Last year, I was invited to Holland to teach a three day masterclass in watercolor on claybord. You may remember the story from here.

via GIPHY

It was better than I could have imagined. Margo made me feel so welcomed. I didn’t have to think about anything other than teaching. I felt like a rock star, tbh.

via GIPHY

First, the bed and breakfast was next door to the class location and so charming. Paul, the owner, is a lovely person and the breakfasts were delicious. I think about them all the time.

Second, Margo is generous with her time and knowledge. She patiently answered all my questions and held my hand every step of the way. She and Wilco go out of their way to make her students and teachers feel comfortable and well taken care of.

Third, she surrounds herself with kind, welcoming, and eager to learn students. Margo sets her teachers up for success in every way imaginable which, in turn, sets her students up for success.

Let me describe a day* in the life of Margo’s teachers:

9am: I’d wake up and get ready before heading down to breakfast. The fruit was the most delicious I’ve ever tasted and the bread was like little clouds of heaven. America, why don’t we have bread like this?

via GIPHY

10am: I’d meet Margo at the class building where we would have coffee and chat about the plan for the day.

10:30am: Class would start with a quick critique of the work done the day before and a 10-15 minute demo. Then we would both walk around helping students with their paintings.

Sometime around 12pm: We’d stop for coffee/tea and some cookies/chocolate. We’d gather in the lunch area and chat. Then we’d go back for another short demo. (I need more of this in my life.)

2pm: We’d stop for a huge, delicious lunch. I have a sensitivity to black pepper and Margo always made sure the lunch had options for me. She was better at remembering it than I am myself. Then I had the opportunity to go for a walk or back to my room if I needed a break.

via GIPHY

3pm: Another quick demo before more painting.

4:30pm: We’d stop for another coffee/tea and chat.

5:30pm: We’d say goodnight to the students and clean up. I tried to help with this, but they would usually shoo me off after a bit. They were insistent on wanting me to relax and enjoy my time, but it was almost more arduous to let them work so tirelessly while I did nothing. The jet lag had their back though. Once they were ready to go, we would grab some dinner and discuss the day. They fed me like I haven’t been fed since my Grandma passed away and it was all delicious.

By 8 or 9pm I was back at the B&B getting ready for bed.

Throughout the day Wilco, was constantly checking on everyone and working diligently to keep everything running while Margo and I did our thing. At one point he told the student they could come cry on his shoulder if they needed to and when they were done, they had go back to work. That guy’s married to an artist.

Margo and Wilco:

via GIPHY

*Times may not reflect the actual time of day.

Check out some of these paintings the students did on the last day:

The post Watercolor Workshop In Holland appeared first on Elisha Dasenbrock.