
“This was my first painting holiday and it exceeded all my expectations!”
Thank you so much Peter and Janet, for letting us into your lovely home and for the fantastic tuition – I have so much to take home with me.
My 5 – days at Brambles have been fabulous”
Great tuition, hospitality, wonderful food. A use of different media will be vastly improved, I’m sure, as I take away all the tips and completed pieces of work and try to apply them at home.
“It was absolutely fantastic “
Could not have enjoyed it more. We were made to feel so welcome and well fed. Definitely be back.
Tutors Peter Davies and Janet Brady have been teaching painting for over 20 years. We teach all the core skills for your medium of choice, but we like to focus our teaching in a way to benefits each individual creative journey. Painters can work and develop their favourite medium or maybe try another.
“We focus our teaching to benefit your individual journey”
We like to stretch and challenge each painter, assessing their strengths and weaknesses and begin by putting into action a flexible plan for their time at Brambles.
“step by step you gain confidence and flourish”
Based in the beautiful county of Devon there are plenty of locations to choose from. We like to work in our garden studio and sit out in our rambling garden too. There are several locations in our tiny hamlet of Sprytown, and many more in the wider Devon landscape.


Courses in Devon
We have been hosting residential courses at our home in beautiful Devon since 2003. Enjoy a painting break and getaway from the hustle and bustle of a busy life, relax, retreat and totally emerse yourself in art.
Art Academy Cornwall
Take it up a level and enjoy a week on a beautiful estate in Cornwall. Calamansac is a stuning luxury location, our secret hideaway, Its not too far from Brambles and close to Falmouth. This location affords us the luxury of access to many iconic sites in Cornwall and to paint in amazing light in the south west.
More info – click here
Art Academies Worldwide
More info – click here
-In 2020 we all experienced a pandemic, the face to face teaching world stopped. Peter and Janet learnt to film and edit videos, we created a set of skectchbooking tutorials.
The birth of Sketchaway.
Sketchaway - Online Tuition
More info – click here
Day workshops and Demos
Local groups often ask us to lecture on painting, drawing and sketching. We spend a day with them teaching any of the following media: Oil, Watercolour, Acrylic and Sketchbooking.
More info – click here
The golden touch 1-1 learning
More info – click here

Peter Davies & Janet Brady
Artists and Teachers – Watercolour, Oil, Acrylic, Charcoal, Drawing & Mixed Media.
“We have been teaching at Brambles Art Retreat for over 20 years.”
We host courses in Devon we welcome you into our home. Our 17th Century cottage is a place to relax, forget your busy lives for a few days and immerse yourself in a creative, nurtuing space.
Enjoy Janets delicious food around the kitchen table, relaxing chatter meeting new faces and making new friends.
Take a well earned stroll with Peter and Jupiter to stretch your legs after a fruitful day at the easel.
“Draw what you see not what you think you see”
“Stay in the loop”
Contact
Phone
Address
Brambles, Sprytown, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0AY, England, UK.
Brambles Blog
Lovely view – possible new location!!
We went to Alder Vineyard this morning for breakfast. It’s really close to Brambles, a short drive. Stunning long views of Dartmoor, today dusted with snow! There is a lovely wine tour and wine tasting available if you fancy it. Lovely food options for lunch or...
Sketch-booking Workshop
I’m delighted to be hosting a two day workshop at The Garden House in Yelveton near Plymouth. On the 13th and 14th of June 2004. Free entry to the garden, materials provided, discounted lunch available. Two days tuition on how to create a beautiful sketchbook using...
Listening and recording birdsong – to sketch
What bird is singing? A dear friend recently introduced me to the bird song identifying app Merlin. You can download it for free. It’s a great way of recording as you walk with an instant diagnosis identifying the birds you hear - I love it! This is a great resource...