjoyable, and Derek provided an information sheet to support everything we had learnt. Would highly recommend 😁"

Derek Hunt Artist responded:

"Thank you so much for your lovely review Jackie! "

Richard reviewed: 2 Day Relief Carving Course - Stone Carving Inspired By Nature

"2 Day Relief Carving Course - Stone Carving Inspired By Nature. Very enjoyable and informative experience. Cannot wait to get my hands on some more purbeck stone."

Burngate Purbeck Stone Centre responded:

"Hi Richard, We're very pleased that you enjoyed your experience here at Burngate! Do let us know when you'd like some more stone for your own carving. Kind regards, David. "

Vanda reviewed: ‘Autumn Landscape' wool painting textile art course for beginners in Worcestershire

"I had a fantastic day at Magic Wool Studio in Kidderminster learning an amazing art of painting with wool fibers. Raya is an exceptional teacher who has a wealth of experience and a talented artist. My friend and I had a great day in a cosy atmosphere of Raya's studio and enjoyed exploring the qualities of wool and silks and mixing with like-minded people. We will be back. Thank you, Raya!"

Magic Wool Art and Craft Studio responded:

"Thank you very much for your review. I look forward to seeing you again at my studio."

Jackie reviewed: Wood joints class using reclaimed materials

"Excellent course. Tyler is a great teacher who listens, advises and guides your techniques, making you feel successful. He has extensive knowledge but makes it relevant and enjoyable. "

Julie Northage reviewed: Beginner Watercolour Art Retreat Day

"I loved Joan's watercolour experience day. Rudyard lake and surroundings are beautiful. Joan is a very talented artist with lots of tips and ideas to help you produce quite a lovely piece of art for yourself. I would recommend anyone needing some me time to have a go, relax and just paint. X"

Joan Kennedy Artist responded:

"Julie thank you so much for your lovely review, very much appreciated. It was such a pleasure having you there (we will paint a duck one day lol) Thanks so much for all your enthusiasm and support xx"

Sarah Webster reviewed: Polymer Clay Creations

"I booked this course at the suggestion of my friend who is very 'crafty'. I wanted to treat her to a course and she decided I should join her. I did not expect to enjoy it much, but I was wrong, I had a great time! Caroline was so friendly and gave me confidence that I could create something that looked half decent. In fact, I am really proud of my polymer clay toadstool. I would definitely recommend one of Caroline's courses - both to the experienced enthusiast like my friend and to the nervous novice like me"

Rock n Wool Creations responded:

"Hi Sarah, thank you so much for coming, for being great company and for giving it a go. You did amazing and created a perfect toadstool. See, you never know what you can achieve until you try. Thank you also for your kind words. Very much appreciated! Hope to see you again. Xx Caroline "

Ann reviewed: Beginners half-day 1-2-1 pottery / ceramics workshop for 1 person

"Thank you so much, Louise, for the 1-2-1 pottery workshop. It was so relaxing - learning a new craft from you, with your great playlist playing. I am really looking forward to seeing my finished pots. Hopefully next time I will be more successful on the wheel!"

Blended Monkey - pottery - woodturning - green woodworking - pole lathe - throwing responded:

"Ann, you made some beautiful pieces. I think you found the handbuilding to be a creative medium that you connected with, and your slab vases really show that :-). Shame you didn't get as much time on the wheel; but maybe we'll see you again in the future. Thank you for your lovely 5-star review."

Mary S reviewed: Beginner Watercolour Art Retreat Day

"my daughter and I had a really lovely day with Joan at Rudyard Lake. We learned water colour techniques and new skills. I have no hesitation in recommending Joan and the course. I will be going again as soon as I can."

Joan Kennedy Artist responded:

"Mary, it was wonderful having you there. Thank you so much for your lovely review and creating special memories with your daughter . I look forward to seeing you soon again at a future course. Thank you so much. "

Libby Hill reviewed: Beginner Watercolour Art Retreat Day

"We loved this course so much that we have been twice! Joan is an excellent teacher and made the day really fun. The venue is lovely and the lunch was great. I will definitely go again asap."

Joan Kennedy Artist responded:

"Thanks so much Libby. It was wonderful watching your progress and can’t wait to see what you will create again and applying the techniques you learned. Thank you so much for all your support, an absolute pleasure having you there. All the best Joan "

Becca R reviewed: Sculpture in a Day - Stone carving in Oxfordshire

"I signed up for David's Sculpture in a Day course with zero experience of doing sculpture. I really enjoyed it and was totally absorbed in my creation all day. We started at 0930 and didn’t finish until almost 1800. All four of us doing the course came away with sculptures we were really pleased with and in all cases they closely resembled the ideas we had on arrival. David was a patient teacher and helped each of us to realise our own ideas. I’d definitely recommend it and will probably do it again."

Sculpted in Stone responded:

"Thanks Becca, it was great to have you on the course. Hope to see you again! David"