I have just finished my ‘roadshow month’ when I visit various art organisations around the UK, running painting holidays and courses. A busy but enjoyable time, this year I managed to get to Norfolk, Somerset, Essex and the South Downs. Calculating the mileage as a single trip would have got me to Toulouse and back home again! I always have a chat with my students on the beginning of my painting holidays to understand their requirements. The most common answer is to loosen up or to be freer in expression. The opportunity to work en plein air although not always easy is an ideal time to do this and for me one of the most satisfying ways of producing artwork. A set time limit of two to three hours helps to distil a scene and focus on what are the main factors that make the painting. Many worry about working out of doors as they feel ‘on show’. In my experience, although we tend to paint mostly in quiet areas, if anyone does peer over a student’s shoulder, they are often full of admiration at the work that is being created. I always say that if anyone needs a deterrent to keep onlookers away, take a flat cap and a few coins and leave these at the base of the easel! Aren’t art gadgets great! September weather was generally good for painting out of doors, though we did have one drizzly morning where I was still able to complete a pastel demonstration thanks to my new holder which supports a full sized golf umbrella on a box easel or chair. www.timfisherartist.co.uk